27/05/2020 - History | Mainstorming

IAS Parliament 5 years

KEY POINTS

· Gandhian ideals include swadeshi, self-reliance at the individual and village community levels, an abhorrence of mass production and mindless industrialization, a dislike for the amoral extremes of capitalism and communism, and a reduction of mutual antagonisms between the rich and poor.

· Gandhi’s vision did not materialize during his lifetime, and his instincts on technology were overly negative. But today, as we adopt work-from-home norms and refocus on basics, we find that digital technology has enabled what Gandhi envisioned: empowerment at the individual and village level.

· While we are unlikely to revert to the village republics he would have liked, we can see that web-linked villages can indeed earn enough for themselves by offering goods and services from remote places.

· If you can work from home, you can work from your village too. As the world de-globalizes partially, countries are going for self-sufficiency; local supply chains are less likely to be disrupted by global events.

· As renewable energy sources grow, a country endowed with sun and wind can produce power locally; today, even housing colonies feed solar power to grids. Much else can be decentralized.

· Today’s digital economy and remote-working would not have been possible if we had remained village republics and millions had not congregated in cities to earn and innovate. Nor would food and energy have been available in plenty without opting for polluting technologies (inorganic fertilisers, solar photo-voltaics, storage batteries, and so on).