48 th Sarvodaya Samaj Sammelan
The inaugural session of the 48th Sarvoday Samaj Sammelan on the theme No war No Violence: We are for Peace and Nonviolence was held at the premises of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Sevagram, Wardha, Maharashtra on 14 th March, 2023. The programme began with recital of Gandhi's favourite Bhajan, Vaishnava Janato performed by Shri Jalandharnath and the team of Sevagram Ashram.
Shri Sunil Kedar, the Chairman of the reception committee and Former Guardian Minister of Wardha welcomed Ven. Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, Former Prime Minister of the Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamshala; Smt. Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, Vice-Chairperson, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Smriti, New Delhi and the grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi; Shri Amarnath Bhai, Former President, Sarva Seva Sangh and other dignitaries.
Shri Sunil Kedar in his welcome address said that everybody knows what is happening now and we have to overcome the situation. It can be done only through the thoughts of Gandhi. He emphasized the need for strengthening the social fabric of our country. Sevagram is Pavan Bhoomi of Gandhi and we have to do our duty from here.
Prof. Somnath Rode, Convener, Sarvodaya Samaj while addressing the meeting said this is the 48th meeting and out of the 11 meetings held in Maharashtra, 5 took place in Sevagram. He outlined the contemporary challenges humanity is facing like hunger, war, economic inequality, unemployment, and environmental issues like climate change, corruption, inflation, etc.
Democracy is in danger and we have to protect the constitution. Institutional mechanisms like the Supreme Court, RBI, CBI and agencies like Election Commission are weakened. Fascist forces are on the rise and we cannot remain silent spectators. We are facing a more dangerous situation than emergency. India's focus is on smart cities and digital world and not focusing on the basic needs and requirements of people.
He stated that this was the first time they were not getting railway concession and despite that people enthusiastically gathered for the Sammelan. Gandhi wanted to organise the meeting of constructive workers in February 1948 and in his absence the meeting took place later that year from March 13-15. In that meeting of 1948 meeting 47 people participated. In the 48th meeting, 30% participants were youth and women. We are going to complete 75 years soon.
Smt. Asha Bothra, President of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan welcomed all the dignitaries and participants whole-heartedly. She further stated that the truth and nonviolence propagated by Buddha and Gandhi are the same. Sarvodaya aims at welfare of all, the welfare of the last person unto the last. The challenge is how to bring the last person to the first. Gandhi changed Segaon to Sevagram. Every village should become Sevagram.
Shri Chandan Pal, President, Sarva Seva Sangh said we are meeting in the sacred land of Ba and Bapu on the 75th year. Sarvodaya is a powerful mantra. The moot question is whether we can include Sarvodaya as an objective of our Constitution.
Ven.Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche in his inaugural address stated that the presence of youth in this meeting is a welcome one. In the traditional language, the present situation is called Kaliyug and in the modern language, it is post-modern situation. We cannot call it a post-modern civilisation because it is an insult to word and language. We are falling prey to indoctrination.
If I place Gandhi's Hind Swaraj the youth will say it is stupidity and an effort to take us back to olden days. Post-modern system is influencing our thoughts and brainwashing us. Development mantra is one-directional without any thought. It is suicidal, he lamented.
We are not doing anything to overcome the present crisis. We are not ready to change. We want others to do so. We will not change our lifestyle.
The alternative to development is Sarvodaya. The present development is for certain class. Majority of people are subjected to exploitation. The present development requires exploited class. Corporates rule the world.
Sarvodaya is the only alternative. It is based on the welfare of all. Cooperation is the guiding principle in Sarvodaya. It can save humanity and mother earth.
The present development is against rules of nature or rules of the universe. People's action is required to change that. Otherwise the laws of universe will take its own course.
H.E.Ven.Prof.Samdhong Rinpoche touched a number of points which has a direct bearing on the main theme of the meeting. His profound address was listened by all with rampt attention.
Shri Annamalai, Director, National Gandhi Museum introduced the Chief Guest of the meeting, Smt.Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee.
He highlighted her contributions in various fields. She is active even at the age of 89 years.
Smt. Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee in her speech said that, "Gandhi is the voice of the Conscience. We have to overcome fear. Fear is negative. We have polluted every thing.Even our mind is polluted. Violence comes as a thought and it takes the form of Atom Bomb."
She suggested that the principles of Sarvodaya should be introduced in schools and colleges.
"There is no alternative to Sarvodaya. No development is possible is possible without Sarvodaya," she concluded.
Amarnath Bhai in his speech described Gandhi's Ahimsa represents life and the present civilization is death and it will lead to destruction. Gandhi was a severe critic of this civilization. The whole world is marching towards it and we are facing the consequences like holes in the ozone layer, global warming, and melting of glaciers. If we don’t control carbon emissions, humanity will not survive.
Gandhi was a revolutionary and prophetic and that is becoming increasingly clear. There is no way out other than Gandhi. Final victory will be of life.
The inaugural session ended with a vote of thanks proposed by Shri Ashok Bharat. He expressed gratitude to all dignitaries and participants of the meeting.
