Unit 16 Gandhi's Views on Nature and Environment

UNIT 16 GANDHI’S VIEWS ON NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT

Structure 16.1 Introduction Aims and Objectives 16.2 Gandhi on Environment 16.2.1 Environmental Crisis 16.2.2 Spiritual Basis of Environmentalism 16.3 Gandhi’s Critique of Modern Civilisation 16.4 Man-Nature Relationship 16.5 Voluntary Simplicity 16.6 Village vs Urban Life 16.7 Importance of Nature Cure 16.8 Post-Gandhian Era 16.9 Summary 16.10Terminal Questions Suggested Readings 16.1 INTRODUCTION

“The Earth has enough resources for our need but not for our greed.” This most often quoted phrase by Gandhi depicts his concern for nature and environment. Much before the convening of any of the international conferences like the Stockholm Conference of 1972 or the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 and almost a hundred years ago, Gandhi has voiced his concern for environment. The concern was evident in his speeches, writings and his messages to the workers. It is apt to note that he was the “World’s early environmentalist in vision and practice” (Pravin Sheth, The Eco-Gandhi and Ecological movements (http://www.mkgandhi.org/environment/environment.htm). Much before any modern environmentalist, writes A. Mukherjee, Gandhi had cautioned the world about the problems of large-scale industrialisation, which we are confronting today. His seminal work, Hind Swaraj, written a hundred years ago in 1909 warned of the dangers the world is facing today in the form of environmental destruction and the threat to the planet. It is interesting to note that ‘the British who turned Hind Swaraj as seditious are also party to the conventions and treaties concerning environment. ‘Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj was a warning against growing consumption, materialism and wrong model of development’ (Ramjee Singh, p.129), about which the world is concerned in our contemporary times. 156 Gandhi’s Social Thought

Aims and Objectives After reading this unit, you would be able to understand:

 Gandhi’s views on the ills of modern civilisation.

 His views on man-nature peaceful relationship.

 His concept of simple life and reduction of wants.

