Gandhi Revisited

Sixty years of Independence. Look what we have to show for it. We have gone from one of the poorest nations in the world to an economic powerhouse. Our economy and productivity are booming we are often told. We are becoming land of a billion consumers who represent an important marketplace for the world’s industries. We now are not only an economic success story, but also a political success story—one of the few developing nations in the world to successfully implement a democratic form of government and still retain it after sixty years. Before we start patting ourselves on the back, let us reflect on what success really means to the individual and the country as a whole.

Does success mean that as a consumer, I have the widest access to all sorts of consumer goods, but no real access to clean, safe water on a continual basis. Does success mean that I can have the most expensive imported car, yet not a single decent highway comparable to Singapore (forget comparing to Europe). Does success mean that I as a middle-class person will have access the best universities in India and be able to garner funds to go abroad for higher studies via bank loans etc. yet my compatriots who are not as wealthy as me will go through life with minimal or no education—not even a primary school education.

What does success really mean to the country? Does it imply becoming self-reliant in food production so that we can feed our people, or does it mean having to import grains and food stuffs because we forgot to plan ahead. Do we step up to the plate and safe guard our environment, whether it is rivers, land quality, or do we mortgage our future to private interests which may not coincide with our collective national good. Are we interested in using the millions who are unemployed to work for their own betterment , either by encouraging their traditional skill sets, or teaching them new skills, or are we going to go down the path of increased mechanization.

Let us revisit some of Gandhi’s ideas, which are so often dismissed as quixotic. What does swadeshi mean? My belief is that Indians all over India can lead productive and prosperous lives if every Indian is actively involved in the economic activity of the community.