Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Echoes of Eco
October, 2017 Vivekananda Kendra- nardep Newsletter Vol:9 No:8
The Happenings
Greening the Grass Roots
Visions of Wisdom:
Shri.N.Krishnamoorthy
Turning the Clock back
Prelude Deep Ecology
Calorie Nay Colliery!
Krish Phidol: We talk so much about peo ple's involvement in
Development. But every passing year sees more and more disci plines
and fields coming under government control, government inspired -
ideas. The Government is itching to take the ultimate responsibility
for the all-round growth of the society.
Annapurna Duval: Don't talk rubbish. The less the Government pokes
its nose in my affairs, the better. In our village, all the grass lands,
pastures were maintained by us, the women. Many of the ponds,
lakes, irrigation canals were being desilted by the village -men until
just one generation ago. The work of desilting of water -bodies was
linked to our Mariamman temple fes tival. All the men-folk
participated in the work with Bhaya-Bhakti (Fear and Devo tion). Now
the government has entered the scene, it collects the water -tax,
but all our ponds are silted up. Last summer my cows did not have
even drinking water.
Upanishad
Echoes of Eco - Newsletter, Vivekananda Kendra nardep, October 2017, Vol.9 No: 8
We had taken pride in resisting Things-British while They ruled us,
but strangely enough, now that the Britishers have left,
Westernisation has become synonymous with Progress.
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Jnani Noval: There have been interesting discussions They should definitely be controlled by the state.
on the role of Governments in the society. Swami But where creativity, innovation, persuasion,
Vivekananda, has observed that people should learn to education, value imbibition are involved, the
restrain themselves, without the imposi tion of government should leave more and more space to the
external rule. His concept of Satya Yuga's ideal state, people.
envisages self-government by the peo ple. The Greek
philosophers led by Plato said that the best govern - Krish Phidol: How did the governments all over
ment rules the least, meaning that the people by the world get into this mess?
voluntary and collec tive efforts should run their
public affairs. Marx expected the state to wither
away once his ideal society is established. All these
saints and savants rather expected the government to
engage itself constantly in promoting voluntary effort
in the society and gradually reduce its own role. But
nobody wants the government to die! There are
specific domains like defense, policing. railway,
shipping, finance, major projects that involve much
funding and take long gestation-periods, projects that
involve many provinces.
Echoes of Eco - Newsletter, Vivekananda Kendra nardep, October 2017, Vol.9 No: 8
"It is essential that we think about 'Our National Identity' without
which there is no meaning of 'Independence".
became highly Utopian, unrealistic, unrelated to the them, tribes, corporate bodies, you name it, it is
grassroots, failing to enthuse the citizens even into there - have striven to pool the energies of
motions of adherence to the state laws. Such unorganized people, for ecological conservation.
systems were bound to fail. In sys tems like Soviet That is true democracy in action. Of course the
Russia, a small percentage of voluntary and free governments will provide the legal umbrella to cover
producers accounted for 30% of the Nation's to systematise and to encourage such activities.
productivity at one stage. Only then, the
governments everywhere woke up to the power of the Annapurna Duval: Yes, and No. In my village the
innovative, humane, spontaneous and creative en - government officers blocked self-help efforts for
ergies of their peoples. In some societies, as I said, desilting ponds, saying that, if funding agencies
the only good work was done where the state come to know of this possible -self-help, their
machinery did not poke its nose. funds will not be forth-coming. They with-held
permission for desilting our ponds. On the
Krish Phidol: (Laughing) The only job for the boxes contrary, in our neighboring village the fo rest
is to create the space for the "out of the box" officers actually involved the people in saving the
thinkers and doers. tigers.
Annapurna Duval: But still in our country, the innate Jnani Noval: These systems do not always act in a
love for nature has led our peo ple to take up some predicable manner. There are good officers who
work for conservation of nature for example saving involve the people and there are others who play by
water-bodies, afforestation, pollu tion control and the book. But there is always space for well -meaning
eco-awareness. But we should confess that the individuals and groups in cities, villages and large
quantity achieved is small. communities.
Jnani Noval: It is not the quantity. It is the spirit Krish Phidol: The future of our programmes for
and the trend. And the quantity itself is not conserving of Nature, in fact the future of our
negligible. From the Chipko movement of the Himala - democracies lies in such participatory efforts.
yan people to the common people desilting their
Jnani Noval: Yes. With the state machinery
village water-bodies
providing the skeletal services .
voluntarily, there is a
heart-warming array of
conservation activities
throughout India.
Every state in India
has shown this spirit.
Common homemakers,
enlightened leaders,
heads of cooperative
groups, ex-servicemen,
scientists, community
level workers, who
were able to carry
their whole village with
Echoes of Eco - Newsletter, Vivekananda Kendra nardep, October 2017, Vol.9 No: 8
The fundamental characteristic of Bharatiya Culture is that it looks
upon life as an integrated whole.
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Green health home worked for 4 days and Group discussion with Odisha group about
Azolla cultivation
Practical session on Azolla cultivation treated 112 patients.
Echoes of Eco - Newsletter, Vivekananda Kendra nardep, October 2017, Vol.9 No: 8
"The longings for Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha (the four kind of human
effort) are inborn in man and satisfaction of these in an integrated way is
the essence of Bharatiya Culture.
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Fixed type
IFAD, Kanyakumari 1 cum 8 nos.
IFAD, Kancheepuram 1 cum 20 nos.
Thiruvotiyur 100 cum 1 no.
Echoes of Eco - Newsletter, Vivekananda Kendra nardep, October 2017, Vol.9 No: 8
Milking rather than exploitation should be our aim
Deen Dayal Upadhyay
Visions of Wisdom
Echoes of Eco - Newsletter, Vivekananda Kendra nardep, October 2017, Vol.9 No: 8
Vivekananda Kendra nardep, Kanyakumari-629702 Phone:91-4652-246296 www.vknardep.org