 The developments in the post-Gandhian era. 16.2 GANDHI ON ENVIRONMENT 16.2.1 Environmental Crisis Before we study Gandhi’s views at length, it is necessary to note the background that serves as the catalyst for understanding Gandhi’s views. The Industrial Revolution has greatly changed the face of European civilisation including heavy industrialisation, pursuit of capitalist pattern of economy, exploitation of labour and injudicious use of natural resources. It has given to human society tremendous material pleasure and prosperity that was eventually pursued by other nations. At the same time, it has also imperceptibly done irreparable loss to mankind. Reckless and limitless pursuit of industrialisation by all nations is now posing serious problems for very existence of not only man but also for all living creatures and all kinds of species on our Planet (S. K. Jha, see Mahatma Gandhi- An environmentalist with a Difference (http://www.mkgandhi.org/environment/environment.htm). Population explosion, mass poverty, over-utilisation of renewable resources, overuse of fertilizers leading to water pollution, rapid industrialisation, global warming, desert formation, deforestation, emission of harmful substances into air causing air pollution, industrial and synthetic wastes, nuclear hazards that are more man-made in nature are all causing irreparable damages to our planet. As the environmental consciousness spread worldwide, there were meetings including the Stockholm Conference, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and so on that recognised the need to use the natural resources judiciously so as to ensure a safe future for the coming generations. The ‘Union of Concerned Scientists’ stated that the human beings and the natural world are on a collision course. Human activities inflict harsh and often irreversible damage on the environment and on the critical resources. It calls for a great stewardship to halt further damage and mutilation of the planet and also called for reducing the over-consumption to reduce the pressure on global environmental resources (Ramjee Singh, pp.129-130). Gandhi precisely called for the same measures in a prophetic tone. 16.2.2 Spiritual Basis of Environmentalism Gandhi’s views on environment consist of moral, spiritual and non-violent dimensions. To him, the hallmark of development of man consisted not in materialism or consumerism but in spiritual self-realisation, a character heavily loaded with morality and non-violence. The craving for materialistic wants was alien to him for it hindered the path to one’s realisation. His simple living and high thinking reiterated his love for all living beings, which is the very manifestation of God’s creation. His concept of non-violence thus encompassed all living beings and embodied the eternal values of life in his thought and actions. As Gandhi said, ‘My ethics not only permits me to claim but requires me to own kinship with not merely the ape but the horse and the sheep, the lion and the leopard, the snake and the scorpion…’ (M.K.Gandhi, Truth, Navajivan, Ahmedabad, 1952, p.10). He insisted Gandhi’s View on Nature and Environment 157 on the eternal sacredness of life that included a tree, plant or a cow. ‘Indeed his love towards all life constitutes his attempt to realize the Vaishnava ideal ‘Vasudevam Sarvamidam’ (Everything is HE) (Benoy Gopal Ray, Gandhian Ethics, Ahmedabad, 1950, p.8) Gandhi was greatly influenced by Adolph Just’s book ‘Return to Nature’ that further strengthened his conviction that if a man desires to live a wholesome life, he will have to share his life with not only humans but all living beings - birds, animals, plants and the whole ecosystem. Man must return to nature what he takes from her. He abhorred violence, in any form, towards animals or other living beings. Gandhi thus expressed his sense of the unity of all life. He wrote in Harijan in 1937, “I do believe that all God’s creatures have the right to live as much as we have.” Gandhi was a great believer in advaita (non-duality) and in the essential unity of man and all lives (Young India, 1924). Thomas Weber brings an interesting perspective on how Arne Naess, who was thoroughly influenced by Gandhian philosophy, interprets the link between self-realisation and non-violence. Weber’s interpretation is as follows: 1. Self-realisation presupposes a search for truth. 2. All living beings are one 3. Himsa (violence) against oneself makes complete self-realisation impossible 4. Himsa against a living being is Himsa against oneself and. 5. Himsa against a living being makes complete self-realisation impossible (T. Weber, Gandhi and Deep Ecology, Journal of Peace Research, vol.36, No.3, May 1999). The ancient Indian religious philosophy, thought and action and practices point out to a harmonious relation between man and other living beings. Gandhi was an ardent believer of this philosophy of Vedanta, a combination of spiritual faith and scientific thought. 16.3 GANDHI’S CRITIQUE OF MODERN CIVILISATION

Gandhi was undoubtedly a visionary who could foresee the ills of industrialisation and modernisation. He was ‘an early critic of the dehumanising character of modern industrial civilisation. It is in the context of new value orientation and the quest for human survival threatened by environmental and ecological crisis that the re-discovering of Gandhi’s warning of ‘industrialise and perish’ has to be seen’ (Savita Singh, pp.58-59). His Hind Swaraj depicts his understanding of the chaos the modern civilisation would usher in. Having witnessed the human devastation that industrialisation had caused in England, he warned us of the impending dangers of an urban industrial society. He was baffled at the thought of India being heavily industrialised and its culture eroded through dehumanising. He wrote in Young India (20-12-1928, p.422), ‘God forbid that India should ever take to industrialism after the manner of the West. The economic imperialism of a single tiny Kingdom (England) is today keeping the world in chains. If an entire nation of 300 millions (India’s population in 1928) took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world like locusts’. He further elaborates, that ‘to make India like England and America is to find some other races and places on earth for exploitation. So far it appears that the western nations have divided all the known races outside Europe for exploitation and that there are no new world to discover, what can be the fate of India trying to ape the west?’ 158 Gandhi’s Social Thought

