India’s Silicon Plateau
“Infosys is synonymous with
creating
It is a convincing demonstration of
what Indian talent can accomplish in the modern world, not only in the modern
world but in creating the modern world itself. Apart from commerce and
economics and wealth-generation, the significant achievement is to be measured
in terms of the subtle changes that are coming in the social organizations
themselves. Such a transformational process is slow but also has the strength
of impacting the very future of the country, and possibly to some extent the
wide world around. It is rightly said that Infosys, Wipro and Tata Consultancy
Services and many IT companies have changed the lives of millions of Indians
and propelled the Indian economy to record-breaking growth. But this might also
give rise to introspective questions, as to why this has happened only in the field
of Information Technology and not in other industries which have in fact
decades of standing, and will this leadership be sustained in the future that
could be harsh and competitive. The rest of the world is not going to sleep, and
it would definitely strive to snatch away this IT-pot from our hands. Is it
also not true that IT success is quite dependent mainly upon the American
markets that it is at present catering to? There is therefore present the
politico-economic vulnerability factor too. Outsourcing, for instance, is one
such area of concern.
Rigours of the competitive world
The question about other industries
is still more pertinent, more complex, more difficult also. If we have to get
rid of the tag of ‘developing economy’, our concern should be to focus
attention on them. We may be able to produce cars in
Let us read what Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries Ltd., one of the world's leading heavy machinery manufacturer headquartered
in Tokyo-Japan, has to say about its enterprise in
So, the main purpose of Mitsubishi
is “to address the rapidly growing Indian market”. Is that the intention behind
industrialization, of just creating and promoting local consumer market? Should
there not be the perspective of international participation if it has to have
any deeper and long-standing business status, footing, eminence? That should be
the first consideration. But there has to be the constant consideration of
aggressive entrepreneurship, of assertive even uncompromising business
leadership by innovative and creative initiatives, amounting to higher social
fulflment. Inviting multinationals may be a better version of industrialization
and economic growth than setting up Public Sector Undertakings in collaboration
with foreign countries, as was done during the Nehru era. The story of
disinvestment is itself a sad commentary on those things, and precautions are
necessary that the same is not repeated in another form,—because it still has
the mark or stigma of a ‘developing economy’ trying to shore up immediate
issues rather than striking roots in a firmer soil. The test one has to apply
is the acceptance of Indian goods by the industrially advanced countries.
The test for the Developing Economy
How does one measure up to that? We
don’t suffer exactly with mediocrity, but for one reason or the other quality is
not showing up in our occupations. More than quality is the spirit of
science-and-technology-based industry that can be futuristic, it determining
its own growth, expansion, its own realms of trade and commerce. Our big
industries are small in the eyes of the world. Our pharmaceuticals are not on
forefront in the true professional reckoning, although we are one of the big
producers of drugs and biotech products. In comparison with the largest
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, where do we stand in terms of
market revenue and sales in the world? Nowhere in the first twenty, dominated
by US,
The persuasion is, the Indian
system should be in a position to produce these greatnesses, they coming from
its rich and nourishing healthy womb. Until that happens there is not much room
for self-applause, self-appreciation, self-satisfaction. We are struggling to
live in the world, and not living to make the world. If the Indian genius has
to flower up, not abroad but in
This also means that we must open
out our systems systematically, open out in all the walks of life, in all the
small or big competitive fields, not only industry and commerce but also
education, even games and cultural occupations, because our movies for instance
do not come to international standards. The law of the survival of the fittest
has a certain merit and must not be ignored at this stage of social
organization and development. Jobs must be offered in India to experts wherever from they can come, Indian or foreign; make these attractive to them. Inbreeding leads to stagnation and causes more
damage than apparent employment of the locals. Answerability and results should
govern all our disciplines. Social face in planning is a fallacious argument
and is professionally unsound. All this must change.
The issue is of a different kind
Fundamentally, the concern is
deeper. Let us take again pharmaceutical industry as an example and compare it
not traditional but with the ancient Indian approach towards health management.
