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Independent India?
India had travelled a long way before we finally achieved independence. British had conquered
India following the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The East India Company then ruled a more
substantial part of India. The East India company invaded India and made it a colony with the
aim of profit-making and exploitation. The approach adopted by the British to rule India was
ruthless and unregulated. However, the British India company got dissolved in 1874. The
power went from company to Crown. Even though the Crown was based on utilitarian
principles, it was no less exploitative.
The era was marked by excessive exploitation and de-industrialization, British India witnessed
a substantial drain of wealth from India, destroying indigenous industries and creating massive
resource crunch in India. Along with this exploitation emerged successive famines where the
deaths due to starvation alone during British rule were estimated between 15 to 29 million.
It is worthwhile to note that the pre-British India was highly dependent on agriculture,
comprising of self-sustaining and independent villages. The village communities were self-
reliant and self-sufficient. Unfortunately, all this shattered with the colonization. To establish
a monopoly over resources and exercise preponderance of power over the people and resources
in India. During the British rule, India remained an agrarian economy with 85% of the economy
dependent from agriculture sector directly or indirectly. It is crucial to note that in the British
government, the self-sufficiency of village communities was vanished and came to an end.
Owing to negligible agricultural reforms related to technology, availability of irrigation and
electricity and increase in yield only in cash crop such as cotton, jute, oilseeds, sugarcane,
tobacco etc. the farmers were left in the adverse state. Consequently,under British rule, the
condition of Indian farmers deteriorated, the peasants were excessively indebted to the local
money-lenders and deteriorated agriculture in the 19th century. At the same time, the sequence
of famines such as Great Bengal famine (1769-70), The Chalisa famine (1783-84), Doji bara
famine or Skull famine (1791-92), Agra famine of (1837-38), The Upper Doab famine (1860-
61), Orissa famine (1866), Rajputana famine (1869), Bihar famine (1873-74), Great famine
(1876-78), Indian famine (1896-97 and 1899-1900), finally Bengal famine of 1943.
Among the health disaster, the Cholera epidemic of 1817-1821 is worth noticing in terms of its
adverse impact on India, specifically the rural poor. Both indigenous and western medicines
failed to provide any cure
1
. The lowlands in eastern India came to be associated with the
endemic malarial fever on account of colonial projects such as canal systems for irrigation,
railway lines and roads. These projects were designed without taking into account of natural
drainage flows. On the contrary, they created artificial pools which provided new sites for
breeding anopheline mosquitoes. The plague of 1894 was probably imported form Hong Kong,
initially affecting port cities and later on affecting most of the western and northern India,
provinces of Bombay, Punjab and the United Provinces.
Most of the incidence of famines sustained an economic component. The crop failure, coupled
with the increased taxation to cover the revenue loss without any relief measure accounted for
aggravating farmer’s plight. Thus, the British rule taught us the story and lesson to comprehend
the inter-linkages between inequality, natural and man-made disaster and finally ecology as a
whole.
2
The world has been excessively growing consuming unprecedently exerting pressure on
limited resources and consequently leaving lesser reserves for future consumption for the
next generations to come. As wisely quoted by famous statistician and economist ‘It does
not require more than a simple act of insight to realise that infinite growth of material
consumption in a finite world is an impossibility.’ (E.F.Schumacher, 1993).
Ever since the world is moving on the path of excessive growth and consumption as a
consequence of liberalised and globalisation, there has been uncontrolled emissions in the
atmosphere causing the biggest challenge of humanity widely known as Climate Change.
The largest source of emissions which form greenhouse gases is energy. The issue of
Climate change, in turn, calls for the energy transition.
The father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi and the contemporary economist J.C.Kumarappa
were not only aware of the crises that India would fall into but had the vision to foresee the
failure of the development process. Nature is faithful and submissive to those who respect her
but to those who of their Freewill choose to ignore her requirements; she is sterner than justice
(J.C.Kumarappa, Economy of Permanence, 2007). ‘He further stated that when the cycle of life
is broken, violence manifests itself and when violence intervenes, growth or progress is
stopped, ending finally in destruction and waste. Nature then becomes unforgiving and ruthless.
1
https://digital.nls.uk/indiapapers/cholera.html
2
https://digital.nls.uk/indiapapers/malaria.html
According to J.C.Kumarappa, the normal working of the human body and mind cannot be
altered or designed afresh by an ignorant man. Hence, it will be futile for any mortal
individual to attempt to change the course of life as he wishes it. All that can be done is to
co-operate with nature and arrange to maintain the environment in such a form as will
guarantee its working at its best.
Since industrialization, countries have shown excessive and uncontrolled demand for growth
and therefore exploited the gift of nature. To produce and grow, energy constitutes the
fundamental requirement and a prerequisite for growth and development. In the current
scenario, it has been observed economies are excessively moving on the path of rapid growth
and development in the framework laid by the liberalized or globalized world.
