“India is in a position to lead the world in peaceful, conscious and stable living”: Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi

New Delhi: “India has to decide where India stands. Will India remain a mute spectator? The country has to think about it. We have to build a world in which prosperity, happiness and peace should be available to every person, not only to the person but to every living being. For this a new revolution, a psychological and the revolution of the conscience will be required” said Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi at 5th Shri Devendra Swaroop Memorial Lecture. This lecture session was chaired by Shri Ramabahadur Rai, President, IGNCA. On this occasion Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur, HoD, Kalnidhi Division of IGNCA was also present.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Murli Manohar Joshi reminisced about his days spent with Shri Devendra Swarup at Allahabad University and said that he was an ideological man and lived a holistic life. Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi further remarked about Shri Devendra Swarup and said that he was a man who wrote prolifically on subjects of national importance like on the Indian freedom struggle and about the Constitution. Dr. Joshi suggested that his writing and his essays should be archived in the form of anthologies from which people can benefit. Speaking on the topic “Badalte Hue Vaishwik Paridrishya Mein Bharat ” (India in the age of changing Global Scenario), he started with the pertinent question that the people of the world want to know, what India wants? He continued and reiterated that the world is a stage and India is attaining a dynamic role on the world stage. He further stressed and said how nature and society was developing at a steady pace. In this context he mentioned that life was an ongoing struggle for existence, but that changed rapidly in the last few decades since development of advanced machines and more so after the advent of steam engines. The discourses on human living and existence changed rapidly and in this context there was permanence in the living pattern of people. The concept of labour saw dynamic change as labour could be exchanged for something else and that was a significant change in labour and objectivity of labour and a divide has come to exist between the both. Dr. Joshi said in this context that this change was a significant change in the history of the world and this is what kept the base of industrialization. This whole phenomenon gave rise to the change in character of capital and also lack of objectivity in society. Dr. Joshi also raised question on the concept of GDP system, he said that it is not an indicator of human development; it is an indicator of exploitation. Whatever is happening is beyond reality. Is GDP the real index, is the market the real index? He said, “Where are we going? Why is the world restless? Why is the world violent?” and added in this regard that what can’t give us happiness needs to change.

He said that there is a need for a balanced world, in which there will be technology and machines, there will be prosperity and there will be peace. There will be no outcry. India is in a position to give the world a vision of a balanced life. Guru Nanak had given the message 500 years ago – “‘Naam Japo’, chant the name, ‘Keerat Karo’, do the labour and create yourself, ‘Vand chhako’, eat what you have by sharing it”. The same message and learning prior to it has been enshrined in the Upanishads. Dr. Joshi also gave the example of ‘Yoga’ in this context, he said that India gave “Yoga” to the world and the world accepted it wholeheartedly because the world is troubled. The world needs our formula. We considered the world as one family and we said that we cannot see life by dividing it into pieces. He emphasized that we should be integral in our approach and life should be seen in an integral and holistic manner. He concluded by saying that “India is in a position to lead the world in peaceful, conscious and stable living”.

On this occasion Shri Rambahadur Rai said that listening to Murli Manohar Joshi is a surreal experience from the point of view of learning and thinking. At the end of the event Shri. O.N. Choubey of Kalanidhi division extended a formal vote of thanks. The event was moderated by Ms. Yati Sharma.