The example becomes more pertinent when Sam Pitroda suggests that we should not
follow the American model where things seem to become self-defeating. We want
fast cars and super-ways, but the very volume of traffic makes it go slow.
Health care has become powerful, but exorbitant in terms of cost. Establishing
modern drug industries is certainly desirable, it providing health support to
the suffering masses. But its side effects can be harmful, even disastrous.
Following is the PTI report from
And what does the Confederation of
Indian Industry,
The fall of Indian currency in the
international world of finance is a good index of the sorry state of affairs.
The value of the rupee has tumbled from 39 per dollar in January 2008 to 49 per
dollar in October 2008. The Business Line dated 9 October 2009 has the
following: “The rupee closed marginally lower in a range-bound market as
importers bought dollars. The rupee opened at 46.32 and closed at 46.40 against
the previous close of 46.33. During the day it touched a low of 46.65. On
Thursday, it touched a high of 46.22. According to a forex dealer with a public
sector bank, importers bought dollars as these levels seemed attractive. But as
risk averse exporters covered their receivables by selling dollars, the rupee
recovered from its day's low. In the overseas market, the dollar strengthened
marginally against other major currencies, but it was only consolidating after
a huge sell-off in the last two days, the dealer said. In the forward premia
market, the six-month closed at 3.22 per cent (3.11 per cent) and the one-year
closed at 3.23 per cent (3.3 per cent). Next week the rupee could see 47.20 and
46.10, the dealer said. If the rupee appreciates any further the Reserve Bank
of
In the context of health, we have
the World Health Organization report stating that 900,000 Indians die each year
from drinking contaminated water and breathing in polluted air. Half of
children in
Exploring the possible alternatives
But with an element of regret it
must be mentioned that our institutional setup has no inclination to look into
possible alternatives. It is driven by the Western success and believes that it
must be the defining mode for us also, not only its brand of democracy but also
its science and technology and commerce. Nothing succeeds like success, and
that is a sufficient reason to follow it. We might recognize it but to get
dazzled by it is to abdicate our own sense of independence in conceiving and
shaping our own priorities. As an alternative to the allopathic treatment, for
instance, it might be worthwhile to explore the Indian Ayurvedic system. A new
spirit may have to be breathed into it and new formulations worked out, new
syntheses also. It has to be a growing freshness assimilating the gains of
every pursuit of knowledge.
The Ayurveda—the Science of
Life—starts with the belief that there is an intimate relationship between the
individual and the universe, a harmony that can become the basis of good health
and good life. Let us read from an article published in Current Science Vol. 96 May 2009. “The constituent elements of the
universe and those of the smaller universe within the human body are identical
and their response to varied stimuli is also identical. The universe as
macrocosm and the human body as microcosm were always a dominant theme in Ayurveda,
which regarded man as a part of all that exists and the human body as a cosmic
resonator. The universe is known to us through our five senses which have
specific objects of perception, such as what the eye sees, ear hears, tongue
tastes, and so on. The elements perceived by the five senses and their
derivatives (pancabhūtas) constitute the
universe for Ayurveda, which has little to say on a supra-sensory universe. The
tissues of the body, no less than food and medications, are composed of the
five elements and their derivatives. It is this identity of composition which
underlies the central principle of Ayurvedic therapeutics that mandates the
choice of food and drugs from without for producing effects within the body. It
was believed that this principle could hardly operate in the absence of
identity between the substances in the external world and the smaller world within.
