Friday, May 25, 2012

Poem on Gandhi : Come Again...


Come again…

[We are remembering values taught by Gandhi Bapu to us. 
Looking at current situation of our country,
we(Children) are requesting bapu to come again on this earth]


O, Teacher of truth and non violence
You loved peace and patience.
Taught unity, honesty and equality,
Loved cleanliness and simplicity.

O, Bapu, look at our nation
Unfortunately forgot your lesson.
People like corruption and dishonesty
Forgot non- violence and equality

O, Bapu, Come again to our country,
Remind our values and history.
Recognise current enemies of Nation
They are terrorism, corruption and inflation

O Pyare Bapu, accept our invitation,
Come again, once again, let’s fight for nation.
­                               
                                                         - Ramesh Makwana,


Thought For The Day ( FAITH )


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Gandhi as a Scientist

Gandhi As a Scientist



Was Gandhi anti-Science and anti-machines? That he had a `retrograde' mentality and an opposed setup of mind, rejecting `modern progress', has been one of the biggest accusation against him of the intelligentia, policy makers and planners. As a result, the Gandhian thought and the way of life he suggested and advocated have found very little place or even any mention, whenever thinkers and planners sit together to look up and make the future road-maps for the nations and the society, both at the public and Government levels.
In fact, we often hear a statement in this connection, especially within India, that, yes Gandhi was great as a Saint, he was a Mahatma who moved the masses because he had a very superb understanding of the people, but he has had very little understanding on modern Economics, and actually no interest in Science, which are the real drivers and backbone of the modern world and the rapidly progressing societies today. The world is moving and changing today at a breathtaking pace and speed, and without science and technology there is no hope of keeping up with the competition, so how could Gandhi be relevant in such an arena and scenario when he only negatively thought on modern Science and development? This is the kind of sentiment and statement we often come across, if Gandhian elements are at all raised at any official meeting of planners and policy makers.
But is it really true that Gandhi was actually anti-science? What do the records and the writings, and his deeds and statements tell us on this? I have tried to examine and investigate the subject, trying to explore it in some detail. This talk was given at the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad, Ahmedabad, where I gave the first Kakasaheb Kalelkar Lecture, for the new lecture series that the Parishad initiated. Very useful discussions took place on the occasion on the subject, with noted Gandhian Shri Narayan Desai also presenting his views, comments and perspective, as available from his personal interactions with both Gandhi and Kakasaheb Kalelkar. In fact, he pointed out that Kakasaheb made Gandhi an astronomy fan, and they at times watched and observed the night sky together!
I sincerely hope, the thoughts and work presented here will be of some use to the Gandhian thinkers and workers, as well as it may be of interest to any intelligent person in general. I believe the subject to be of interest and relevance, because only after we understand Gandhi correctly in this connection, it may be at all possible to incorporate and include him in the dialogue when we think and talk of the road-map for our societies and the nation for the future ahead.
Of course, no claim to completeness is made in this small study here. While I have tried to see certain segments of the Gandhian literature with the help of his `Collected Works', I am sure much more remains to be explored in this connection. I have the fond hope that this may inspire some others to possibly take up such an important task in a greater detail.  We note that most of the quotations given here are taken from the CWMG (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi).



Thought For The Day ( NON-VIOLENCE )


Friday, May 11, 2012

Gitmo or Gandhi?


Gitmo or Gandhi?

Ed and Deb Shapiro
I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. –Mahatma Gandhi, YI, 2I-5-25, I78.
The prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, built on a legacy of fear, was established to deal with violent terrorists, but instead became the cause of further suffering and chaos. It is a prime example of the mindless, cruel and inhuman way we abuse our fellow human beings. For, despite whatever these men may or may not have done, they are human beings and inflicting pain, especially the methods used at Gitmo, achieves nothing but further pain. Two wrongs do not make a right; to meet violence with more violence does not bring peace. Closing Gitmo does not say we condone violence, but that we do not intend to continue to act in such a barbaric way.
Of course, there are those who oppose closing the camp. Fear is a powerful seductress waiting around every corner to grab our attention; hatred is like a snake always ready to bite. The nature of fear is to hold us back, to keep us in a place of closed heartedness. It will create an enemy even if one does not exist. Being fearless does not mean we have to stop or deny the fear; fearlessness is not a state of being without fear. Rather, it is fully feeling the fear, getting to know it, and then making friends with it.

Gender Perspective on Education and Peace


Gender Perspective on Education and Peace
Director, PGSR, SNDT Women's University, Mumbai

Peace of course can have two faces, two forms- Public and private. Peace in the community, go hand-in-hand with the peace in the family life. Hence the need to deal with domestic violence and women’s grievances. There may be an apparent stability and absence of conflict in situations of successful intense repression-beating, abuses, psychological torture wherein all dissent is brutally, immediately, and surgically suppressed. This is a condition in which only one group (men, in-laws, bully neighbours) dominates, in which women’s views and dignity is not allowed to exist.  The other situation is one in which democracy and human rights reach their pinnacle in each and every core of the community and domestic lives. It is the condition in which there are always avenues of settlement of differences and disputes without a breakdown of the framework of mutual respect, recognition of the rights of the other, and belief in good faith of the ‘adversary’. It is the condition in which negotiations and persuasion are the methods of overcoming even major digressions in points of view. It is a condition in which people have the right to be different and where difference is not denied. It is also the state of affairs in which difference is not a cause of hierarchy, where the other is not the enemy or the lower or the higher being.

Relevance of Gandhi's views on Economic Development


Relevance of Gandhi's views on Economic Development
By Gulabhai Jani
Translated into English by Alaka Sharma


The world economic order is in “crisis mode”. Well-known companies and banks of USA are declaring themselves as bankrupt, one by one. It is feared that the economy may slide down to the days of “Great Depression”. In this context, it is worthwhile to have a look at the economic thoughts of M. K. Gandhi.
Gandhiji’s economic thought is imbibed in his overall philosophy. His approach is holistic and aims at the socio-economic reconstruction of society. Once, Gandhiji was asked to write down the text of his economic thought, he refused, saying that his framework is based on some basic principles which he applies to solve the day to day practical problems. So it can’t be summarized in a few equations.

Thought For The Day ( LOVE )