WRITTEN BY R. NANJAPPA
Post No. 8333
Date uploaded in London – – – 13 July 2020
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge; this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
Gandhiji betrayed by the Gandhicaps!
Yet, when freedom came, the leaders who entered government quietly abandoned all such constructive work, and continued the system that the British had built, and relied on the very bureaucracy which was groomed by and which served, the colonial powers. [ Only Rajaji and Sardar Patel who could tame and tap the bureaucracy.] Neither the self-styled followers of Gandhiji, nor the leaders of opposition ever thought of constructive action as part of their programme! Nehru, the heir anointed by Gandhiji, did not implement a single idea or programme of Gandhiji!
No political party in India has developed any constructive program or scheme of voluntary public action, after Independence. In Tamil Nadu, a political party even went on the rampage, cutting down roadside trees! Gandhiji’s ideals and example have been forgotten.
[Just one recent example. When the Covid-19 related Lockdown was relaxed in Bangalore recently, the first shops to open were the liquor shops, in front of which were serpentine queues, which had to be regulated by the police! This in the land where Gandhiji preached Prohibition! The reason given by the government was that liquor sales brought in revenue! This is done by a government which claims to stand by Indian ethos! Governments won’t mind destroying health if they could get revenue thereby! This is how far we have come away from the Gandhian ideal of constructive work!]
In these dire times when the whole nation is facing the Covid-19 threat, the economy is suffering , and there is no certainty when things would improve, and normalcy return, why can the Opposition parties not come out with their own constructive programmes, instead of blaming the government, and criticising them for what is done? Their only demand is that the government should dole out more and more to people, and make them look up to government for everything?
Great Individuals Strive !
We derive consolation from the fact that there are many individuals like Sundarlal Bahuguna across the country who do take up constructive work individually and in small groups. Dr.G.Nammalvar struggled to spread awareness of ecological farming methods in Tamil Nadu. There are scientists like Dr.Vandana Shiva striving to spread awareness about organic farming and the need to free agriculture from the grip of multinational chemical companies and preserve traditional practices and products. She is at the same time exposing the sinister games of the multinational seed and chemical companies. There are many small groups which are trying to protect native seed varieties, and the inherent freedom of the farmer to have his own seeds, without submitting to the wiles of the crooked multinational seed and chemical companies. Strangely, in this country, they go unrecognised and unrewarded by the authorities. They cannot get political power! In this country, no movement can gain large public support without political backing. Yet, no political party has understood the value of these programmes and taken up these issues for advocacy.
The party in power only supports the positions favouring multinational companies!
Volunteers from 50 countries have transformed 70 acres of arid region near Pondicherry into lush green forest!
Picture from www.betterindia.com
(What this source did not make clear is whether these volunteers are attached to Auroville or they work independently. A large variety of environmental work is going on at Auroville including afforestation, conservation of water, farming, etc. More than 2 million saplings have been planted so far. Their afforestation mainly includes indigenous trees and plants which have medicinal value, and are used in traditional medicine.)
In Independent India, everything has become government-centric, controlled by politicians and bureaucrats. Instead of making people self-reliant, they make them look up to government for everything.
Can not our politicians be positive and take up some constructive programmes?
tags – constructive politics-3
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Tamil and Vedas 