Ayurveda recognized the identity of man and the cosmos as a central reality and
upheld the dynamic equilibrium among the constituents of the universe—living
and nonliving—as the necessary condition of existence. The equilibrium was credited
with in-built mechanisms to withstand shocks and restore itself, which could be
glimpsed in the spontaneous recovery of function from dysfunction in many a diseased
state (svabhāvoparama). The role of
Ayurveda was no more than to assist the process of recovery and maintain good
health by safeguarding the state of equilibrium. While Ayurveda had ample tools
and remedies in its vast storehouse, it enjoined virtuous conduct as the
sovereign prophylactic against maladies and the unfailing guarantor of
well-being. This was brought out in full measure by Vāgbhata through numerous
verses in the Aştāngahŗdaya. Consider
the following: ‘All creatures seek happiness in whatever they do: but happiness
cannot be had without righteous conduct. Therefore righteous conduct is
obligatory for all’. On the attitude to fellow-beings: ‘One should always regard
even mites and ants as no different from oneself’. Towards a foe: ‘One should
be of service to him who may be intent on doing harm’. In adopting the middle
path: ‘Neither torment nor pamper sense organs’. In the quest for knowledge:
‘The whole world is a teacher for the wise in all he does; therefore, a man of
action in the world’s theatre should emulate its example’. On virtuous conduct
in general: ‘Compassion for living creatures; charity; tamed body, speech and
mind; regarding others as one’s own’. ‘Nights and days roll on; one who ever
reflects “how have I spent my nights and days” would never grieve’. ‘Giving up
imprudent conduct; restraining the activities of senses; remembering one’s role
in his noble calling; and cherishing the knowledge of habitat, time and soul, a
physician should follow the path trodden by men of virtue’. ‘One who enjoys
wholesome food and activity everyday; who introspects on his actions; who is
unattached; who is generous; who looks on all with an equal eye; who is
truthful and forgiving; who delights in the service of virtuous men; he remains
free from illness’. How to live a virtuous life was a golden thread which ran
through, and bound together, the varied themes of Ayurveda. Ayurveda prized
knowledge and skill highly, but rated compassion and virtuous conduct even
higher in a physician’s scale of priorities. Therein lies the key to its unbroken
practice for 25 centuries and its resurgence in our times.”
Back in those days, 25 centuries
ago and even more going back to the Vedic days, there were no mega
pharmaceutical laboratories with mega budgets doing mega business. But there
was a deeper understanding of man and nature when food was considered as a
medicine not in the sense of curing illnesses but in the sense of proper
health. Herbs were called auşadhi as
life elements supporting and nourishing human body. Indian cuisine was based on
these principles and food was taken in terms of universal harmony. The Vedic
prayer has the invocation for peace in plants and herbs, because it is that
peace which also enters into our physical being. Health was thus automatic,
built into the vision and the working of the system. But now we are caught in
the world of fast food, with highway restaurants having signs ‘eat and run’. We
are caught in a world of artificial rather processed globalization. This will
not do, will not do to anybody which may be easier for the Indian mind to
understand.
Capitalism and its foster-cousin Globalisation
However, this modern globalisation is
essentially a globalisation in terms of economics, commerce, industry and
political dynamics; but there are basic social, religious, philosophical,
scientific, cultural or idealistic aspects which often get sidelined in the
respective discussions. The question of humanity in its proper sense, of harmonious
life of happiness as expressed by the mystics, sages, rishis, prophets, enlightened
thinkers is hardly raised and much less seen in its deeper or far-reaching
implications. Globalisation today is driven by a strong motive force, the
Capitalist’s Force, of the aggressive Vaishya, the Merchant and the Trader
acting as mankind’s leader. But even in that respect it does not have its true
or authentic content offered to the larger collectivity, offered in the
enduring values of the spirit. It is a mechanistic or, to use the current
idiom, a digital phenomenon. The identity of man with things material is
complete in it, and the appreciation of the wonder that living reality in its
thousand moods is, and the recognition of the all-pervasive beauty in nature,
or the sweep of cosmic thought, the subtlety of creative perception and
expression have to be a part of the global perception—these do not come in its
arithmetic. There have to be different families and nations, there have to be
different races, different languages, different arts, and even in the same kind
of art different expressions, different games, different sports activities,
different recreations. Yet there can be behind them a kind of genuine
underlying globality in all our occupations. This world is not just a shrunken
global village, desolate and shivering in the cold of the spirit; it is one
rich Family of God, vāsudhaiva kutumbakam,
as says the ancient scripture. In it each member of the family has his own
unique soul, his own inalienable individuality and it is that which is valued
most in the progress of both. In the all-inclusive collective life is provided
the scope for one’s own uninterrupted growth which, in turn, helps to grow
itself, symbiotically helping each other. That is what true Globalisation
should mean. Are we nearer to it? nowhere, in socio-psychological terms.