After the inaugural function of 48th Sarvodaya Samaj Sammelan on 14 March 2023,the meeting discussed the central theme in various sessions. Before the commencement of session in the afternoon, the meeting paid rich tributes to departed souls who have contributed to the cause of Sarvodaya and passed away after the last Sarvodaya Samaj meeting .
The theme of the second session of the meeting was challenges to peace and justice in the context of increasing economic inequality, violence and war .
Dr.Abhay Bang, founder of Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH) Gadchiroli , was the keynote speaker. He reminded us that Sarvodaya Samaj was established here at Sevagram in the meeting which took place at Mahadev Bhai Bhavan in 1948.We started from Sevagram and we are coming back here to take stock of 75 years of experience. He asked the following questions: What is the state of the world and what is our state? What are our problems and where Gandhi stands?In the course of his presentation he talked about1.Sin of Capitalism 2.Curse of violence and 3.Rising temperature of the earth. Referring to Thomas Piketty he said the inequality increases because rate of return on capital is higher than rate of return on labour. Capital is essentially concentrated in the hands of a few. The issue is global but Gandhi's answer is internal or focusing on individuals. Gandhi's answer to Capitalism is trusteeship. It stems from the vow of Aparigraha or non possession which is an individual ethical principle . Exploitation of resources is leading to an increase in temperature which is a disaster for mother earth. He cited Gandhi's words "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed" Gandhi judiciously used the resources even though it was available in plenty. Gandhi's Ahimsa spread all over the globe, he said. Swaraj is not a rule of self but rule on self. He stated that taking note of the current scenario we should add new vows for our daily observance and new items in the Constructive Programme. He emphasized on the point that everybody should become an agent of change. We should start with ourselves. He proposed the ideas of 10 lakh Mahatma Gandhi Parivar to popularize Gandhi's ideas.
Shri Arvind Anjum delivered the Presidential Address. A number of participants reflected on the theme of the session. Shri Kanhaiyya Chhangani proposed a vote of thanks.
The participants attended the evening prayer at the Ashram. After dinner around two hours were devoted to cultural programme.
March 15,2023
On the second day of the meeting a special programme was organised at Mahadev Bhavan Sevagram coinciding with the completion of Sarvodaya Samaj and Sarva Seva Sangh from 8 to 9am.
Before the commencement of the meeting Shri Anna Jadhav of Satara was conferred with Gandhi Award carrying 1 lakh rupees and a citation . Shri Jadhav has been active in the Sarvodaya movement for 50 years and still lives in a makeshift house. In his acceptance speech, he appealed to all Gandhians to come together and resolve their issues. He stated that after listening to everyone here , he understood that Gandhi means Sarvodaya, Vinoba means Samyayoga, Jayaprakash means Krantipravah. He emphasized the need for examine where we have reached in all these years.
A book viz . “Kasturba Gandhi : Ek Ananya Nari” written by Chandan Pal, President of Sarv Seva Sangh and the special issue of Sarvodaya Jagat, the magazine of Sarv Seva Sangh, were also released on the occasion . Talking about the book, Shri Chandan Pal said that there are only very few books available or written in Bengali on the life of Mahatma Gandhi or Kasturba Gandhi. This is a small attempt to introduce the life of Kasturba to the youth. Only a Few people know that Kasturba Gandhi was South Africa's first woman satyagrahi.
It was followed by a session on exploitation of nature in the name of development . Former Member of Parliament, Smt. Meenakshi Natarajan chaired the session. The keynote speaker of the session was Shri Chinmay Mishra, President of Sarvodaya Mandal, Madhya Pradesh. He stated there is a need for redefining the concept of modern development. Exploitation of resources is the main goal of the present development pattern. He referred to the case of Joshimath sinking which is the end result of our modern development pattern and its concomitant infrastructural development. Machine has definitely a place in the production process but it should not overpower human beings, he cautioned. Multinational companies are removing thousands of people in the process of mechanisation and automation. Robots and artificial intelligence are replacing human beings. If there is no human element in development that is not the real development Mrs Meenakshi Natarajan in her presidential address reminded the august audience that we humans have only one planet Earth and there is no life outside of Earth. Without earth we cannot live anywhere .We cannot control nature because we are part of nature and we are not outside of it. If we destroy nature, we cannot renew it with capital or money. We have to preserve it for ourselves and the coming generations. The session was conducted by Shri Ashok Sharan, former managing trustee of Sarva Seva Sangh. The session ended with a vote of thanks from Shri Gourang Mahapatra, Secretary of Sarva Seva Sangh .
Dr. Siby K. Joseph, Director of Sri Jamnalal Bajaj Memorial Library and Research Centre for Gandhian Studies of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan presented a brief summary of the inaugural session of the Conference in English for the benefit of International participants and those cannot follow the deliberations in Hindi.
