Concept Note
A brief glance at the news headlines of the past decade – from 9/11 and invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq to the UK riots; from the Asian tsunami to the Daiichi nuclear disaster; from Arab Spring to the protests staged by the likes of Aung San Suu Kyi, Irom Sharmila and Anna Hazare – confirms that Gandhi is a name neither anachronistic nor dispensable in this age of unprecedented globalisation and entrenched capitalism.
Gandhi’s is a dynamic system of thought that has as its base the principle of Sarvodaya (welfare of all). It is a worldview that advocates holistic social transformation for inclusive growth. Key concepts like satya (truth), ahinsa (non-violence), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-possession), swadeshi and gramswaraj (selfsufficiency and grassroots development) offer an alternative foundation to a society that is beset by aggressive militarisation, exploitation of limited natural resources and social disparity.
Gandhi anticipated the crises the world faces today, but his legacy provides no quick fixes. Instead we have a value system that starts afresh and put things in perspective. The proposed seminar aims to gain a better understanding and discuss the pertinence and viability of Gandhian beliefs in the context of the contemporary world. Suggested topics include but are not restricted to:
1) Implications of Gandhian economics in the present
2) Nature conservation and Gandhi
3) Viability of Gandhi’s model of women empowerment in the twenty-first century
4) Development of Indian villages
5) Gandhian way of life in the age of consumerism
6) Decentralization of power
7) World peace and Gandhi
8) Applied Gandhism – a fantasy?
Gandhi’s is a dynamic system of thought that has as its base the principle of Sarvodaya (welfare of all). It is a worldview that advocates holistic social transformation for inclusive growth. Key concepts like satya (truth), ahinsa (non-violence), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-possession), swadeshi and gramswaraj (selfsufficiency and grassroots development) offer an alternative foundation to a society that is beset by aggressive militarisation, exploitation of limited natural resources and social disparity.
Gandhi anticipated the crises the world faces today, but his legacy provides no quick fixes. Instead we have a value system that starts afresh and put things in perspective. The proposed seminar aims to gain a better understanding and discuss the pertinence and viability of Gandhian beliefs in the context of the contemporary world. Suggested topics include but are not restricted to:
1) Implications of Gandhian economics in the present
2) Nature conservation and Gandhi
3) Viability of Gandhi’s model of women empowerment in the twenty-first century
4) Development of Indian villages
5) Gandhian way of life in the age of consumerism
6) Decentralization of power
7) World peace and Gandhi
8) Applied Gandhism – a fantasy?