A noteworthy difference
There is a noteworthy difference
between the past historical events or revolutions such as French Revolution,
American Revolution, the October Revolution, the Revolutionary World War Two
and the present revolution we are witnessing, Globalisation. This is a
revolution that has been brought to us by
science-technology-industry-commerce-economics and is therefore predominantly
materialistic in character in contrast to the psychological or human factors
that governed or shaped the earlier ones. The failure of Communism of seventy
years and the receding of the Cold War have propelled the engines of Capitalism
whose cherished in fact indispensable cousin is Globalisation. One of the
finest things it has given to us is the Internet and if Capitalism was meant
for gifting it to us then it cannot be faulted. It is even said that “globalisation
is a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single
society, functioning together. It is a combination of economic, technological,
socio-cultural and political forces.” If the argument is carried a little
farther, it would amount to the abolition of the individuality of the
individuals, and the nationality of the nations. It would be a society with a
distinct brand whose members would look all alike, members identified with bar
codes. It would be the same processed food served in all the parts of the
world, would be the same set of clothes marked ‘small’, ‘medium’, ‘large’. That
itself sounds alarming. There will be no human souls but all animated
characters. Is this what
One result of this Globalisation is
the outsourcing which has produced a large chunk of Indian ‘cyber-coolies’.
This may appear a harsh indictment to the money-bringer, but it is pretty
realistic. The artificial if not snobbish traits of modernity they wear are, to
say the least, disappointing. A degree of affluence, however, has made them in
many ways less significant. Not much is different elsewhere. In the three
decades since the country’s “opening up”, prosperity has come to urban
Then there is a brand of economic
theorists led by Amartya Sen who want “distributive justice”. If economic egalitarianism
is to be achieved by the power of the State, then that itself becomes a
contradiction; in any case, it will be a retrograde step and must not be taken,
particularly after having witnessed the Nehru failure. The unjust Market may be
undesirable, may be a malaise but the remedy offered will be worse than the
disease. “The Hayekian vision is of a Great and Open Society: a society of
numberless individuals interacting freely in markets, exchanging goods and
services peacefully among themselves. This is a ‘catallaxy’, not a ‘community’.
The individuals who engage in market exchanges usually do not even know one
another. Amartya Sen never supported Economic Freedom, or Free Trade.”
Globalisation and the Planet Earth
The worst is the seriousness of the
strident Globalisation, it causing or has already caused destruction of the
Planet Earth whose Green House is fast turning into a seared Gloom House.
Warnings are there but no concerned nation heeds them. “The result of all this
is,” says the New York Time’s
columnist Paul Krugman (27 September 2009) “that climate scientists have, en
masse, become Cassandras—gifted with the ability to prophesy future disasters,
but cursed with the inability to get anyone to believe them. In a rational
world, then, the looming climate disaster would be our dominant political and
policy concern. But it manifestly isn’t. Why not? But the larger reason we’re
ignoring climate change is that Al Gore was right: This truth is just too
inconvenient. Responding to climate change with the vigor that the threat
deserves would not, contrary to legend, be devastating for the economy as a
whole. But it would shuffle the economic deck, hurting some powerful vested
interests even as it created new economic opportunities. And the industries of
the past have armies of lobbyists in place right now; the industries of the
future don’t. Nor is it just a matter of vested interests. It’s also a matter
of vested ideas. For three decades the dominant political ideology in
So here again we have a curious
paradox. The Capitalist society which wants least government interference is
seeking and recommending government interference to correct itself. The issue
before the social thinker is this: Is government machinery the only mechanism
for correcting social evils? If it is so, then soon we will have to abandon all
our hopes. Strangely enough, that would make bureaucrats wiser than the wise
men of the academia. Perhaps it is time to look for alternatives in terms of
awakened social responsibilities. To a certain extent this role was played in
earlier days by religion, but that religion has become defunct and needs be
condemned. Strong and enlightened social institutions perhaps could get started
forming to change the system from within than from outside. There have to be
inner compulsions and not impositions which never work to any degree of
satisfaction. These may be slow in producing results, but could be enduring in
terms of gains in the long run. That will also entail hard discipline; but
without discipline nothing worthwhile can be achieved. Here could come a helpful
recommendation made by Mahatma Gandhi which needs to be examined in the larger
context of social development. In a recent message given on the occasion of his
birthday on 2 October 2009, Pratibha Patil, the President of India, said that Mahatma
Gandhi's idea of all round development was a key to stable and a secure
society. For him what mattered most was the way taken, and not so much the goal
which will be automatically achieved when one goes on the right path. The
discovery of the right path and journeying on it is the transformative key for
making meaningful progress.