Gandhi firmly believed that India lives in its villages. And to erode its village’s culture and civilisation via technology, machinery and industrialisation, to him, amounts to sin. He warned the youth not to be carried away by the glitter of the modern civilisation because ‘its defects are well known but not one of them is irremediable’. He advocated village life as the goal, as India is an inheritor of rural civilisation. Therefore, the intentions of the youth may be ill founded if they were ‘to uproot it and substitute for it an urban civilisation’ (Young India, 7-11-1929). He was also against the use of machinery that is meant to displace people from their livelihood means. He was thoroughly in favour of promoting Charkha, hand machinery as against “the machinery that displaces the labour of those who cannot otherwise be employed. What we must dread is huge machinery run not by hand but by non-human power such as steam, electricity, etc’ (4-10-1929 in a letter to Shri Giriraj). Regarding the urbanisation, Gandhi expressed his views as follows: ‘it is a process of double drain from the villages. Urbanisation in India is slow but sure death for her villages and villagers. It can never support 90% of India’s population, which is living in her 7,00,000 villagers (number of villages in 1934). To remove from these villages tanning and such other industries is to remove what little opportunity there still is for making skilled use of the hand and head. And when the village handicrafts disappears, the villagers working only with their cattle on the field, with idleness for six or four months in the year, must be reduced to the level of the beast and be without proper nourishment either of the mind or the body, and, therefore without joy and without hope’ (Harijan, 7-9-1934). To him the modern civilisation, therefore, with its explicit or implicit stress on unabated exploitation of resources, multiplication of wants, production for the market and consumption is satanic (Hind Swaraj, p.33) The best practice, as he suggested, was ‘instead of welcoming machinery as a boon, we should look upon it as an evil, it would ultimately go’ (Hind Swaraj, p.84). Adopting this modern civilisation and life-style negates one’s spirituality and morality. He was concerned that ‘this civilisation takes note neither of morality nor of religion. Immorality is often taught in the name of morality. Civilisation seeks to increase bodily comforts, and it fails miserably even in doing so’ (Hind Swaraj, pp.32-33). Civilisation, as he perceived it, is that mode of conduct which points out to man the path of duty; to observe morality to attain mastery over our mind and passions (Hind Swaraj, p.53). Having a moral and religious basis in our civilisation, he expressed ‘there will naturally be progress, retrogression, reforms and reactions but one effort is required and that is to drive out Western civilisation. All else will follow’ (Hind Swaraj, p.80). 16.4 MAN-NATURE RELATIONSHIP

Nature, according to Gandhi, is a source and force of inspiration and not exploitation. In one of his correspondence letters he writes, ‘Nature suffices for my inspiration. Have I not gazed and gazed at the marvellous mystery of the starry vault, hardly ever tiring of that great panorama? Beside God’s handiwork, does not man’s fade into insignificance?’ (to D.K.Roy, letter dated 2 February, 1924; quoted in Desai’s Diary, vol.IV, p.27). Contrary to this view, today, the relationship between man and nature is that of a complex problem both at local and global level. Population, poverty and unabated development have threatened the pristine nature. ‘The world is ever in a process of change and the human activities had made it very difficult to maintain relative stability for long periods of time. The earth has become very small in relation to the demands that men make upon Gandhi’s View on Nature and Environment 159 it’ (Vinod Kumar Verma, Harmony with Nature in Ramjee Singh,et al, p.134). The unabated development had extracted most injudiciously the natural capital- water, land, forests, etc. leading to a series of environmental crisis like depletion of ozone layer, pollution etc. Thus man has set on the mission of global environmental destruction that has reached alarming proportions. To express it in Gandhian ideology and philosophy, man has adopted violent measures to take abundantly from nature. Gandhi fervently appealed to men to desist from exploiting others and inflicting violence on them. It pervades all living beings including nature and natural resources. Gandhi was against disturbing the nature and ecological system that provides health and fertility to all. The traditionalists have always looked at nature as the divine manifestation and this view nurtured their attitudes and values, which were inimical to the exploitation of nature. All the religions of the world have been basically nature friendly (Savita Singh, pp.54-55). In ancient scriptures and texts, nature including trees, animals and other living beings were given enormous importance. The primitive man lived in close relation with nature and with steady evolution, nature became man’s permanent companion. Gandhi appealed for its conservation and frugal use, adhering to the Indian tradition of venerating the Mother Earth. He often said that man had no power to create life; therefore he has no right to destroy life. Since man has higher mental faculties of wisdom and reason, he should be more compassionate to the lower beings. Gandhi practiced what he preached. He built his Ashrams on waste lands (Savita Singh, p.61) adjacent to villages, emphasised keeping the home and surroundings clean and maintaining health and hygiene. Jha rightly summarises that, ‘Gandhi fully understood the primordiality of man-nature relationship and his theory and philosophy of life, society and politics are in consonance with it. It is this understanding of, and reverence for the salience and senility of nature for human existence which makes him an environmentalist par excellence’ (S. K. Jha, see URL). Gandhi believed in the universal co-existence and subscribed to the principle of reverence for all lives. His non-violence in this way is universal law of life and it manifests in love for all creatures (Ibid). Gandhi’s vision thus has a clear and decisive moral and spiritual dimension in its approach to nature. The problems related to ecology, technology, poverty and western civilisation were addressed by Gandhi long ago. Gandhi, writes Pravin Sheth, warned against three uninterrupted movements which create the problem of environmental degradation.

