Nyaya, Tyaga and Bhaichara

 Yesterday was the day of martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. It is always a very big occasion to seek invigoration from positive social values whose great source it constitutes. It was also Dr. Lohiya’s jayanti. His followers call him ‘aadi vidrohi’ and others do not object to it. We need to reflect deeply in the context of the ongoing farmers’ movement.

The farmers have rebelled since the imposition of Zamindaari by the British through the Permanent Settlement Act back in 1770s. There have been innumerable peasant struggles and movements since then. The methods and forms of enslaving the peasants and looting their produce have kept changing. The government and the corporations have now come up with the three new farm laws relating to agricultural production, exchange and storage and doing away with the MSP to loot farmers’ knowledge and labour. They want to appropriate land and exercise complete control on farmers’ lives. The farmers are fighting and other sections of population have come forward in a big way to support them. They seem to be taking the Nation to a promising future. Martyrdom of hundreds and express sacrifices in a highly fraternal atmosphere seem to be drawing new contours for us as a Nation and a society. Can we decipher it?

If we think in the context of the values like Nyaya, Tyaga and Bhaichaara ( न्याय, त्याग और भाईचारा) then we may understand what the farmer is saying. Farmers are great carriers of the traditions of this country. They retain the good and the desirable and enrich it with new experiences to create and recreate life incessantly.

‘Just’ is not separable from ‘logical’. A major aspect of Indian philosophical tradition known as ‘Nyaya Shastra’ is referred to as Indian Logic in modern scholarship. For women, peasants, artisans, daily service providers and adivasis, broadly speaking in ordinary life, ‘just’ and ‘logical’ or rational’ are not seen as separate entities. ‘Tyaga’(sacrifice) does not only mean ‘asanchay’(non-storage), giving one’s time to society is part of it. ‘Tyaga’ clears the way to free oneself from moha (greed) and aham (ego). It has its direct role also in regulation and governance of society. The stories of kings like Harshavardhan, Bhoja and Vikramaditya are not prevalent for no reason. Nyaya and Tyaga fuse to make clear the path of truth and knowledge.

Bhaichara is rooted deep in our tradition, in ways many of us may not be able to imagine. Before the British intervention there were spread all over the country villages known as ‘bhaichara villages’. In the South they were called ‘manyam villages’. The fertile lands of these villages were redistributed among the peasants’ households every few years. There the land revenue was small and they were models of self governance.

In the end only this that the farmers’ movement is telling the way to a ‘khushhaal samaj’(flourishing society). Farmers will be masters of land. They will decide what to do with it. And if they get a just price for their produce, things will change in a big way. It is known that when farmers get a better price for their produce, local markets buzz with activity. They flourish to everybody’s advantage there. It is in this that lie the roots of reconstructing a distributed and flourishing society. Centralized political power, big capital and big markets are the hurdles in such a path, they need to be confronted in the immediate space in the guidance of social values like bhaichara, tyaga and nyaya.

Sunil Sahasrabudhey

24 March 2021

न्याय, त्याग और भाईचारा

कल भगत सिंह, सुखदेव और राजगुरु की शहादत का दिन था . बहुत बड़ा दिन था. यह समाज में सकारात्मक मूल्यों के संचार का एक बहुत बड़ा स्रोत है. सोचने के लिए एक सहारा है. कल ही डा. लोहिया का भी जन्म दिन था. उनके अनुयायी उन्हें ‘आदि विद्रोही’ कहते हैं, बाकी लोग भी इस पर आपत्ति नहीं करते. कोई तो सबक लेना ही चाहिए. खासकर किसान आन्दोलन के सन्दर्भ में.