Mahatma Gandhi and Applied Nonviolence
We may recall here what
This creative power working on a
universal level is true Globalisation.
The Mahatma proposed and practised
the principle of non-violent action in the collective life of a nation, an
approach which he strived to make universal. He was clear about the doctrine of
the sword vis-à-vis
the doctrine of nonviolence and non-cooperation and did not mix them
up. “If
Apropos of the central teaching of
the Gita he says: “When there is no desire for fruit, there is no temptation
for untruth or himsā. Take any
instance of untruth or violence, and it will be found that at its back was the
desire to attain the cherished end... Ahimsa was an accepted and primary duty
even before the Gita age. The Gita had to deliver the message of renunciation
of fruit.”
Even in the face of the atomic
weapon he maintained: “It has been suggested by American friends that the atom
bomb will bring in Ahimsa as nothing else can. It will, if it is meant that its
destructive power will so disgust the world that it will turn it away from
violence for the time being.” But can the principle of “Applied Nonviolence”
work in a society which has least regard for human values and human
civilisation? The simplistic answer would be “Yes”; however the pragmatic
course has to work itself out through human foibles and human possibilities.
I have a dream
And yet there was another pilgrim
of nonviolence, Martin Luther King Jr who, during his student days, read Thoreau's Essay on Civil Disobedience.
Later he studied Mahatma Gandhi: “As the days unfolded, I came to see the power
of nonviolence more and more. Living through the actual experiences of the
protest, nonviolence became more than a method to which I gave intellectual
assent; it became a commitment to a way of life.” Martin King would not accept
Karl Marx. As a Christian he believed that there is a “creative personal power
in this universe who is the ground and essence of all reality—a power that
cannot be explained in materialistic terms. History is ultimately guided by spirit,
not matter.” He walked a long distance on this dangerous road. He had a dream
and one can say that it has come true in a certain sense. Barack Obama not only
became President of the
The Ex-Secretary-General of the
United Nations, Kofi Annan asserted: "Nonviolence is the first article of
my faith. It is also the last article of my creed." He says that is how
Mahatma Gandhi summed up his defense when charged with agitation against the
State in 1922. Then, in the context of the 50th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, he says: “We in the United Nations will be using a
strategy very like your own to bring home the message that human rights are the
common language of humanity.”
Yet we have to face the realities
of life as it presently exists. Today’s civilisation is an urban civilisation,
indisputably with more of science and less of religion, and is moving with the
urban speed, carrying urban comforts,—as also urban problems and anxieties,
born of processed food and processed life, even in a certain way processed mind
though we think of our individuality and our freedom. In the entire process the
Wealth of Nations has become the handbook of the haves, only to be questioned
by the creed of the Welfare State supposedly meant for the have-nots. Modern
society is a commercial society. Communist society emphasized “to each
according to his needs and from each according to his abilities.” This
principle reflects a consideration of individual capacity. Unfortunately, it is
defined only in commercial-material terms.
