August 15 is celebrated in Delhi, the national capital of modern India and the Indraprastha of ancient India. Amid the never-ending whiff of corruption, inflation and economic growth, one wonders if the government has become irrelevant. It is collective strength of money power, business and power of information (and disinformation), which seems to be running the world. The scenes in Hastinapur and Indraprastha, depicted in the Mahabharata, has come back to haunt us.
Actions of many world leaders, including in India, remind us of the Kaurava hero, Duryodhana. Asked whether he was aware of his misdeeds, he retorted, “I know what’s a righteous behavior, I know what’s evil. I, however, act according to the dictates of some forces who dwells in my heart.” At least, he was an epitome of frank candor.
Unfortunately, a similar yardstick of honesty doesn’t apply to many world leaders, more so in India, and also a large section of the citizenry, who stand accused of dereliction of their duties and responsibilities.
Every newborn in the country learns corruption and black money as the first few words. Every hour about 2,000 babies are born in India alone. It indicates that the demand for resources like land, water and food is increasing exponentially. Besides, air will require more oxygen, and fewer pollutants. The environment will be hotter than before. There will be a complete depletion of underground water table from major Indian cities. An ever-increasing number of plant and animal species are near-extinct. Population explosion and misuse of natural resources remain the biggest worry. Population growth is not the only culprit, misuse and mismanagement of earth’s resources is the most important factor.
There is an Indian phrase, gyan papi, which literally translates to “knowledge sinner” or wrong doing even after being aware of the misdeeds. David Maister summed it up well in Strategy and the Fat Smoker: “We often know what we should be doing and why – just as fat smokers know they should stop smoking and lose weight. Real strategy lies not in deciding what to do, but in devising ways to ensure we do more of what we know we should do”.
Those of you have seen the film, Wall-E, or have read Arthur Clark’s Odyssey will be able to visualize a world we live in today, and what it will become. For instance, India is staring at several scary natural and health-related hazards. Population explosion, heightened consumerism, industrialization coupled with corruption is making it a hopeless war-like situation, much to the chagrin of the common man. In India, the degradation of land resources is over 60%. To make matters worse, land grabbing, like most developing countries, is also rampant there.
Now, battle-lines are being drawn between urbanization, industrialization and their opponents. Farm land is being acquired with unflinching regularity, and at times even forcibly, while turning a blind eye to a proper rehabilitation package for farmers. Everyone knows that once the fertile land is used for anything but farming, not only results in less land, but also a threat against our very existence.
India has given to the world a message long ago: If our mother is protected only then she can protect us – Bhumi mangalam, Vayu mangalam…. This is a mantra for universal welfare. It signifies that all elements in the Universe ought to be in harmony, peace, goodness and love. Soil, water, fire, air, sky, sun, moon, all Beings in the world and every body, mind and soul — may each of these elements, and all of them combined together — live in universal harmony.
But if the treasure of knowledge is not valued by its own people, and Al Gore’s work isn’t appreciated, ideas won’t be of any use. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has put this to work, and has also written a book. The Gujarat development model gets it significance not just because of mere enhancement of living standards, but how one can achieve it without destroying the environment and social fabrics of the country. This is a challenge in itself. Gujarat’s handling of corruption in public sector has also been exemplary.
Global Indians whenever they can contribute significantly wherever they live, and most importantly if they can share their know-how, the Indian authorities will take note of that. This will make a huge difference in the lives of millions here and now, and in future as well.
But who will sing the song of mangalam while the Mahabharata war is on? Where are Arjun and the charioteer Krishna? Destruction of land and vegetation, polluted water and air will make plants and animals extinct. Add to that, the corrupt practices of the leaders and citizens alike and the apathy towards social responsibilities of all and sundry may eliminate the ‘goodness’ in human race unless a new set of leaders does not come forward today.