 Unhindered urbanisation requiring pillage of natural environment

 Unchecked industrialisation and imbalance in nature and

 Profit motives of capitalist system at the cost of developing nations. He expected a balanced approach all along the line so as to threat neither man nor nature (Pravin Sheth, Green plus Gandhi, p.59). Gandhi firmly opposed the western view of man’s conquest of nature. He warned against man’s overpowering over nature that might result in his alienation to natures’ system. He also cautioned against using nature for unlimited mass production and consumption purposes. Gandhi’s vision of upliftment of all Sarvodaya, implies a healthy development and environment than can be evolved by man to ensure his harmonious existence with nature and other living beings. What he preached and practiced corresponds to what we today call as eco-friendly measures and living in harmony with nature. 160 Gandhi’s Social Thought

16.5 VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY

Gandhi’s scathing attack on industrialisation and modern civilisation was a forewarning to all about the ills of consumerism. Gandhi foresaw the mad rat race for the luxuries of life and the enslavement of the individual by the modern consumerist society (Ambarish Mukherjee, p.2). Gandhi once remarked that ‘the mind is a restless bird; the more it gets the more it wants and still remains unsatisfied. The more we indulge our passions, the more unbraided they become’. Similarly, Gandhi wanted men to disentangle themselves from the tentacles of the modern machine culture and opt for simple living as against materialistic comforts and luxuries. Gandhi warned against making nature a victim of human’s greed and unlimited indulgence. The pursuit of western lifestyle, he believed, would dehumanise man and eventually destroy man as well as nature. He advised men to ‘shun machinery, the chief symbol of modern civilisation that represents a great sin’. He detested India setting the goals of the West in its cultural and developmental arena. Gandhi warned thus, ‘ what is good for one nation situated in one condition is not necessarily good for another differently situated, one man’s food is another man’s poison’. Kamala Chowdhary observes that behind Gandhi’s approach to consumerism was his concern for the poor and his praise for a simple way of life. Civilisation in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication of wants but in the deliberate and voluntary reduction of wants as Gandhi had said (K. Chowdhary, p.28). It is further elaborated thus ‘the golden rule is to resolutely refuse to have what the millions cannot. The first thing to cultivate the mental attitude that we will not have possessions or facilities denied to millions’. He firmly believed in learning to put a curb on material wants (Ibid, p.29). ‘The incessant search for material comforts and their multiplication is such an evil: and I make bold to say that the Europeans themselves will have to remodel their outwork if they are not to perish under the weight of the comforts they are becoming slaves’. Gandhi’s approach to nature revolves around the concepts of ‘need’ and ‘greed’; therefore the bounties of nature can be used only according to our needs. Gandhi was neither a proponent of theory on nature and environment nor was an activist to protest against deforestation or dams or nuclear reactors. ‘But he did much more than this; he led a life which was in complete harmony with his surroundings, with himself as with others, with his values as with his environment. There were absolutely no contradictions in his thoughts and in his way of life’ (Savita Singh, p.60). He was very much concerned about the sharing of resources by all. As he said, ‘ I venture to suggest that it is the fundamental law of nature, without exception that nature produces enough for our wants from day-to-long, and if only everybody took enough for himself and nothing more, there would be no pauperism in this world’. That Gandhi practised what he preached reflected in his simple and austere life. He firmly rejected the concept of multiplication of wants and found it to be negating the self- realisation goal of individual. He forewarned the humanity that, ‘a time is coming when those, who are in the mad rush today of multiplying their wants, vainly thinking that they add to the real substance, real knowledge of the world will retrace their steps and say: what have we done?’ (M. K. Gandhi, Industrialise and Perish, Navajivan, Ahmedabad, 1962, p.5) Gandhi was called saint or an ascetic who rejected the material comforts and an urban society and chose to live an austere life. He honestly translated his ideas into action by setting up his Ashrams that reflected a simple life. In South Africa, The Phoenix Settlement Gandhi’s View on Nature and Environment 161 and the Tolstoy Farm set the precedent for selfless, simple community life based on these ideals. Two examples may be quoted from his life that depict his sincerity in following his ideals. He consciously used the minimum requisite water from the freely flowing and unpolluted river Sabarmati, adjacent to his Ashram. He justified his action by explaining that the river water belongs to all, so that everyone can have a share from it. He encouraged his followers and himself practised the use of scrapes of paper for writing brief notes and reversed envelop for reuse to send letters (Pravin Sheth, see URL). Gandhi’s philosophy of simple living is reflected in his ‘eleven vows’ or ‘Ekadash Vrat’ -non-violence, truth, non-stealing, brahmacharya, non-avarice, physical labour, control of palate, religious harmony, fearlessness, Swadeshi and untouchability. His direct personal action speaks volumes about his thoughts and actions in tandem: ‘Help all you can on big things but do some little things yourself. Sit down to eat with an untouchable, give up something, start work with the peasants, live in a village, learn to spin, plant a tree etc’. The above serves a perfect example of leading an austere life and a life of self denial to realise the supreme goal of self realisation and truth’ (Kamala Chowdhary, p.39). One of the best examples may be quoted from what he said in one context: ‘I hate privilege and monopoly. Whatever cannot be shared with the masses is taboo to me’. This reiterates not only his simple life but also his empathy with the large number of poor masses in India. His emphasis on village upliftment, health and hygiene through Constructive Programme could be interpreted and extended in the context of environmental conservation. 16.6 VILLAGE Vs URBAN LIFE