Swaraj and social emancipation
For Mahatma Gandhi Swaraj was not
just political freedom; it was meant to be real Home-Rule. The votaries of this
Rule have to be therefore dedicated to the ideals of life, upholding them in
every walk of life. There might be moral-ethical considerations to begin with;
but they have to get translated in the form of enlightened culture. In such a
formulation there cannot be any room for communal forces, caste divisions,
underhand and corrupt dealings, for reservations and priorities and
preferences; there cannot be departures from values under the pretext of social
face of the new reforms and liberalizations. However, human nature is human
nature and the response to the Gandhian ideal has to immediately fight the
battle of globalisation promoting gigantic industrialization and gratuitous
consumerism. “What India needs, for instance, in its agricultural sector, as
Gandhi envisaged in his Constructive Programme, are millions of lok sevaks
selflessly devoting themselves, together with the village community, to the
singular tasks of tapping the vast reservoir of human power to raise crops
which will primarily feed the peasant, his/her family, and the village. In time
this will make them self-sufficient and provide gainful employment to all. Creation
of democratic cooperatives for managing and allocating human and non-human
resources in the spirit of trusteeship is requisite.”
But as we start including diverse
ethnic and religious collectivities, as information base spreads, there appear
difficulties also. While exclusive forms can no longer be justified nor can
they be simply wished away. Insistent globalisation meets the fundamentalist
challenge. But we have to be also alert about global exploitation and, in the
rapacious commercialism, mindful of the ecological devastation that we are
causing.
Perhaps we may have to evolve
altogether new political systems that go beyond the norms of the democracy as are
at present understood and practised. There has to be an economic system that
does not suppress economic freedom; nor can there be wealth-production as the
single aim of life. Naturally, this will require much thinking, planning and
new experiments.
This is the race which will rule the Sevagram
Gandhiji’s Sevagram was a practical
example to demonstrate at the village level a simple and dedicated life that
can bring harmony and joy to everyone. One of the small activities he had
started was hand spinning hand weaving cloth, khadi; then grew cottage
industries. Creation of job opportunities and improvement of economic
conditions of masses formed a nucleus of these programmes. The emphasis was “nonviolent
reconstruction of the nation’s socio-economic base”.
As pointed out by Wikipedia, in AE
van Vogt's novel The Weapon Makers
ends a story in a deliberately inscrutable phrase; specifically, an
extraterrestrial says of the human race, "This is the race which will rule
the sevagram." Also, Gregory Benford dedicated his 1987 novel Great Sky River "To Lou Aronica and
David Brin two knights of the Sevagram".
One fine example of small scale
industry we witness is the story of Lijjat papad, an Indian meal starter
started by Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat. Today 45,000 women are part of the
women-only co-operative which has an annual turnover of nearly $100m and a
flourishing exports account.
In the field of education Gyan
Shala, among several NGOs, could form an excellent illustration of the Gandhian
ideology in action. Its purpose is “to ensure the quality of basic education to
the children from poor rural and urban families on par with what is available
to high income or elite social groups. This would be ensured through the school
based education, as the children do not receive educational support from family
or parents, who themselves have not been to school. The education aim in
this stage is to enable each participating child to become an independent
reader and writer in his/her local language within the first three years of
school cycle. Children also attain appropriate level of skill in handling
numbers and arithmetic operations and analytical-observation skills that
constitute the building blocks of scientific understanding of the physical and
social world, and are required for normal life transactions. Gyan Shala made a
modest beginning by starting primary school-classes in ten slum locations in
Ahmedabad in June 2000. Around 255 classes, covering both the slums and rural
areas, were functioning in 2005-2006. This number rose to 300 in 2006-07, and
is expected to rise to around 500 in a couple of years. In Gyan Shala design,
each group of 500 classes covering around 14000 children would act as a
decentralized, self-contained and autonomous education unit, which can be
replicated to cover larger number of children without any deterioration in
quality or increase in cost.”
There is a silent revolution taking place
These surely are positive and
hopeful signs. There is a silent revolution taking place perhaps without our
being aware of it, and one can be optimistic about the country’s future. These
show that the nation is awake and the fanfare that goes around big matters is
only the play of the unscrupulous politicians. The problem however is meshing
of the two extremes, the small-scale or cottage industry and the mega-industry
on which is all the national and international focus, meshing of rural and
urban economies. The action by the government is more or less focused on the
latter, and conceivably that is the reason why things have become such a mess
there.
