Friday, January 13, 2012

020 Incurable problem of rural idleness owing to urban temptations

YBREM:
Speech at Krishnath College Berhampur, Odissa.
Date: Aug. 6, 1925.
Context: Gandhiji was collecting funds for construction of memorial for Deshbandh Chitta Ranjan Das.
Gandhiji's heart was 100% with spinning wheel.
He was presented with a purse of Rs.1,067.
Source Vol. 32 of Complete Works of Mahatma Gandhi.
Part quote.



...The creed of the spinning-wheel is that there should be a bond established between yourselves and the villagers; that is the meaning of village reconstruction--that is your another question. And the village reconstruction must dance round your charkha as the centre. You may not go to the villages, unless you take a little bit of bread to the semi-starved villagers. They will starve. During six months, if Sir P. C. Ray is to be depended upon, for six solid months cultivators of India, i.e., eighty percent of the population of India--have no work. They are idle. Do you suppose that the peasantry of any part of the world can possibly enjoy four months' holiday and make both ends meet. Not even a millionaire in this age will be able to enjoy four months' holiday. They soon find there is a deficit to meet or there is some hopeless mismanagement of their estate. If you want to take a little bit of life into these little cottages of India, you will only do so by the revolution of the charkha and, therefore, I say, whoever draws one yard of yarn per day, has added to the wealth of India; he has done something to alleviate the distress, and as the Gita says : As the great men do so do the men in the street. ...


YBREMs:
One Head of State, as far as I can remember, it is former Prime Minister of Japan, was shown a a big spinning wheel in some Gandhi Memorial, by some Central Minister. He was, in the photo, looking at the wheel with amazement, because in Japan, he might not have seen such gadgets of beautifully polished teak wood. I personally believe that Gandhiji might not have spun his yarn on such type of exhibition pieces. He might have spun his yarn on some real functional spinning wheel. What makes me sad today is, spinning wheel has become a piece of exhibition.

When a Nation can forget 'the father of the Nation' and HIS MISSION, what use is there in holding empty exhibition pieces? They may be spending thousands of Rupees on polishing the gadget.

*National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, it is not clear, why the rulers have named on Mahatma Gandhi. As per the standard practice, they should have named after somebody of the Nehru family Jawahar - Indira - rAjIv or probably Sonia. The scheme, of course good, but I have doubts about the implementation part.

*The population of India was just 300 million approx. in 1925. It is now 1200 million. If 80% of population of 300 million i.e. 240 million had no work in 1925, what will be the size of truly WORKLESS IDLE (not lazy) population in 2012? Land is same in 1925 and 2012. Handloop, khaddar weaving and native textile mills were supporting the population of the 1925, because people of that era were wearing khadi or handloom or at least indigenous mill cloth.


2012 population of India wears imported Chinese garments. Some wear jeans. Some wear polyester and artificial fibres. Handloom weavers of Dharmavaram, Pochampalli, Mangalagiri, Sirisilla, committing suicide is a daily affair. The Central Government instead of helping the handloom or khaddar, has imposed excise duties on chilapa yarn used in handloom weaving.

*Anand Sharma, Central Minister, speaking at a recent International Investment Conference at Hyderabad, said that FOREIGNERS WILL BE INVOLVED AT ALL LEVELS OF INDIA'S DEVELOPMENT. This is after 64 years of freedom. Andhra Pradesh M.L.A.s, M.P., Ministers, and Chief Minister seem to be worried about public objections to bauxite mining in Araku and Mahendra Hills. They seem to be more worried about launching the Coastal Corridor.

*If this is the State of Affairs prevailing in Andhra Pradesh, which is supposed to be one of the progressive states, what may be happening in Bihar? The people in Bengal, Bihar, U.P., Odissa, M.P., Rajasthan, may be virtually starving.

*We need not mind going back to spinning wheel, if it is going to help in re-distributing urban wealth to the rural youth by generating employment. But one DEVELOPMENT (I can't say beneficial or harmful), I clearly see everywhere, is both rural and urban population started using electric gadgets. Gone were the carpenters using hand-saws. Today's carpenters use electric saws. Gone were mechanically composed printing presses. We now have DTP and offset and laser printing. Nobody wants to go back even for ideological reasons. They do not want to undertake MONOTONOUS REPETITIVE WORK, even if it generates employment and gives handfuls of rice. Gone were the bullocks to abettoirs and tractors have entered the tilling arena. Mini vans, autos operate everywhere and nobody wants to walk even for one kilo meter, even if lack of exercise gives them diabetes. Late R.K. Narayan wrote a novel about a painter of signs who took pride in his work. Today, hand painters have gone and flex boards replaced them.

*I am not arguing against change. But how that change has to take place without subjecting the population to starvation caused by open or disguised unemployment.


*Today, Gandhiji can appeal NEITHER TO LEADERS NOR THE MASSES. Manmohan Singh and his advisers are MAD, MAD, MAD and MAD of foreign investments. Why should the foreigners invest in India, without expecting their pound of flesh? The more and more we go into foreign investments, the more we should be impoverished, notwithstanding our joining group of 20 or group of 8 or Security Council.

*Today, if Gandhiji were to come alive and visit All India in trains, nobody will wait for him. Today's people will go to air ports and railway stations for receiving Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Sha Rukh Khan, or Vidya Balan, but definitely not Mahatma Gandhi. (I have my own doubts about crowds receiving Anna Hazare, but it requires more space, I shall not discuss here). IMPORTANT: If Indian team loses in Australia, sometimes the cricketers have to return secretly hiding in lounges. Same crowds which were earlier eager to garland them, will now throw stones, eggs, onions and tomatos.


YBREM: Gandhiji's Gita quote: As the great men do so do the men in the street. ...
This is based on yadyad acarati srEshThaha.


3/21 Bhagavad Gita.
yad yad aacharati s`reesht`has tat tad deeveetaroo jana:
sa yat pramaan`am kurutee lookas tad anuvartatee.

Gist:
Whatever the best men in the society and the leaders do others will emulate. Whatever the elite take as standard, the world will copy.

If you wish, you can see the karma yOga, Chapter 3, full text in Roman script and English translation by me i.e. donkey.
. bhagavadgitayb.blogspot.com.


Here, it is worth while to quote one example. In the early days of Free-India after 1947, Our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru used to hesitate in giving liquor parties to Heads of State and Government in India or abroad. But, ultimately, he had to yield, because liquor parties or banquets were/are/will be international practice and embassies/High Commissionerates/Diplomats insist. Just as tails commanding dogs, embassies and Ambassadors prevailing on Presidents and Prime Ministers took place even then. For today's rulers there will be no such inhibitions.

If the President, PM, Supreme Court Judges, Congress and BJP Presidents do something, how can the small people lag behind?

If Botsa Satyanarayana, the present President of the Andhra Pradesh Unit of the Indian National Congress has shares in 31 liquor shops, how can the 160 Congress legislators and MPs lag behind? Same must be the case in every State and at All India level.

Gandhiji's Geeta quote is very much relevant today, but for altogether unhappy reasons.

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