Gandhi and Environment: Visualizing a Sustainable Future

The environmental crisis seems to have reached a catastrophic end unless whatever destructions already been done reversed and remedied on a war footing. Economic progress across the world is said to be one of the gargantuan accomplishments of the modern nation states. However, the development paradigms across the globe are ethnocentric and often deny its interdependence with nature. Our understanding of environment and nature is highly anthropocentric which leads to destruction of the former. The environmental crisis has reached such a stage that environment’s convalescence looks bleak. We need to realise that there are many other living creatures and have rights to live. The holistic understanding of development-environment relationship must recognise the claims of human and other living creatures. “We have inherited a highly reductive intellectual tradition and anti-ecological worldview in profound denial of our fundamental interdependence with nature. We are embedded within non-human nature and dependent on ecological systems for life but our belief systems do not reflect this basic relationship. Consequently, the world we have designed is deeply unsustainable” (Boehnert, Joanna, 2018, Design Ecology Politics: Towards the Ecocence, Bloomsbury Academic).

Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi has spoken and written widely about the relationship between environment, development and human ethics. He was a product of centuries old Indian ideas and philosophies. He was not only an original thinker but he was the one who energized the Indian understanding about environment and development. The desultory nature of present development paradigm is devoid of Gandhian perspectives on development. The present development paradigm needs to rethink about these time-tested paradigms and use them sustainably. The sumptuous living style is opposed to Indian and Gandhian way of life which leads to gradual degradation of environment. India has rich treasure of imaginative ideas which can make India a world leader. Hence, the call of the time is collective responsibility in a confraternity to gradually reverse the myopic development perspectives which have ravaged the environment. Indian philosophical baggage is luciferous and provides suitable remedies which Mahatma Gandhi uncovered through his life, speeches and writings. Many present-day problems and environmental problems in particular require Gandhian solution. Gandhian solution would look awkward to all of us as we are acquainted to a particular way of life which is pernicious, noisome and noxious to environment. The present development paradigm has created big scourge to environment so much so that they are resulting in disasters of many kinds. The obsession for wealth creation and its accumulation has created malificence causing irreparable damage to the environment. The creation of artificial structures in the name of development not just destroying scenery rather systematically paralyzing nature's ability to renew itself. The human consumption is shooting what the nature can produce annually. The pollution of water, air and soil is creating public health hazards. Urban cities are fast becoming unsuitable for healthy living. Many may ignore but venerable individuals like Mahatma Gandhi provides sanguine solution and hopes in times of despire. India is home to towering personalities who provide holistic solutions to thwart present day crisis. Unconscionable developmental activities are creating havocks on our environment and above all on our mother earth which once occupied a sanctimonious place in our imagination. Gandhi through his thoughts and acts has demonstrated how we have turned it into something more notorious. Gandhi has said man's greed can never be satiated and the present paradigm on development seems to be the ultimate expression of human greed.

In Mahatma Gandhi's words: "Nature has enough to satisfy everyone's need but not to satisfy anybody's greed" The amount of governments responses to protect and reverse gradual destruction of our environment remain hamstrung, ineffective and insufficient. The institutional architectures of governments’ responses to the present crisis lack necessary wherewithal to realistically address the problems. Hence, earth is fast becoming an unstable place to live in. Our own greed’s have ended up in ultimate environmental collapse of many sorts. This questions the policy designs and resources spent in the reversal activities to enable environment regenerate itself. This resources meant for the environmental protection are systematically siphoned off and wherever utilized are inadequate. Hence, it deserves serious holistic interventions of governments, international organizations, civil society and common citizens across the world.

The purpose of the National Seminar wants to deliberate upon the possible alternatives to regenerate environment by invoking Gandhian Paradigms on development and environment and how the paralyzed environment can be reversed to its original position, if not in immediate future, at least in the long run. The National Seminar would have scholars from across the disciplines to deliberate and exchange ideas surrounding Gandhian alternative to the present crisis.
Themes:
Gandhian Paradigms on ‘Development’, ‘Environment’, ‘Economy’ and ‘Ethics’
Sustainable Development
Development and its Discontents
Environmental Pollution: Water, Air, Land
Development and Social Equity
Disasters: Man-made, Natural, Sea-born cyclones, Urban Flooding etc.