Critique of Gandhis & Marxs views on Civilization in Indias present & future

Veerender Kumar

Introduction: Origin of Gandhi & Marxs view on Civilization

Dharma
Individuals are independent & unique Individuals have their own discovery of Ideas Individuals should strive to integrate with Cosmic Ecosystem Hence ideas cant be copied or imposed Hence multiple ideas can peacefully co-exist Hence humans are integral part of nature

Monotheism
Ideas are universal Entire humanity has a single pathway, destiny Nature has no or negligible role Asia & Africa are uncivilized, Europe is the ultimate achievement of human civilization; so they must be colonized & civilized

Yogic theory of Civilization

Gandhi derived his ideas of civilization
Society must have: Dharma as a major component Co-existence with nature Swaraj

Linear theory of Civilization

Marx derived his ideas of civilization
Historical materialism Primary importance to material needs Societies evolve through different means & relationships of production nomadic, , feudal, capitalist

Applying Gandhian & Marxian Theories of Civilization on India

Gandhi
Individuals are independent and should follow their own conscience; Similarly Nations should also develop their own paths

Marx
Individuals are not significant, all of them follow the same path; Similarly Nations also follow the same linear path of development

India under Swaraj must have its own existence

India will have & must have to follow the European footsteps as any other nation as it is the only path India will copy-paste European knowledge systems, production systems, governance structures, education, healthcare etc.

India must develop its own knowledge systems, production systems, governance structure, healthcare, education etc.

Whom do we follow? Gandhi or Marx

To Britain
British Government in India

Budget of Government of Free India

money

British Governance structure which was designed for exploitation of people continued

Governance structure designed for exploitation of people

Corruption at Political level

Forced attempt to make funds flow downwards through schemes

Collector /Higher bureaucracy

Corruption at Higher bureaucracy

Forced attempt to make funds flow downwards through schemes

Lower bureaucracy /Zamindaars

Corruption at lower bureaucracy

Forced attempt to make funds flow downwards through schemes

money

money

Indian Citizens

Indian Citizens

Governance in India
If Gandhian view of civilization is being followed Dismantle the British Systems If Marxian view of civilization is being followed Copy European Systems or continue British Systems

Re-establish & develop Indian Systems like village republics, decentralized governments, justice through consensus and reconciliation etc.

Follow any Western model of Democracy or Communism; follow their legal systems, centralized government etc.

Contemporary India is nowhere near to Gandhian Ideas.

Contemporary India is following the footsteps of Europe as Marx had envisioned.

Whom do we follow? Gandhi or Marx

Knowledge & Production Systems in India

Discard traditional Indian Knowledge & Production Systems; no emphasis or effort on their organization or up-gradation

Import European/Western Knowledge & Production Systems

Establish islands of Knowledge & Production Systems like IITs, Polytechniques, Heavy Industries, Scientific terminologies etc. Even over-emphasis on IT can be brought in this category No social or industrial feedback loop; hence no/negligible innovation or creation of Indian Knowledge base

Again import from West/Europe Keep importing

Knowledge & Production Systems in India

If Gandhian view of civilization Traditional Knowledge & Production Systems Organize, Upgrade, Standardize Traditional Knowledge & Production Systems If Marxian view of Civilization Traditional Knowledge & Production Systems Discard Traditional Knowledge & Production Systems and Import European counterparts

Disseminate it through education starting from Secondary (Basic Taleem) to University level

Disseminate to industries to increase their quality & productivity; upgrade them

Disseminate imported Knowledge & Production Systems t through education starting from Diploma or Graduation level

Establish completely new industries & educational institutions with little or no connection with Traditional Knowledge & Production Systems

Upgraded Indian Knowledge & Production Systems

No Social or industrial feedback loop

Further Scope of Comparative Study

Aspect of Civilization Gandhian Current Gandhian or Marxian

Agriculture
Healthcare Sports

Organic
Emphasis on prevention Kabaddi, Kho-kho, Kushti, Polo, Martial Arts, Chess

Chemical based
Emphasis on cure

Marxian
Marxian

Glamorous, government Marxian supported: Cricket, Hockey

Performing Arts
Cultural festivities

Hindostani, Carnatik, Folk, Classical Dances etc.

All Indian festivals

Filmi Music; Filmi Dance

All Indian festivals + Western festivals like Mothers Day, Valentine Day

Mixture of Gandhian & Marxian

Mixture of Gandhian & Marxian

We have not done any comparative study on these aspects, we are enlisting the scope of comparative study

The Future of Indian Civilization

Contemporary signals
Trust deficit b/w people & Govt.; rising social unrest across the country Government & people have no real connection Education is useless for most of the people; for others it doesnt make them productive Technology & knowledge has been made racial entities because one can get them only if he follows particular education in a particular language There is a cultural confusion in the country Indigenous thoughts & cultures are endangered Service sector is growing at a fast pace but god knows what will happen with manufacturing & agriculture Income disparity is increasing Human interventions in environment is becoming unsustainable What intellectuals & educated people think? India has gone to dogs & nothing works India should follow Western models more strongly rather than half-hearted India is supposed to become a superpower nation in coming decades What politicians think? Politicians have no consistent point of view; they have only their own interests & the interests of their parties

What people think?

They have outsourced their job of thinking to intellectuals, educated people & politicians

What we think about the Future of Indian Civilization

What if current scenario continues
India will always remain a sub-ordinate power to Western Powers be it industry, military, culture or science India will remain a developing country for the foreseeable future India will remain in the state of confusion India will remain a consumer of knowledge & culture India will westernize to a large extent killing its own cultures, identities & knowledge Indian traditions & cultural products will be found only in museums India will not be in a position to provide a leadership to other developing countries

What we envision?
There is nothing called universal ideas Difference is not always bad, difference is just difference; they must exist for diversity India is different from every other country, so there is no need of blindly following their solutions for problems in our country India must have to develop its own indigenous solutions for everything; there is no short-cut Knowledge is non-transferable, every nation has to evolve its own There is an appeal to a large number of educated Indians & intellectuals to start questioning the Universality of Linear Theory of Civilization

Centuries of foreign invasions & colonialism failed to eradicate Indian civilization but a century or two of free India will make it happen.

Questions are invited

Appendix: Not a part of presentation Only for Q&A

About Knowledge & Production Systems

No formal system exists for learning of traditional occupations & production systems; therefore workers in these

sectors have extremely low productivity

Since overwhelming majority of Indian workforce

is engaged in uneconomic, unproductive

traditional occupations; hence they are economically & technologically handicapped

Mapping & standardization of traditional knowledge is very essential for making them economic & bringing people out of poverty

Why Knowledge & Production Systems are Important?

Pricing of products & services
Inputs
Subsistence Component Labor, Rent, Raw Material IP Ownership Knowledge Component Standardization Quality Productivity

Branding, Optimization

Price of Product
Subsistence

Better bargaining, positioning Empowers innovation, Defines ownership

Knowledge component is missing in almost all traditional products/services and products & services of large number of MSMEs, hence their profit margins are minimal Traditional occupations & production systems are working at Subsistence level Knowledge based value addition is needed for better pricing, market stability, innovation & growth