अंग्रेजों ने ज़मींदारी की व्यवस्था लागू की तबसे किसान विद्रोह कर रहा है. आन्दोलन कर रहा है. ज़मीन पर नियंत्रण और उसके फल की लूट के तरीके बदलते रहे हैं. सरकारें और पूँजी के बड़े घराने अब इन नए तीन कानूनों को बनाकर और एम.एस.पी. को वेदी पर चढ़ा कर किसान के ज्ञान और श्रम, उसकी ज़मीन और ज़िन्दगी पर क़ब्ज़ा करके लूट के नए पैमाने गढ़ना चाहते हैं. किसान लड़ रहा है और बड़ी तादाद में और लोग उसका साथ दे रहे हैं. देश के लिए कुछ अच्छा होने वाला है. सैंकड़ों लोगों की शहादत, आन्दोलन में दिन रात शामिल लोगों का त्याग और उनके बीच का भाईचारा देश के लिए एक नई इबारत लिख रहा है. क्या हम उसे पढ़ सकते हैं?

न्याय, त्याग और भाईचारा मोटे तौर पर वे मूल्य नज़र आ रहे हैं जिनके सन्दर्भ में सोचने से किसान की बात कुछ समझ में आ सकती है. किसान-समाज देश की परम्पराओं का बहुत बड़ा वाहक है. अच्छी बातें संजोकर रख लेता है और उसके सहारे जीवन का निर्माण और पुनर्निर्माण करता रहता है. न्याय से तर्क को अलग नहीं किया जा सकता. भारतीय दर्शन की ‘न्यायशास्त्र’ की धारा को आधुनिक पठन-पाठन में इन्डियन लाजिक के नाम से जाना जाता है. महिलाओं के लिए, किसानों, कारीगरों और आदिवासियों के लिए, मोटे तौर पर कहें तो, सामान्य जीवन में, न्यासंगत होने और तकर्संगत होने में फर्क नहीं किया जाता. त्याग का अर्थ केवल असंचय नहीं होता. अपना समय समाज के लिए देना उसका हिस्सा है. मोह और अहं से अधिकाधिक मुक्ति के लिए त्याग सक्षम रास्ता बनाता है. समाज के नियमन और शासन में भी इसकी प्रकट भूमिका रही है. हर्षवर्धन, भोज और विक्रमादित्य जैसे राजाओं की कहानियाँ अभी भी ऐसे ही नहीं सुनी और सुनाई जाती हैं. न्याय और त्याग का अद्भुत संगम है सत्य का मार्ग प्रशस्त करने में.

अंग्रेजों ने जो ज़मीन की व्यवस्थाएं बनाई, वो आज भी बनी हुई हैं. उन्होंने भाईचारे को पट्टीदारी में बदल दिया. क्या अद्भुत क्षय है समाज और उसके मूल्यों का ! किसान के अलावा और कौन हमें इस गहरे गड्ढ़े से बाहर निकाल सकता है ! अंग्रेजों के कब्जे के पहले भारत में काफी तादाद में ‘भाईचारा गाँव’ हुआ करते थे, दक्षिण में ये मन्यम गांवों के नाम से जाने जाते थे. इन गांवों में उपजाऊ ज़मीन का कुछ वर्षों की अवधि में गाँव के किसान परिवारों में पुनर्वितरण होता था. वहां राजस्व बहुत कम होता था और वे स्वशासन की प्रतिमूर्ति हुआ करते थे.

अंत में केवल इतना ही कि किसान आन्दोलन एक खुशहाल समाज की ओर बढ़ने के रास्ते बता रहा है. किसान ज़मीन का मालिक होगा, उस पर क्या करना वह खुद तय करेगा, और उसके उत्पाद को न्यायसंगत मूल्य मिलेगा तो बात बड़े पैमाने पर बदलेगी. सब जानते हैं की किसान के उत्पाद को जब मूल्य मिलता है तब स्थानीय और क्षेत्रीय बाजारों में बड़ी गति आ जाती है. इसी गति में समाज की पुनर्रचना और खुशहाल समाज की और बढ़ने के सूत्र निहित हैं. केन्द्रीय सत्ता, बड़ी पूँजी और बड़े बाज़ारों के मूल्य इस प्रक्रिया को रोकने वाले हैं, उनसे सामाजिक मूल्यों के स्तर पर मुकाबला करना होगा. भाईचारा, त्याग और न्याय वे सक्षम मूल्य हैं, जो हमें आगे बढ़ने की गति देंगे.