Gandhi disapproved the concept of industrialised urban cities wherein material comforts and extensive use of machinery occupy a prominent place. He insisted on developing the village, teaching the villagers the importance of health, hygiene, sanitation and education to bring about positive change in their lives. His scheme of development included elimination of poverty through self-sufficiency in villages, promotion of village, small-scale industries, handicrafts and the use of local resources. Ramjee Singh aptly says, ‘Gandhian model of technology and development is based more on renewable resources like animal, water, oil and solar energies etc. and less on non-renewable ones. It does not lead to environmental pollution or disturbs the ecological balance’ (Ramjee Singh, pp.135-136). He insisted on reducing waste rather than becoming a ‘waste-centric’ society. ‘Industrialisation, as he firmly observed, is going to be a curse for mankind. It cannot provide jobs for millions, it would be creating pollution problems’. Gandhi favoured developing thousands of cottage and village industries as they would provide an outlet for the creative faculties and resourcefulness of the people. This would help in solving the unemployment problems while assuring jobs to the needy and addition to the nation’s wealth. The village development would also arrest the mass migration of the villagers to cities in search of employment, thus avoiding any stress on urban resources. Much can be interpreted in today’s context where the migration from village to the cities has placed enormous stress on the supply of water and electricity resources apart from the congestions due to lack of space and cropping up of urban slums, where the inhabitants live in inhuman conditions with no provisions for health and hygiene. The Gandhian model of development is based largely on the use of renewable resources that are abundant in villages, which has village as its centre, decentralised and agriculture- centered. Gandhi explained the reasons for his insistence on village-oriented development. ‘If I preach against the enjoyment and ask men and women to go back to the simple 162 Gandhi’s Social Thought life epitomised in the Charkha, I do so because I know, that without an intelligent return to simplicity, there is no escape from our descent to a state lower than brutes’. ‘My machinery’, he said, ‘must be of the elementary type which I can put in the homes of the millions.’ Gandhi also viewed the growth of cities and urban life as representing evil that has brought misfortune to India. ‘The British have exploited India through its cities. The latter have exploited the villages. The blood of the villagers is the cement with which the edifice of the cities is built. I want the blood that is today inflating the arteries of the cities to run once again in the blood vessels of the villages’. It is this exploitation that Gandhi thoroughly opposed and held in contempt of the city life. ‘Voluntary simplicity, non- possession, Swadeshi and decentralisation are the vital requirements of founding the ideal society of Gandhi’s dream, a non-aggressive society in which peace would reign as a way of life. Gandhi believed that it would be possible only in village development and prosperity. The small scale model and decentralisation would help in rural development and achievement of smaller harmonious communities. This is very much in contrast to the urban life where a mechanical and mechanised outlook pervades the political, social, economic and cultural spheres. It was this logic that justifies Gandhi’s advocating ‘the adoption of decentralised village Swaraj along the traditional lines and not along the line followed by the West’. His dream was to guide the nation towards well knit villages with panchayats and co-operatives, autonomous in their areas of operation but interlinked with one another in a spirit of co-coordinated effort for mutual good’ (Savita Singh, p.214). Gandhi aimed at the regeneration of villages and society and ultimately of individual. He envisioned a strong India through self-support, self-reliance as against temptations and exploitation. It is possible only through integrating Charkha, Khadi and village industries that symbolise Gram Swaraj. This interrelated and mutually interdependent society as visualised by Gandhi may be termed as what one of his close associates R. R. Diwakar called as ‘ecological humanism’ combining the spiritual and ethical perspectives. An interesting parallel may be drawn to what Noel Brown, then Director of United Nations Environment Programme (1987) said in the famous publication ‘Only one Earth’: ‘The need for establishing a new spiritual and ethical base for human activities on earth has never been greater – as the deterioration of our planetary home makes the protection of the human environment a new global imperative. Gandhi discussed all long his life through his various experiments about this notion of human societies built on fragile ecological foundations. Through his village development and small community concepts, he provided some of the most basic and plausible solutions to the crisis pervading the nations today. His insistence on and adherence to simple living and high thinking is the essence of what we now call ‘sustainable development in human societies”. 16.7 IMPORTANCE OF NATURE CURE