The second session was centred around the theme Youth and contemporary challenges .Shri Anupam bhai in his presentation stated that the challenges before the youth or the upcoming generation are mainly reducing the growing economic disparity, protecting and renewing environment and ensuring political, social and economic equality. Democracy is the guiding light in our actions. Unity in diversity is our strength. We have to work against the divisive forces. Education should instill the right kind of attitude towards work and skills necessary for employment. Unemployment has become a life and death question now. Oxfam data clearly shows who is benefiting from the GDP centric development.Shri Manoj Thakare, Shri Amit Sarode and others spoke on the occasion highlighting the challenges before them. Shri Sanket Munot in his presidential address stated youth are capable of bringing the desired changes in the society. The session was conducted by Shri Sudhir Surve and Shri Manas Patnaik proposed the vote of thanks.
The theme of the afternoon session was Contemporary Challenges and Clash of Civilization. Prof. Javed Pasha was the main speaker of the session . Today what we are witnessing is not the clash of civilization but the clashes in the name of religions and racism. In the history of India we never witnessed the clash of civilization. He cited the example of acceptance of Bhadhur Shah Jafar by 42 Hindu queens in the 1857 revolt which was part of our freedom movement. All the conflicts between Hindus and Muslims were the result of divide and rule policy of the British government. The end result of this policy was polarisation which ultimately resulted in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi visualised a swaraj of all communities which was all inclusive. Dr. Krishna Prasad defined the meaning of civilization in relation to lifestyle. The modern human resource developmental model is not based on hard work but on promoting laziness. Shri Kumar Prashant, President Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi in his Presidential address by citing the example of nonviolent revolutionaries like Gandhi , Vinoba, JP analysed in detail the ways to overcome contemporary challenges. He cited the Gandhian notion of embracing poverty. The guiding principles in our action should be truth and nonviolence. Shri Ramesh Dane , Shri Ram Dhiraj and others who spoke on the occasion cited Gandhi's path as the only alternative. The session was conducted by Dr. Shivcharan Singh Thakur and Shri Ajmat Khan proposed a vote of thanks .
March 16,2023
The first session of the third day of Sarvodaya Samaj discussed the various dimensions in the creations of Nonviolent Society. Shri Mohan Hirabai Hiralal, Convener, Vrikshamitra, Chandrapur was the main speaker of the session. Gandhi and Vinoba dreamt of creating a nonviolent society. Sarvodaya Samaj has to be built based on their ideals. Gandhi's Hind Swaraj gives us the right direction in our journey towards Sarvodaya Samaj. Vinoba through his work Swaraj Shastra advocated consensus decision making. Our work in Mendha (Lekha) is inspired by the ideals of these personalities. Participating in the discussion Shri Sanjoy Singh, Secretary , Gandhi Smarak Nidhi , New Delhi in his address stated that with creating good human beings it would be impossible to achieve or create a nonviolent society. Therefore the objective of Sarvodaya Samaj should be creation of good human beings.Dr. Vibha Gupta, Chairperson of Magan Sangrahalaya in her presidential address stated that we should recognize our strength .There are a large number of such organizations across the country who are working at the grassroots level on Gandhian ideals. She lamented that they have not been counted or documented. She said that we know a lot about Gandhi's experiments in political non-violence, but less about his unique experiments in the field of cottage industries and alternatives. Gandhi experimented with eco-friendly houses, local breeds of cattle and worked with scientists to find solutions. She emphasized that in this era of globalization and the dominance of multinational companies, we need to work towards different types of swaraj to achieve self-reliance and protect nature. Dr. Viswajith conducted the session and Shri Bhupesh Bhushan expressed gratitude to all.
Valedictory Session
The Sarvodaya Samaj Conference was formally concluded in the afternoon of March 16, 2023. Mrs. Asha Bothra, President of Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan in her speech expressed great satisfaction over the participation of Sarvodaya activists from all over the country in spite of the challenges that the organisers are facing today. The work of the Sarvodaya is to unite the people and we are moving in that direction, she said . Prof. Somnath Rode, convener of Sarodaya Samaj presented a brief report of the Conference. Shri Chandan Pal, President of Sarva Seva Sangh in his address stated that Akhand Bharat is a new form of colonialism . It leads to Fascism. We have to struggle to protect the forces of democracy and secularism. Shri Arvind Kushvaha, Secretary, Sarva Seva Sangh expressed the deep sense of gratitude to all for the successful organisation of Sarvodaya Samaj Conference and the session was conducted by Shri Ashok Bharat of Sarva Seva Sangh.
Resolution of the Conference Shri Chinmay Mishra, President of Sarvodaya Mandal, Madhya Pradesh read out the resolution unanimously approved by the Conference. The resolution passed in Sarvodaya Samaj Conference stated that it was determined to take part in every struggle to save democracy, Constitution and secularism. The resolution was based on Mahatma Gandhi’s message that “Real Swaraj will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few but by the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist authority when it is abused. In other words, Swaraj is to be obtained by educating the masses to a sense of their capacity to regulate and control authority.”
Reported by Ms Richa Deokar, Managing Trustee, Mahatma Mission School, Pune currently undergoing Masters Programme in Gandhian Studies from Mahatma Gandhi Mission University, Aurangabad and doing an internship at Sri Jamnalal Bajaj Memorial Library and Research Centre for Gandhian Studies,(JBMLRCGS) Sevagram Ashram Pratishthan, Wardha. With inputs from Dr Siby K. Joseph, Director JBMLRCGS.
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