सुनील सहस्रबुद्धे

24 मार्च 2021

For The Alternative to Emerge : Lalit K Kaul

 

For The Alternative to Emerge 

(Technology & Automation is the Challenge)

                                                                                                                Lalit K Kaul

To start with it may be useful to state that self centeredness and self interest are the basis for the contemporary societies driven by materialism; the political leadership has been assiduously driving our society towards achieving more and more material gains as that is the main index for economic growth and when they talk about human resource development, it’s all for the purpose of attaining higher and higher economic status. Human development has become synonymous with economic development sans concerns for deteriorating value system, ethics and the means adopted to achieve the desired economic goals. To look for the much cherished ‘Human Angle’ in this jungle shall be at the cost of being designated as retrograde. To compete is the Mantra and those unable to do so are not worth their existence; never mind the absence of level playing field. How well versed one is with the technology and its usage decides the winner in the competition which is merciless; what to talk of those who could never become part of this modern set up. Those left behind- by design and not by choice- the pressure release valve has been the distribution system of doles like, cheap food grains, cheap housing, cheap toilets etc that not only is insulting to the very existence of this human specie the Creator endowed with ever evolving Mind, but enslaves the very life and its dynamics to the machinations of a privileged few. This is a Monster out to devour the very life it did not create.

For the class of hapless people, there is no choice but to appreciate whatever fell into their laps in the last 6 years as had not happened in the preceding 69 years because everybody wants to live, no matter how and why. For them, a Messiah has arrived and they intend to stand by Him as by doing so material benefits are accrued; who can have any complaint against them? This, in my opinion and understanding, is the ground reality and would continue to be unless a viable alternative emerges.

For any new world view/philosophy of life & living to emerge the greatest impediment as also the challenge is ‘Technology’ and its offspring ‘Automation’, both set to increase productivity (enhanced profits) no matter if millions go out of work and lose the opportunity to apply their minds to make their own choices and bear its consequences. Again the pressure release valve is: unemployment allowance; social security; national health scheme and public distribution system. So the message to a vast majority of people across the Globe is that ‘you are being taken care of to the extent that you may keep breathing’ while We, the manipulators, having nearly completely exhausted the resources of Mother Earth are, now, “exploring” Space to make Colonies in Mars/Moon and/or any habitable planet in the “neighbourhood” of Earth. The propaganda is so powerful that even the hapless is compelled to clap and admire the spectacular “progress” the “Mankind” has made since World War II. These hapless ones are so bewildered by the power of the Media & IT that they forget their pain & miseries and stay convinced that yes, indeed, they deserve the place they are in & continue to live in the fond hope that One Day their siblings/ grand siblings/ great grand siblings shall make it to the members of the ‘enlightened’ society which is in the process of conquering Space.

Those who look outwards; how to make them look inwards? In a situation where an individual’s progress in life is determined by the fact whether he/she could make it to a city life starting from the native village; make it to the US or Europe, UK having got educated in professional institutions in India. Only if technology is brought to the door steps of a village, migration to towns & cities may start diminishing. In the neighbourhood of villages with the availability of barren lands or by the process of acquiring agriculture lands (due compensation as per the Act as amended by the SC), large scale investments can pour in to raise capital intensive industries which will absorb the locals    (with SSC certificate) for menial jobs & those decorated with certificate courses with some artisan kind of jobs; who would object? Who would object to availing a chance to go through the Gateway leading to “world of learned people” in the hope that their generation next will be able to climb up the ladder a few steps by availing the facilities like schooling & health care as provided for by the multi-national enterprise? The Corona pandemic & the exposed game of the CCP, the supply chains are being shifted out of China to places like Vietnam South Korea and India. The fact that many airports are being built in the state of UP is the pointer towards the things to come. The technology is going to shape the destiny of the people who hitherto were unconnected with the ‘modern world’. More than the employment generation, it’s that distant hope that this infrastructure generates in the minds of ‘not so well to do’ class that one day their siblings will also make it to such ‘temples’ of knowledge & this may lead to parents spending more on their children to get quality education. When Yogi and Modi call it Vikas in Janhit; everybody not only nods in agreement, but also shower praises on the duo for their commitment to development of their state.