Gandhi’s reverence for nature and his advocacy for using the natural resources frugally stems from his concept of unity of man with all, including other living creatures. He implemented these ideals in real life with sincerity to evolve a sustainable society. He brought forth a close link between nature and the existence of man; he appealed for respecting the five elements of nature – Earth, Water, Ether, Sunlight and Air, without which the human existence would be jeopardised. Gandhi’s View on Nature and Environment 163

Nature is very important for health purpose. The science of natural therapeutics is based on a use of the same five elements, in the treatment of disease, which constitute the human body. These are earth, water, ether, sunlight and air… they can be utilized for health purposes’ (Key to Health, pp.57-58). Nature cure treatment, he believed, ‘brings us nearer to god. I will have no objection whatever if we could do even without it. The meaning of nature cure is to go nearer Nature God’ (Sevagram, 9-1-1945). This again is closely related to the village life which Gandhi advocated persistently. ‘My nature cure is designed solely for villagers and villages. There is no place in it for microscope, X-ray, and similar things. Personal hygiene and healthy living are of primary importance’ (Harijan, 11-8-1946). ‘It brings about a positive outlook in one’s life and is bound to benefit all the villages and ultimately the whole of India’ (Harijan, 2-6-1946). Living close to nature, he reiterated, is an ideal mode of life and assures absolute purity, both inner and outer, with no scope for illness. According to Gandhi, man’s body is composed of the five natural elements, the most important among them being air. He disliked violating these elements that result in an unhealthy living. He noted in Harijan, ‘Anyone who fouls the air by spitting about carelessly, throwing refuse and rubbish or otherwise dirtying the ground sins against man and nature. Man’s body is the temple of God. Anyone who fouls the air that is to enter that temple desecrates it’ (Harijan, 7-4-1946). Gandhi further advocates a simple and satvik diet to maintain one’s health. He fervently pleaded for vegetarianism and detested meat-eating. Man is more than meat, he said, and it is the spirit in man for which we are concerned since man was not born a carnivorous animal; he was bound to live on fruits and herbs the earth grows and which is available in plenty in nature. He refused to budge from this stance even in times of illness. His experiments with nature cure treatment and abstinence from meat-eating may be interpreted in terms of his love and non-violence towards other living beings. 16.8 POST-GANDHIAN ERA

