All World
Gayatri Pariwar

Is India going through a massive transformation?

When you look at India in the 21st century, your eyes dazzle with its apparent glitter. It would have been impossible to envisage this situation about twenty years back. One is left wondering at the frenzied pace of modernization that has mesmerized the nation. If we do not happen to have been exposed to the stark poverty of the villages and have not walked through the narrow lanes strewn with dung and dirt; have not seen the slums of the cities; then we might erroneously conclude that India has been transformed into a haven of plenty. Yes, with globalization and IT revolution a small percentage of the exploding population has grown rich and more and more are nurturing the dream of becoming millionaires overnight. There is a never-ending exodus to the urban areas. Several new models of cars are hitting the market. When we see the roads of metros and big cities, we are left wondering whether we are in India or Europe or any other so-called developed country.

Increase in cars translates to traffic jams

A car by name ‘Nano’ is going to be introduced in the market soon. The ‘Auto Expo’ held in Delhi during January 2008 was brimming with colorful cars and SUVs. Nano model stole the show. Soon many more people might be able to fulfill their dream of owning a car costing around Rs. 1.25 lakhs. When the roads are full with this car and cars of other models, then who will be able to travel faster – man walking on the road or the man in the car? Practically, anyone can own a car by taking a loan and repaying it in monthly installments.

Even rudimentary road transport infrastructure has not been built in our country. There are roads, but they are filled with ditches and potholes. Only a handful of quality highways have been developed. When such is the state of affairs, how could the person who approved the plan take a step which could lead to car explosion on the roads? This is a matter of concern. Has anyone ever pondered over the kind of traffic jams this would lead to and the increase in pollution levels it would cause? Hence, the opposition is not towards Tata’s Nano alone but against all the cars. There is dire need to formulate sound plans for integrated development, but who will do it? When cities are left to grow in a pell-mell way and at a haphazard pace, then who would make and enforce the necessary rules?

The framework is absent, but the process of blind imitation is in full-swing

Where is all this consumerism going to lead us to? It is taking us towards the precipice of a bottomless pit of chaos and dissolution. But, are there intelligent policy makers in the country who can seriously ponder over the fundamental problems plaguing our country? When the topic of vehicles has begun, let us also discuss about the incidence of road accidents. The accident rate in our country is the largest in the whole world. There are no ‘Trauma centers’ available at nearby locations. We are discussing of only deaths due to accidents and not about those left permanently disabled. Has anyone thought about how many talented people meet an unexpected end or are left incapacitated for life? When travel itself has become a dreadful hazard, then for whom are these glittering new cars?

Uph! The extravagant weddings of today

Glitter and self-aggrandizement has become all-pervasive! Have you seen today’s marriage celebrations? Have you gone to a banquet hall? You might have attended a wedding and seen the grandeur and glitter of the Kalyan Mandapam leaving behind a heap of garbage the next day after the gala celebration is over. The electricity required for the function is obtained from a generator because our country is far behind in electricity generation. Have you ever thought of how much pollution the generator creates? People spend millions and billions of rupees in the name of weddings. Have you ever asked such a person – “Sir, if you had invested this same money in any activity that could develop the nation, like developing a chosen village or formed an organization that does social work, your spending could have been really meaningful? You have blown away money like a cracker. Such expensive and wasteful weddings are nowhere in the world except in India. That is the reason why we have to hang the label of poverty and dishonesty around our neck”.

Without dishonest means of earning, how can anyone indulge in these expensive and dowry-prone weddings?  When the right muhurats for weddings come, the marriages happen in tandem and millions of rupees are spent overnight. If we had the correct common sense, we would be recommending and moving towards simple and ideal weddings. One can treat one’s friends and dear ones with a tasty snack or a simple meal. But our egos propel us to spend money in showing ourselves off. Well, there might be people who say – “This is my money and I will spend it the way I like.” This answer lacks ethics. None of us can deny the role of society in establishing our identity. Without the society, we would neither be rich nor self-reliant. In such a scenario, how can you say – “This is my money. How are you concerned with the way I spend it?” In the coming days, we have to create an atmosphere of such social awakened awareness that those spending meaninglessly and their accomplices should be ostracized from the society.