For the leadership who continues to be inspired by the economic development paradigm of those who colonized and tormented us for more than 200 years, what processes can be thought of that may give birth to a leadership that decisively challenges the extant one? Or, by what mechanism/ people’s participation can an equilibrium point be reached between the usage of technology and empowerment of people? How to evolve a dispensation which doesn’t allow Technology to enslave/marginalise people to the point of them becoming irrelevant to the dynamics of the society they are a part of? Can a set up be envisaged where ‘Man the Maker’ is supreme & its progeny does not devour it?

Farmers’ Movement:    

Sorry, but Rakesh Tikait has lost his way. Sure, he did not understand the political import of his demand: “Repeal All Laws. No Negotiation”. He further ceased to be a farmer leader when he started campaigning for & against a political party. His panchayat with farmers in Bengal, I thought was a good step forward. Media criticised him by belittling his effort, citing the numbers present in the meeting; not impressed by 500! However, numbers never matter as it’s the Idea/Thought that mobilises people. If he could communicate to Bengal farmers the essence of his demand, then those present are bound to discuss with others in their fraternity for the idea to grow further & gain acceptability within a larger cross section of them. His idea to hold panchayats in different states was, in my opinion, a very unique initiative, but his seeking votes for a political party in Bengal may have exposed him to the charge of being anti BJP and he unwittingly gave a huge handle to the media to expose him as a political agent & not a farmer leader. Curtains closed.

I have always believed that the farmers alone have the capacity to redefine politics, social relationships and economic model of growth, but again they too look outwards instead of looking inwards. Al along during their agitations/movements they have failed to present themselves as leaders of a socio economic group and while earlier they used to be One with each other, in gross terms, across the country on their demands; this time around that kind of unity is found lacking as is borne by the fact that in the government appointed committee under the directive of the SC had one of its members from Shetkari Sangathana! Unless I missed out on the statements made by farmer leaders in Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc; I did not come across any such statement(s) opposing the laws. In fact within UP, many farmers have spoken against Tikait & even questioned his credentials as a farmer!  

However, farmers across the country are part of the panchayats and as food producers may be having a say in the affairs of the panchayats. I think that it is through those panchayats that the farmers collectively can set up a political agenda associated with the socioeconomic one, if only they can rise above caste considerations and various other professional discriminations. Likes of Tikait may end up serving a better cause than siding with one political party or the other as all the parties are votaries of a highly exploitative socio economic and political system.

विद्या आश्रम के नये प्रकाशन

विद्या आश्रम से हाल ही में प्रकाशित पुस्तकें 'स्वराज परम्परायें' और 'लोकस्मृति' अब विद्या आश्रम वेब साईट पर भी उपलब्ध हैं. नीचे दिए लिंक्स पर इन पुस्तकों को पढ़ सकते हैं. विद्या आश्रम, सारनाथ, वाराणसी से इन्हें पोस्ट से भी मंगा सकते हैं.

स्वराज परम्परायें

https://vidyaashramnew.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/swaraj-paramprayen-book.pdf

लोकस्मृति

https://vidyaashramnew.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/loksmriti-book.pdf

विद्या आश्रम

India Lives in Villages - Sri M K Gandhi: Lalit K Kaul

                                India Lives in Villages – Sri M K Gandhi

                                                                                                               Lalit K Kaul

Village is the basis (fundamental unit) of Swaraj. How possibly can a village be defined?

