The yogi & commissar - When materialism takes over, principles become a casualty - The Afternoon

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It may sound odd but I found West Bengal chief minister
Jyoti Basu and the Sankaracharya of Kancheepuram echoing
the same thoughts on India's unity. They are concerned
over the future and want the nation to fight fissiparous
elements. I met them both a few days ago, the Sankar-
acharya at his request.

"I find less and less Indianness as the days go by," said
Jyoti Basu. He recalled how during the discussions on
the Aimatti dam over the Krishna in Karnataka - - Basu is
the convenor of a chief ministers' committee - he be-
moaned provincialism. Chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka were fighting over their share of water as
if they belonged to separate countries. Basu had to
remind them that water would remain in India whether it
flowed to Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh.

Regional chauvinism

The Sankaracharya was unhappy over tensions and disharmo-
ny affecting the sense of integration. "Intellectuals
should meet to find ways how to forge unity," he said.
"The different parts of India should be strung together
more tightly, transcending the demands of home land and
regional chauvinism. Intellectuals should build up a
national movement to harness the forces of integration."

It was not the Hindutva he talked about; it was straight
Indianness, which knew of no particular religion, no
particular region, no particular language and no particu-
lar caste. How similar did the Sankaracharya and Jyoti
Basu sound about nationalism, one consumed by religious
thoughts and the other by economic considerations?

There is no doubt that India the two have known is dif-
ferent today. Personal gains have pushed the country's
interests into the background. Caste and creed have
nearly defeated the spirit of togetherness that once
emitted in the various parts of India. Consumerism is
prevailing over the renunciatory austerity that has
differentiated the orient from the West.

Value-based politics is on its last legs. The assembly
polls in UP is a case in point. The state has been re-
duced to a cesspool of individualism and intrigue. Every
slogan, however divisive, matters. No method is mean
enough if it gives more votes. What kind of legislature
will emerge? Even if one party wins, what it would have
proved by violating every canon of democracy, which is
sought to be upheld? Political parties are too immersed
in the game of gaddi. Some outsiders have to come to-
gether to lay down the rules of functioning. It is too
serious a matter to be left to politicians.

Jyoti Basu said that without morality, politics would
reduce to business. That is probably happening. People
in high places, when found out, try to split hairs to
justify their continuance in public life. The question
is not whether the law courts have held them directly or

indirectly responsible for malpractices but whether-they
should stick to their position in the face of doubts cast
on their functioning.

This is having a bad effect on the youth. They have no
hero because the present-day politicians are too steeped
in power politics to be an ideal. Careerism has become
the goal because there are no other goals in sight. It
is a sad story of a country with spiritual heritage. But
when materialism takes over, principles become a casual-
ty.

True, without utilising the modem methods which have
brought great material advance to some countries of the
West. we remain poor -- and, what is more, tend to become
poorer, because of the pressure of an increasing popula-
tion. I do not see any way out of our vicious circle of
poverty except by utilising the new techniques aria
sources of power which science has placed at our dispo-
sal.

Individual Improvement

But in doing so we should not forget the basic human
element and the fact that our objective is individual
improvement and the lessening of inequalities; and we
must not forget the ethical and spiritual aspects of life
which are ultimately basic to culture and civilisation
and which have given some meaning to life.

It must be remembered that it is not by same magic adop-
tion of socialist or capitalist method that poverty
suddenly leads to riches. The only way is through hard
work by increasing the productivity of the nation and
organising an equitable Distribution of its products. It
is a lengthy and difficult process. But it is the only
one which can avoid conflict and confrontation.

It must be remembered that it is not by same magic adop-
tion of socialist or capitalist method that poverty
suddenly, leads to riches. The only way is through hard
work, by increasing the productivity of the nation and
organising an equitable distribution of its products. It
is a lengthy and difficult process. But it is the only
one which can avoid conflict and confrontation.

Indeed, real social progress will come only when an
opportunity is given to the individual to develop, pro-
vided "the individual" is not a selected group but com-
prises the whole community. The touchstone should be how
far any political or social theory enables the individual
to rise above hi petty self and think in terms of the
good of all.

In a sense, every country, whether it is capitalist,
socialist or communist, accepts the idea) of a welfare
state. Capitalism, in a few countries at least, has
achieved this common welfare to a very large extent,
though it is far from having solved its own problems and
there is a basic lack of something vital. Democracy,
allied to capitalism, has undoubtedly toned down many of
its evils and, in fact, is different now from what it was
a generation or two ago.

It is often said that there is a sense of frustration and
depression in India. The old buoyancy of spirit is not

to be found at a time when enthusiasm and hard work are
most needed. This is not merely in evidence in our coun-
try. It is, in a sense, a world phenomenon. In our
efforts to Insure material prosperity, we have not paid
any attention to the spiritual element in human nature.

We talk of a welfare state and of democracy and social-
ism. they are good concepts, but they hardly convey a
clear and unambiguous meaning. Democracy and socialism
are means to an end, not the end itself. We talk of the
good of society. Is this some thing apart from and tran-
scending the good of the individuals composing it? If the
individual is ignored and sacrificed for what is consid-
ered the good of society, is that the right objective to
have?

Great Leaders

The moral aspect of development is also central in the
thought of Mahatma Gandhi. and Jawaharlal Nehru, India's
great leaders since independence. After its independence
in 1947, India has been Involved in the largest experi-
ment in democracy that has ever been tried. But the
success of failure of democracy in India will depend on
how far it is able to save its heritage, while building
the society economically.

In considering the economic aspects of our problems, we
have always to remember the basic approach of peaceful
means; perhaps we might also keep in view the old Vedan-
tic ideal of the life-force which is the inner base of
everything that exists.

The problems that India faces are common to other coun-
tries, but -- much more so -- there are new problems for
which we have not got parallels or historical precedents
elsewhere. What has happened in the past in the indus-
trially advanced countries has little bearing on us
today. West economics, though helpful, have little bear-
ing on our present day problems. So also have Marxist
economics, even though they throw a considerable light on
economic processes, which are in many ways out of date.
We thus have to do our own thinking.

India is not a place or a nationality but a state of
being. Here Blake's dread forms of certainty' melt away.
Certainties are lost, rather than found. It is a pity
that such an enigmatic land has been captured by corrupt
politicians and dishonest public servants. Both Sankar-
acharya and Jyoti Basu are hoping that morality will
return to politics one day. Let's keep our fingers
crossed.

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