Gandhiji was not against Globalization, but he condemned the belief system that western
was superior. He contended that the Globalization would lead to detrimental impacts like
environmental hazards and consumerism. This proposition made by Gandhiji has proved to
be a reality over the last 70 years. Gandhiji was against western consumerism and would
always advocate that Indian alternative in no way inferior. This culture of consumerism
being propagated by Globalization would only lead to demonstrative effect by Indian middle
class and further result in western cultural hegemony, looking down upon our own culture.
It was this fear which was highlighted by Gandhiji.
Over the years, Globalization and liberalization had given many experiences to the world,
World war II was also an outcome of Globalization. Further, the widespread terrorism,
consumerism, overutilization of resources and finally, Climate change could be considered
the detrimental consequences of Globalization. The world that has been left is all full of
inequality and unrest. In the present times when the world has had the privilege of
witnessing advantages and disadvantages of globalisation, the United Nations recently
adopted protectionist policy is expected to hamper economic growth.
‘Influenced by Gandhian philosophy of Swadeshi Movement, Nehruvian model also
adopted protectionism till India underwent liberalization. Gandhiji had idealistic views on
economic Globalization where states would be self–sufficient on most of the accounts but
would be mutually dependent on some. Now self-sufficiency can only be visualized by
perceiving a competitive framework at the time of cut-throat competition of foreign
production. As far as agricultural labour rights are concerned Gandhiji view is equally valid
today in the times of WTO and other multilateral bodies being constructed in liberalized,
globalized framework. (Mukherji)’
Human activities in the form of production and consumption have proven to be extremely
detrimental to the ecological balance. The burning of fossil fuels has subsequently released
sufficient quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to trap additional heat in the
lower atmosphere and affect global climate change (World Health Organization, 2018)
3
. The
world has warmed by approximately 0.85 degrees Celsius in the last 130 years with each last
three decades successively warmer than any proceeding decade since 1850 (World Health
Organization, 2018)
4
.
The human activities such as deforestation leading to changes in land use, human settlement,
commercial development, road construction etc. have eventually led to soil erosion, shifts in
vector populations as snails and mosquitos and their parasites (Patz et al. 2000)
5
. Finally, the
combined effects of environmentally detrimental changes in local land use and alterations in
global climate disrupt the natural ecosystem, increasing the risk of transmission of parasitic
diseases to the human population (Patz et al. 2000)
6
.
Having discussed the linkages between human activity, use of fossil fuels, emissions,
environment and ecological imbalance, by deploying energy-efficient and fewer emission
techniques of production and by adopting a sustainable consumption path, the humans would
be able to sustain the ecological balance. Further, it is very much evident from our development
process that the genesis or the orientation of development has to be connected to environment
and ecology.
With the present outbreak of health pandemic, the world has got exposed to the inherent
impediments of the existing development process. Unfortunately, it has failed to address the
challenges of rising inequality, climate change, increasing frequency of natural as well as health
related disasters. The occurrence of Bhola Cyclone 190, BOB ( 03,04,05,06,07 ), Rashmi
3
//www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
4
//www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
5
Patz, J. A., Graczyk, T. K., Geller, N., &Vittor, A. Y. (2000). Effects of environmental change on
emerging parasitic diseases. International journal for parasitology, 30(12-13), 1395-1405.
6
Patz, J. A., Graczyk, T. K., Geller, N., &Vittor, A. Y. (2000). Effects of environmental change on
emerging parasitic diseases. International journal for parasitology, 30(12-13), 1395-1405.
(2008), Aila (2009), Komen (2015), Roanu (2016), Mora (2017)Amphan (2020), Nisarg (2020)
can be attributed as a consequence of climate change and even related to the outbreak of
coronavirus. The strategic control of the situation of the present challenge does by no means
guarantee non-occurrence of these disasters in the future.
The development path advocated by Gandhian school of thought and J.C. Kumarappa asserts
that the development can only be sustainably provided the human beings realize that we have
“enough resources for everyone’s need and not greed”, in other words, we can see everyone
and their needs.This characteristic is of utmost significance for just and peaceful world order.
At the same time their consciousness is enlightened enough to raise their voice against
injusticebecause once the pure soul is devoid of greed, it will only build a voice for the welfare
of all and not for self -interest.
Today, there is an immense need to revisit our development process. The development process
in India has ended up with increased inequality, climate change, health and natural disasters
and not to exclude the series of political unrest. The consecutive socio-political unrest and
internal disputes amongst various sections of society, classes, religion etc., the rising conflicts
between the centre and state and disorder at borders are all the consequences of the misled
socio-economic development process. Under the leadership of Gandhi, once upon a time, we
aspired to become free from the British rule, we yearned freedom that will empower us with
the rights to live freely without dominance. We visualized a self -reliant state ensuring equality
and justice, a peaceful state where each one matters; every part of the ecosystem can breathe
freely without threat. India, after more than 70 years, is still aspiring for same. The long way
we have come and dichotomy is that we are still in the same state or even worse.
Pooja Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Daulat Ram College,
University of Delhi.