In the era prior to the advent of modern technology and associated advances in the means of

transportation and information sharing, leading to the ease of travel and ideas exchange; the people

living in different geographical locations mostly remained confined to it and its surroundings. The

natural outcome of this confinement was to be that the communities living in disconnected

geographical areas evolved on their own-may be differently from others- by way of interacting

within their commune as also with the surrounding Mother Nature. It may be said that because of

this intra community dynamics evolved a locally acceptable World View that defined a Value System

comprising Right Vs Wrong, Moral Vs Immoral and Ethical Vs Unethical. The social, economical and

political conduct came to be governed by the institutionalized Value System. This socio economic

political set up that bound people together may be called a Village. So, it may be said that there

existed village based civilization.

Travel or movement from one place to another was either by foot and/or bullock cart. So, the

accessibility to villages in other geographical areas may have been defined by the transit time. The

lesser the transit times the more the accessibility leading to interactions with different village based

civilizations. A totally decentralized set up with the possibilities of one merging into the other for

enabling access to wider spectrum of human and natural resources, willingly or otherwise. The ease

of accessibility to surrounding villages may have also contributed to inter village trade; cultural

exchanges and exchange of ideas insofar as relationship of this Human to the Mother Nature is

concerned. It can be expected that feasibility of such interactions may have facilitated evolution of

the Value System to accommodate different World Views thereby rendering it mutable. Evolution of

innumerable languages can be said to be a direct outcome of this decentralized set up as ordained

by the geography and constrained movement of people due to limitations of the means of transport.

Cultural diversity can be a direct outcome of this geographical separation which was not easy to

overcome.

So, it may be said that institutionalized Swaraj in the true sense of the word existed.

In the modern world/civilization it is said that the World is one Global Village and that the

revolutions in transport industry and information science has made it possible. The information

technology and transportation means have integrated the hitherto inaccessible areas at such a scale

that was incomprehensible, say, even 30 years ago or less. Owning a mobile phone may have no

relationship with the economic status of an individual because they are available to people of all

strata. With digitization of economy and ever diminishing dependence on paper currency, these

mobiles are being used by the smallest vendors to receive payments for the sale of their goods

including the payments they make for buying their inventory. Distance is no constraint; sitting in

Kashmir one can make payment to a distributer in Trivanthapuram through his/her mobile and

goods would be received in time. The reason why these small footpath vendors prefer digital

payment for their sale is that it secures them from any chance of losing their hard earned money by

accident or under duress.

The proliferation of mobile phones is quite matched by that of two wheelers; added to all this is the

network of highways and river ways that are being built to reduce commutation time. The whole

infrastructure is laid only to integrate each and every nook and corner of this land mass called India.

The underlying motives may be questionable / debatable; the economic policies can be questioned /

debated; the degeneration of political system and politics based on falsehoods & half truths can be

questioned / debated; there can be no two opinions on these issues. Alternative to present political

dispensation is the most urgently required as is the search for growth and development model that

affords each one to make a livelihood on the strength of his/her knowledge base so that this stigma

of ‘being poor’ and perpetuating existence on doles is done away with for a dignified existence that

allows an individual make his/her own choices in his/her personal world.

But, in today’s world,

How do we define a village?

In today’s world the basis for Swaraj need not be a Village, in the traditional sense; but a democratic

set up that allows direct and not indirect way of electing people’s representatives. So, the question

may be framed as: What can be the fundamental unit that enables people to choose / elect their

representatives directly to various Assemblies and the Parliament? The contemporary system of

elections deprives people of that fundamental right.

In my opinion, whatever be the limitations of Rakesh Tikait & the attempts of other vested interests

to hijack his platform; basically he is questioning the Parliamentary Democracy; MSP etc are not the

issues as the government has shown willingness to accommodate the farmers’ demands including

putting a hold on the new laws for 1 ½ to 2 years. He is not budging as he wants laws to be repealed

& that’s the political message. January 26 flag hoisting hijacked his agenda & farmers started

distancing themselves from him. His fallibility lies in the kind of threatening language he uses. Yet

the message is loud & clear that has rattled the government. Slapping of charges against him

including imprisonment may not annihilate the political seed that he has sown. If it sinks in the

minds of well meaning people, his demand may usher in an era of new politics.