The glamour and dazzle of Malls and Mega Marts

Vulgarity and glamour is present everywhere. You need not look towards metros and other big cities. Even small towns have Big Bazars, Mega Marts, PVR Multiplexes, Malls, Plazas and what not. The last 7-8 years have seen rapid expansion of these establishments. But all this does not come without a price. We should remember that if there is a tall building, there is a deep ditch dug somewhere and there are dirty slums elsewhere. These big malls are depriving small shopkeepers of their livelihood and looting us with sky-rocketing prices for their wares. Do the multi-storied PVRs depict the true situation of our country? Can one know the real condition of the country by looking at those glittering buildings? The writer of these lines has witnessed extreme poverty and deprivation while traveling from U.P. to Bihar via Bundelkhand region, during the past couple of years. After having seen the worst of poverty, we can easily say that majority of people in our country are living below the poverty line. Majority of our countrymen are living an 18th century life in 21st century. The so-called development of a few cities is creating an economic crisis that will prove fatal to us in the near future.

Let progress be a consequence of emotional empathy

There should be progress, but it should be of all classes of society and not restricted to a few who are smart manipulators and harshly selfish. The farmers are committing suicide every day. In the name of SEZs (special economic zones) thousands of acres of farmland is being acquired overnight. Express ways will indeed be useful, but also look at the real situation of the people in the country! This is not progress that is in tune with emotional empathy. In all these cases, empathy is kept aside and the progress of only one section of society is being considered. Huge peripheral townships are being built around Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Kundali, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. But who is benefiting from this entire exercise? Is it of any use to the common man? Is it useful to the people who are somehow eking out their livelihood through back-breaking manual labor? No, this is beneficial only to the property builders; and the corrupt politicians and beaurocrats who are backing these huge projects.

Look at the evil consequences!

The baneful consequences of the so-called progress have begun to crop up now. Violence, naxal attacks, Maoists looting, sexual harassment, incidences of theft and robbery, killing of elderly people who live alone, suicides by farmers, increasing problem of unemployment, exodus to the urban areas, the decreasing population in the villages, the extinction of the culture of co-operative way of living, decrease in farming activities and cultivable land – all these are the consequences of increase in glamour and extravaganza on the part of the miniscule minority of the rich.

Distorted eating habits

The culture of restaurants is reigning the country today. Our eating habits have been completely perverted. These days, people do not prefer to cook rice and lentils at home. They feel that it is a waste of time and effort. Hence, they prefer to go to a mall or a restaurant to eat. They not only eat the food there, but carry some home and refrigerate it. Then this frozen food is re-heated again and again and eaten for more than a week. The fast-food culture has taught us to eat stale and unhealthy food. It lacks nourishment and makes people sick and obese. People are becoming prone to diseases at an alarming rate; the cholesterol levels are increasing and more and more bypass surgeries are being performed and thus increasing the demand for doctors and hospitals. Children have also got accustomed to these habits and they are becoming more ‘beauty-conscious’. They start going to beauty parlors even before they enter their teens. The reality shows and other perverse TV programs have influenced the life so much that if your child does not know how to dance, you are considered backward. The lower and upper middle classes, which comprise about 40% of the entire population, are being influenced by this artificial culture and hence suffering peer pressure.  

Our responsibility

The leading thinkers and well-wishers of the society should sit together and seriously discuss about where the society is heading towards. Our journey is in flagrant contradiction to cultured human beings. We belong to the lineage of the rishis and believe in life ennobling morals and ethics. But our life style is not in tune with our true heritage. Only when we are rooted in the values of spirituality and sanatan sanskriti can we achieve all-round progress in the true sense. The intelligentsia should make people aware of the current situation and motivate them towards a meaningful and noble lifestyle. The Gayatri Pariwar is sincerely and humbly trying to implement the Yug Nirman Yojana (Plan of Integrated Era Development), but we can build a strong and ideal nation only when all the institutions working for social welfare join hands and work with synergy.

With this issue our journal completes six years of its childhood. Let us wish it steady holistic growth.

Happy and meaningful New Year for all parijans and readers