Latest news with #Gandhiji
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Despite numerous highs since Independence, many challenges remain
Independence from the colonial British tyrannical rule was still two years in the future when I was born. I was a seven-month pregnancy born premature baby, and there was little hope of my survival in the beginning. There were neither antibiotics nor incubators at that time and even penicillin was rarely in use. But, thanks to the tender care of my mother and her brother, Dr. Gandhi, my maternal uncle and father-in-law to be, a resident in the Madras Medical College at that time, I became a near normal healthy baby by the age of three months. Gandhiji had come to Chennai at that time to lay the foundation stone for Andhra Mahila Sabha, a great welfare institution meant for children, women, and the challenged, and the brainchild of Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh, one of the greatest women India has produced in the previous century. She and my mother, Manikyamba, fondly called Papayamma by friends and family, took me to Gandhiji and requested him to bless me. Thus Mohandas became my name, subsequently changed to Mohan, as I am known today. I have, therefore, no claims to have been a part of the freedom movement. Dr. Gandhi and his father, however, were known for their participation in it. Those were the peak of the freedom movement and Durgabai was just one of the many fiercely patriotic fighters in Gandhi's vast nationwide army. Their valiant efforts soon bore fruit and India became independent from the imperialistic rule. At the stroke of midnight of 14 August 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, stood in Parliament and made his famous speech beginning with the words, 'Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny …', and ended up by asking the people of India, the historic question, '….Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future'? And now, in retrospect, when one looks back over one's shoulder, the question arises, did we prove equal to Nehru's expectations; Or Hamlet's remark in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', 'Ay, there's the rub!' Having become a republic in 1950, India has just celebrated 75 years as an independent nation, a celebration marked with nationwide jubilation and named 'Azadi Ka Amritkal Mahotsav'. This marks for a good time to take stock of the accomplishments and disappointments, the successes and failures, and the state of the balance sheet. On the credit side, the accomplishment with the best claim to a place in it will be the manner in which the country obtained its independence, through a movement informed by the unprecedented spirit of 'Ahimsa', a spirit embraced by the Mahatma, the likes of which have never been seen in the annals of world history from the war of independence in the United States to the recent bifurcation of Sudan. Literally overnight, at the stroke of midnight on 14 August 1947, many scourges that dogged the Indian psyche, as the practice of Sati, untouchability, the system of zamindaris were banished. And several farsighted and forward-looking reforms came to be, including universal franchise, and work began to frame a Constitution for the new Republic. Another significant development was the achievement of food security, thanks to the historic efforts of those heroes of the childhood of the nascent Republic, such as M.S. Swaminathan, Norman Borlaug, M.V. Rao and Verghese Kurien. Their contributions led to multicoloured revolutions in the agriculture sector, green, white, blue, and yellow to usher in an era of food security. A country barely recovering from the nightmarish memories of a ravaging famine soon became not merely self- reliant, but also acquired the ability to export agricultural goods. Yet another important development was the establishment of constitutional and statutory institutions, such as the Supreme Court of India, the Election Commission of India and the Union Public Service Commission, which acquitted themselves admirably and brought laurels to the nation from the nooks and corners of the world. What further enhances one's pride is the eminence accomplished by the sons and daughters of India in different spheres; from working for world peace, by Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and Mother Teresa, through literature, by Bhanu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhashti (recently awarded the Booker Prize), culture through the international popularity of matinee idols Raj Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan, sports, through the spectacular accomplishments of Sachin Tendulkar in cricket and Koneru Hampi in chess, to scientific research thanks to the path-breaking discoveries of CV Raman and Hargobind Singh Khurana and adventure through the achievements of pioneering mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, and Rakesh Sharma and Kalpana Chawla, in space exploration. The second watershed in the history of modern India was the advent of the forces of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. The manner in which the country rode that wave, and emerged, not only unscathed, but refreshed and buoyant, won the admiration of the whole world. In fact, The then Chairman of the Federal Bank of USA, went to the extent of saying that had Dr. Y. Venugopal Reddy, then Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, been in his place, the international financial meltdown might not have occurred at all! That, however, is only one side of the coin. When one flips the coin, what one sees is a bleak and disappointing picture. India remains home to nearly half of the population living below the poverty line, in countries belonging to the South Asia and Pacific region, which, in turn, represents half of the total number of poor people in the world. Access to good quality education health/medical services remains a distant dream. Children are sold as commodities in our metropolitan cities, women are killed in the name of honour in some parts of the country and farmers continue to commit suicide on account of economic distress. Income and wealth inequalities have reached totally