There has been a radical change in the world regarding the concern for environment and man-nature relationship. The situation today is no different from that of the Gandhian era. Mans’ greed and urge to accumulate has multiplied and so has man’s assault on the natural resources. The unabated extraction from the nature has given way to new complex problems that threaten the natural capital all over the world. The adopting of liberalised market policies, expansion of the cities, sluggish growth in villages and the migration of village population to urban areas, unlimited consumption patterns have all resulted in threatening the life-supporting systems and the carrying capacity of the earth in more than one way. The international and regional organisations along with the government and non- governmental bodies are now taking up damage control measures but most of them still remain to be half hearted efforts. There have been seminal works on the subject such as Rachel Carson’s’ ‘Silent Spring’ (1962), E. F. Schumacher’s ‘Small in beautiful’, Brundtland’s Report ‘Our Common Future’ (1987), and J. C. Kumarappa’s ‘Economy of Permanence’. They underlined the importance of the integrity of development and environment instead of development vs environment debate. Various Conventions, Treaties and Conferences, The Rio Earth Summit (1992) and the Climate Change Conference had stressed on the concepts of social justice and communitarian values to evolve the culture of respect for life in all forms. The eco-movements like Green Peace, Chipko Andolan and Narmada Bachao Andolan have all adopted the non-violent means to highlight the gravity of the problem in their movements. Gandhi, once considered as orthodox or backward and 164 Gandhi’s Social Thought idealistic with little practical approach and whose writings were termed seditious is now being hailed as one of the most vocal proponents and environmentalists of this century. His concept of ‘respect for nature’, simple living and voluntary reduction of wants has become all the more relevant for India and the world in the present times. The development patterns and the liberalised economy have had some negative imprints on its ecological system. The West has been rather slow in absorbing the meaning of these concepts. Nevertheless, both in the West and East, the Gandhian thought has been gaining prominence in recent years though the visible impact of it is yet to unfold before us. Though his ideas could be put into practice for the cultural and ecological benefits and survival, the governmental policies and bureaucratic management still pose major challenges for India, apart from the widespread consumerist culture and rapid urban expansion. The Gandhian ideas and methods offer much scope to handle the environmental crisis with a sensitive non-violent approach. Pravin sheth exudes confidence that a ‘judicious blending of the greens (in the west) and Gandhi (east), at the level of thought and action, can help to usher us in a post-modern age and post-industrial eco-cultured society’ (Sheth, p.66). 16.9 SUMMARY

The present environmental crisis that has gripped the world needs an immediate and effective damage control strategy if we are to ensure our peaceful healthy existence. The Gandhian approach gives us plenty of opportunities to overcome the crisis. A frugal living and Spartan life may not be feasible for the present generation but a consideration with rationality and sensibility towards translating these ideas into practice would help in saving the planet earth from the impending disasters. The eco-friendly technologies and measures adopted by public, the institutional support, for example judiciary, the efforts of non- governmental organisations and civil society help in preserving the environment. Gandhi belonged to that school of thought where remedy was preferred to cure. He worked out a worthwhile alternative for man’s peaceful, purposeful and happy existence. Gandhi is an ardent champion of a life pattern based on simplicity, slowness and smallness and successfully implemented it. This is what made him an environmentalist with a difference (S.K. Jha, see URL). 16.10 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. Discuss Gandhi’s critique of Modern Civilisation. 2. How important is Man’s relationship with Nature in Gandhi’s view? 3. What does voluntary simplicity mean to Gandhi? 4. What are the parallels Gandhi drew between village and urban life? 5. Write short notes on the following: a) Importance of nature in Gandhi’s scheme b) Environmental Crisis Gandhi’s View on Nature and Environment 165