Bhai Kamlanand
Former Secretary, government of India
Q. Why is it of utmost and vital urgency?
In view of looming climate disaster and destruction of habitable surrounding, we have to activate all powers to mitigate the dangers and, possibly, to save this planet for some more time. In this context, we founded the “Rural Business Hub Foundation India” (non-profit making) for evolving implementable concepts with sustainability in all aspects, while putting emphasis on job creation in Rural India.
Before we proceed to our analyses and practical solutions, we have to put the finger on the fact that certain basics are realities, not only in India but all over the world, as shown in the following points:
- Power & Money & Greed as the source of all evils (the evil triumvirate)
- Role of religion
- Role of lobbyists/powerbrokers
- Role of education/academia
- Role of climate change deniers
- Role of middlemen
- Role of conservative fundamentalists
- Role of modern technology/mass destruction
- Role of modern communication (speed of: “influencer”, spreading hate, “fake news”, etc.)
- Role of reforms initiators who come up on propaganda in the name of people’s welfare and change their outlook and activities as soon as they get power and positions. Thus, continuing the same failure-prone as usual.
- Role of all-pervading lack of transparency as a tool of power: the more is hidden, the more greed and corruption prevail. But as yet, the natural curiosity which is natural to evolve when information is hidden and activities initiatives are apartmentalized. We must know what is missing in Indian civil society.
- Role of Military is important in the Indian context. Not like other war-like conflicts which are artificially instigated by either the vested interests of geo-strategic greed for oil and precious earth, or to support the arms producers in certain countries where these industries are in reality determining the policies. In contrast to these, the Indian military has a classic role to play in fulfilling the huge responsibility of protecting the country against threats from the immediate neighbours Pakistan and China, and also to act continuously with preventive measures. It is a very positive fact that Indian Military is held in high esteem all over the country at all levels.
- Role of centralized systems: In a highly diversified vast country like India, the sustainable development can only come through more and more decentralization. Centralization means lack of opportunities to consider and to be mindful of local advantages and needs, and thus become rather a tool of wrong planning, discrimination against local assets, attributes and particularities which should be supported in the interest of the welfare of the people. Centralism leads to loss of opportunities and to subjugation.Role of unearthing and implementing appropriate, applicable ancient wisdom. This can lead to newly discover the non- exploitative dealing with the laws of nature and will be of great importance in all environmental issues.
- Role of appropriately using modern technology: many procedures have been simplified in the interest of the people, and many more will follow in the course of sustainable development, provided the technology is not leading to an increase in exploitation, be it in the field of human resources or in environmental fields.
- Role of so-called improvements in modern societies have to be critically analyzed along lines of sustainable development. Why do we have issues with inner peace and tranquillity, happiness, sound sleep, metabolic and psychological diseases, in spite of all sorts of modern amenities? The main reason, as we describe later, is our disconnection with nature which literally amputates our abilities to be a full-fledged social, enlightened personality.”Less is more” seems to be a useful attitude considering our modern manipulative marketing strategies.
- Role of exceptional personalities to learn from cannot be emphasized enough. People who took their own initiative in implementing ideas for which they could not find more than a handful supporters, sometimes not even one. There are enough exceptions, the unconventional thinkers who are doers at the same time, the hope generators who can make an impact. We should stop to admire those “thinkers” who are rhetorically convincing but have no inclination of putting things into practice, the eternal speakers at conferences, talking and thus wasting the time of everyone. Conferences are mainly excuses for doing nothing but rendering appreciation to the organizers and speakers – for nothing!