unacceptable levels, despite over 75 years of determined effort, rapid growth and sustainable development, the recently concluded Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations notwithstanding. And, on the external front, the attachment to the so-called policy of non-alignment has left the country friendless, both in the neighbourhood and outside. This is not the time, therefore, either to rest on one's oars, to let one's hair down, or put one's feet up with satisfaction or contentment. Nor, on the other hand, is there any cause for despair. While much has been achieved, a good deal remains to be done. The residual agenda, however, is certainly not beyond the ability of the country, and its people. With a gigantic task beckoning the people, everyone will have a role to play, whether politician, civil servant, doctor, engineer, lawyer, architect, businessman, industrialist, scientist, academician or NGO or community-based organization. A light hearted snippet to end this piece: In the 1960s, tribals in Srikakulam district were given bullocks as part of the activities undertaken by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) of the district. The assistance extended by the government was in the nature of a subsidy covering 25 per cent of the cost of the bullocks and the rest of the money came partly by way of margin money from the ITDA and the rest as a medium term loan from a commercial bank. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, who was visiting various parts of the country, to check the pace and quality of the implementation of various welfare programmes, asked his vehicle to be stopped by the roadside in a village and enquired of a farmer how the bullocks were faring. The innocent farmer beamed and said, 'Very tasty sir, thank you!' As a wise guy said, upon hearing the story, a remarkable case of a long-term loan being used for short-term purposes, instead of, as usual, the other way around! (The writer was formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Taste of Life: Doer of Gandhiji's philosophy of decentralised democracy
Pune: The Government of India Act of 1935, a landmark piece of legislation, brought about significant democratic reforms in India. It granted a large measure of autonomy to provinces, ended the 'dyarchy' system at the provincial level, and introduced direct elections. Mahatma Gandhi had been talking and writing about the implementation of democracy since the 1920s. His model of democracy and development was based on an upward movement of authority from the base to the apex, unlike the British model. He imagined a democracy where the village was the core unit. For this to happen, the people had to be educated and the village self-reliant. The concept of 'gramoddhar', or village upliftment and development, was thus central to Gandhiji's philosophy of decentralised democracy. However, this development was not limited to material wealth. He wanted the villagers to be spiritually and intellectually equipped to be able to think and make decisions about themselves, their villages, and their country. As a result, India in the early 1930s witnessed a heightened discussion centred on the upliftment and development of villages that gained momentum after the reforms of 1935. That the villagers were uneducated and hence not eligible to participate in the democratic process was a favourite argument of a certain section of the society. Gandhiji and his followers not only staunchly opposed this, but also made efforts to bring about a change. Reverend AG Hog, principal of Christian College, addressed students at the convocation of the Madras University on August 10, 1935. He said, 'More than ever before India needs to find in her citizens qualities of the kind which is the function of the universities to foster and develop. She needs citizens, men and women, who learn to think for themselves and to act as they think and whose judgements have the well-informed and sympathetic wisdom that comes from wide and wisely chosen reading. She needs those who seek a charitable and sympathetic understanding of views with which they disagree. She needs those who speak nothing but the truth. Where, if not to her universities, shall she look for such citizens?' The Marathi newspaper 'Dnyanaprakash' in its editorial on August 14, 1935, quoted this speech to stress upon the need for 'gramoddhar'. It appealed to the educated class to work in villages and urged the universities to modify the curriculum to make education more inclusive. It also featured an article next to the editorial about the work done by Mr DS Modak in the village of Mundhwa. Modak, the personal assistant to the Collector of Poona, believed in 'gramoddhar' and was one of the few who walked the talk. In the 1930s, he did some exemplary work at Pimple, Ranjangaon, and Mundhwa, the villages around Pune. He worked hard to make these villages models for 'gramoddhar'. Mundhwa was five miles from Pune and known all over Maharashtra for its paper mill, which was visible from the Hadapsar Railway Station. But the village was far from clean. Sewers from Pune flowed into Mundhwa. There were puddles of dirty water everywhere. The roads were always full of mud during the monsoon and dust flew everywhere during the summer. Modak decided to change this. But he wanted the change to come from the villagers themselves. He knew that the villagers could not be ordered around. The importance of self-reliance had to be explained to them without being condescending. He had to treat them with respect and dignity. He had to earn their trust and he could not do so by living in Pune. He started spending a lot of time in Mundhwa. He visited the village every Sunday and sometimes after work. He ate with the farmers and went to their farms with them. He strived hard to make them see him as one of their own. In 1934, the residents of Mundhwa were convinced of the need to improve the condition of their village. The villagers decided to build a drainage system themselves in the village without relying on the government. Groups were formed who took turns to volunteer with the construction activity. A few months later, Mundhwa boasted of clean roads and a fairly