India in 2067
Long long ago M.K.Gandhi, a vegetarian and a believer in non-violence and the possibility of change of heart of the people on this earth was asked by a journalist what he thought of Modern Western Civilization. Gandhi had ironically replied 'it is a good idea'. We need to remember now in the year 2067 his words because what went on as mindless consumption and development in the guise of modern civilization was about to bring the world to utter ruin. Even Gandhi's India and Mao's China went after imitating American civilization and ignored all caution against global warning. Although there was Islamic and Hindu fundamentalism the fundamentalism which had the sanction of all ruling elites of the world was market fundamentalism and as a result of this agriculture in India- which was a way of life, and also a preserver of cultural memories- was marginalized and killed. Everywhere the SE Zs cropped up. Modern medicine which only the very rich could afford lengthened their duration of life and not the quality of life... By the year 2037, there were fewer young people among the very rich. Food grown with chemical fertilizers in corporate farms was plenty but tasteless. There was abundance of every consumable thing with the help of more power generated with coal and nuclear energy. As a result every city began to look like any other city and what people ate and wore looked the same all over the world.
This brought about fatigue and the monotony of life itself generated in the people all over the world a spiritual and cultural need to re-examine the concept of strong nation states, and the superstitious belief of modern civilization that the earth is a cornucopia. As a result of this nearly thirty years ago India began to understand the Gandhian dream of decentralized village republics which did not need nuclear power or a strong army to defend herself; for who can dare fight a country of thousands of village republics which was like a porcupine. We are still struggling to make these village republics interdependent, and self-sufficient in their basic needs like food and clothing. The poor in India had still preserved different ways of making food with the locally available material and all these were renewed when India began to recover thirty years ago. Quality of life has become more important than just longevity and therefore the modern medicine has undergone a change in its methods of healing. More than everything, Science in 2067 is free from its bondage to nation states and to growth oriented technology and is engaged in a truly disinterested search for truth. Both Gandhi and Einstein are alive now in their spirit.
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Comments
1 comment postedDear Dr.Anantha Murthy,
I read the article with lot of curiosity. One thing that really scared me is the sentence 'As a result every city began to look like any other city and what people ate and wore looked the same all over the world'. This is a genuine concern. This monotony is all evident through out the world already! I was born and brought up in a village near by bangalore and then I moved to a residential school and to bangalore, bareilly, and now to USA. One thing I notice when I go back to my village is, ' My villagers are moved ahead of me'. In that, I speak Kannada dialect which was spoken during 1990 (when I left my village, Chapatna taluk, ramanagara district) and I wore panche and shirt when i go to village. But my villagers speak some dialect similar to the one spoken in bangalore and there are lot of english words intruded unecessarily. It's bizzare thing to watch a farmer ploughing with pant and thick T-shirt and panting under the hot sun!!
I too believe in the concept of village decentralization and empowering them economically. We already missing the opportunity of sustaining the well established, self sufficient villages and marketplaces. We would do better to realize the importance of decentralzed village republics. I can't stopp dreaming about half a lakh of Switzerlands in india!!
Your take on drugs is somthing akin to that of a successful drug scientist who is unhappy about the type of drugs discovered and used. I am in to research in drug discovery. I would like to state that, our aim is to improve the quality of life as well as prolonging it. However, drugs are drop in the bucket of water which is required to improve the quality of life. A diabetic using drugs regularly but not giving importance to diet, exercise and regular monitoring will have his life prolonged for few years but will have miserable life and death.
i would loved to have your take on issues like energy crisis post fossilfuel age (2067 is!) as no other source can replace ease and amount of energy derived from fossil fuels, concept of nation states (do u believe nation states would be same during 2067 given the trends of 'Unions', autonomy etc) and commonly debated comparision between Gandhi's India and Mao's china. Yes, I know that both the nations will be same during 2067!!
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