There are certain
spirituo-philosophical leads available in figuring out what that “new” approach
could be. In the extreme situation, to the Buddhist it was the relinquishment
of the world of suffering and agony, of duhkha,
and he did it by stepping into the selfless blank of Nirvana. This certainly is
of no avail when it comes to the life that must be lived here in its fullness.
Nor can a Mayavadin help us. For him oneness with the passive Brahman is the
goal, with the single imperative of getting out of this illusory phenomenal
existence. In their extreme negativism both these made room for the habitation
of unregenerate forces to take possession of human pursuits. This disownment,
of the material mundane humankind, deteriorating itself into tāmasic indolence, finally drove away
the spirit of God from the affairs of this world.
In fact we have conflicts between
the world of the spirit and the world of phenomena; we also have conflicts
caused by the various imbalances, of opportunities and capabilities clashing
with each other. We have esoteric conflicts, and we have secular conflicts. We
speak of clash of civilisations. If one extreme of the first thrived in
In this context, when we hear
Vivekananda’s message, we at once realise that it has a twofold significance.
To the West he cried: “Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest
this divinity within.” To the Indian his one firm exhortation was to break all
idols and worship God the Poor, daridrī-nārāyaņa:
“…the only God I believe in, the sum-total of all souls,—and above all my God
the wicked, my God the miserable, my God the poor of all races, of all species
is the special object of my worship.”
If we are to see a purpose in the
creation then that purpose would seem to be to live, even here, in the joy of
God-awareness. Someone said, “Put God in your programme.” True, but please,
also, let God have a programme for us—if there is none. Does he have one? In
terms of post-human destinies surely there are possibilities. These
possibilities will open more and more when our awareness of the intrinsic
values of life start coming into focus. Will this happen? This ought to happen.
Earth must transform herself and equal Heaven; or Heaven must descend into
earth’s mortal state. This is what Sri Aurobindo the Yogi-Seer of Savitri reveals to us.
Wisdom-Strength-Harmony-Perfection
Pragmatism or utilitarianism is a
fact of existence today; the possibility to widen its scope of action, to bring
newer dimensions in its swift operative dynamics, is also an aspect of its
broader and ennobling intention. The thetic and the anti-thetic have to meet
and join in the synthetic. The division between the secular and the esoteric
has to disappear; ‘this’ and ‘that’ must unreservedly merge into its happy
oneness. The will of man, his reason, his emotion and sensibility, his deeper
and purer intuition, the calm and silent promptings of his soul, and its
unobtrusive persuasion, all have to be recognised and given a natural place in
the scheme of cosmic functioning. The cry of the Rishi to lead him from
falsehood to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality, mrityormāmritam gamaya, in such an
eventuality acquires another poignancy, a luminous poignancy. It becomes an
imploration, to put in Sri Aurobindo’s phrase, for “bringing out the Infinite
infinitely into form of being”.
That should lead us to understand
the nature of a wholesome society which allows different aspects, collective as
well as individual, to come together. Perhaps in it is the sense of an
organisation that can meet a thousand demands without leading to conflicts. Man
is at once a thinker and a warrior and a trader and a worker, the perfectionist
of Time. Men might be thinkers or warriors or traders or workers, but all are
founded in the inalienable nature of Man, the leader of humanity. The ancients
saw in him harmonious expression of the spirit and promoted the social gains in
that basic truth. For them the formula was
wisdom-strength-harmony-perfection—and what is there in it which we can
dispute? Only when that is established is there a possibility of higher powers
entering into the scheme of collective life, eastern or western, be it today or
tomorrow, as it was in the deep past. Only then the meaning of globalisation in
its full psychological contents can be asserted. Evolution of society with all
its propensities has to reach this stage. Men have to arrive at Manhood in
order to enjoy the gains of globalisation. The hope is, this will happen sooner
than later. The hope is such post-human destinies will unfold by conscious
awareness of what the manifesting spirit is proposing to do.