sophisticated drainage system. Modak invited the 'Gramsudhar Samiti' (village improvement committee) constituted by the Congress party to visit the village. The Samiti was impressed and requested Modak to continue with his work. Modak often discussed the economic upliftment of their families with the farmers. He realised that the money earned from farming was not sufficient to guarantee a decent standard of living and that additional activities were necessary to supplement the income. He introduced beekeeping and jam-making to the people of Mundhwa. Mr Balaram, who worked with the agricultural department, visited Mundhwa every Sunday to teach the vocation of beekeeping. Mr Narhar Gangadhar Apte spent a month in Mundhwa to teach jam-making. There were many orchards, gardens, and sugarcane farms in Mundhwa. The guavas from the village were quite popular in the Bombay Presidency. The proximity of these gardens was stimulating for the bees to build their hives. Fruits like guava were cheaper in season and resulted in losses for the gardeners. But the business of guava jam made sure that they did not incur any more losses. When the market did not fetch a decent price for guavas, instead of selling the fruit at a low price, the farmers made jam that could be sold throughout the year in the markets of Poona Cantonment and Bombay. The additional income from selling of jams resulted in an increase in the enrolment at the local school. A night school was soon started for adults. Children of farmers and herdsmen who worked during the day attended this school. Modak also introduced soap-making as a business in Mundhwa. He had told the Samiti that the upliftment of villages was not possible unless the income and purchasing power of the villagers did not improve. According to him, better roads, buildings, and drainage systems did not mean much unless the villagers had sustainable sources of income that enabled them to sail through emergencies like famines and floods. The income also enabled them to seek better education. In this regard, he put forth a proposal for land consolidation during a meeting with the Samiti. This consolidation of holdings was supposed to benefit the farmers in several ways -brokerage would be curbed, farm income would increase, and the living conditions of the farmers would improve. Many residents of Mundhwa wholeheartedly embraced the scheme and tried to persuade every landholder to accept consolidation. I do not know how long Modak continued to work at Mundhwa. In his address, Rev Hog said - 'Remembering that India consists mainly of villages, I can conceive of nothing more noble, and for a true son or daughter of a university nothing more appropriate, than a life spent in combating the ignorance and other social ills that hold villages of India in thrall.' 'Maharashtra', a Marathi daily published from Nagpur, complained on January 18, 1936, that public lectures related to village upliftment were usually crowded, but there were very few people in cities like Nagpur, Pune, and Bombay who participated in this work. It wrote that if one tried to see how much work was done in villages, they would be disappointed. Modak and the villagers of Mundhwa were honourable exceptions. They took up 'gramoddhar' when India was about to enter upon a constitutional experiment, the precise issues of which no one could foresee. Gandhiji's genius lies in combining democratic principles with the upliftment of villages. Perhaps it is not too late to revisit his ideas. Chinmay Damle is a research scientist and food enthusiast. He writes here on Pune's food culture. He can be contacted at
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Case against Yatnal for insulting Mahatma Gandhi
Congress workers in Vijayapura have filed a complaint against Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal, MLA who has been expelled from the BJP, for having allegedly insulted Mahatma Gandhi. In a complaint submitted at the Adarsh Nagar police station, they said Mr. Yatnal had described Gandhiji as the 'father of Pakistan' in a statement made before the media in Vijayapura on May 11. The complainant Allabaksh Dongarisab Badeghar said Mr. Yatnal had claimed that Gandhiji had divided the country and created Pakistan only for Muslims. He had also said that it was a matter of shame for Indians to install statues of Gandhiji, according to the complaint. . The police registered a first information report under BNS sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups) and 353 (making, publishing, or circulating statements, false information, or rumours that could cause public mischief, incite hatred, or disrupt harmony between different groups).
Economic Times
30-04-2025
- General
- Economic Times
Leap into the spirit
When you think of great leaders , inspiring figures like Gandhiji, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela come to mind. What made these icons such powerful leaders? Everyone has the potential to become a great leader. You only have to awaken the leader in you. The most impactful leaders have been spiritual heads whose influence remains long after their death. When you tap into the Spirit, you overcome all barriers like physical limitations, emotional hang-ups, intellectual prejudices. You breathe an ethereal air.A leader has a vision and thinks beyond the narrow confines of 'I, me, mine'. You cannot achieve greatness with a small mind. Leaders work for a higher ideal, for lokasangraha , well-being of the world. They do not want just power or position for themselves. Their goal is to serve, add value to the community and help solve their problems. The Bhagwad Gita says, work in a spirit of yajna, service, sacrifice for a noble cause, and you will get success and happiness. You will grow to your you are uninspired, you experience boredom and drudgery. The same work driven by an emotional motivation becomes exciting. A father may be laid back and demotivated. But when inspired to work for his child, he becomes enthusiastic, energetic and creative. Enthused by an intellectual ideal, you smash through even emotional hang-ups and achieve the impossible. And when you take mighty leap into the Spirit, all barriers break down.
