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Ganga Andolan
By Dr. Rajendra Singh*
Ganga needs a society free from fear for its rejuvenation.
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Gandhiji was so right when he said that nature had something for need, but there was little to meet the needs of human greed. There is no better example of this than the river Ganga.
When we were not satisfied with using and abusing the water for filling our stomachs, we began to use the river’s water at great environmental cost. Do we even know, let alone acknowledge that the Rudra roop of nature (Shiva the destroyer) is violence, destruction?
Also read:
- Ganga Movement: Disruption in the flow has led to ecological damage and biodiversity loss
- गंगा आंदोलन: गंगा जी को पहले जैसा बनाने वाला कानून ही चाहिए
- Ganga Movement: New ghats are being constructed “without hydraulic research”
Aligned with Indian faith and values, India has several good laws to protect the environment. Our faith and belief rests on the foundation of non-violence. That is why, post-Independence, several laws for environment protection, pollution control, groundwater recharge and others were passed to protect forests, land and water, to protect nature against violence. It was with this philosophy that the government took the responsibility of protecting forests.
However, the district level officials were coming under great pressure locally, right from MPs to MLAs, from local politicians and people’s representatives to industrialists, to meet their demands and fulfill their greed. They were thus unable to protect the forests.
The government of India is now giving permission to industry to set up their operations in five acres of forest land, without any permission. A case against this decision has been filed in the courts. But we have seen that even decisions in favour of nature and the environment are rarely followed or implemented.
This promotes violence against nature and discourages non-violence.
Truth is based on non-violence while falsehood is based on violence and perpetuates it. India was once recognized as a country where Satyamev Jayate, or truth triumphs. If the government implements good decisions that are in favour of nature and the government and society, truth and non-violence will prevail. For this, recognizing that nature and the environment are most important and that all humans are equal is imperative. This will promote goodwill and peace. But this will only be possible if the government’s faith and commitment is towards nature protection.
When decisions are taken that favour encroachers, extractors and polluters, violence towards humans and nature increases and with time, becomes visible. This is done in the false assurance of ‘development.’ Violence rises, not only against humans but also against nature. It is the ‘ruler’ who desires power and abuses this power, who is often behind the falsehood and violence. The people begin to believe that the truth will no longer win or triumph and starts to believe all the falsehoods that surround them. They begin to fear acknowledging the truth.
The decisions taken by the government are proof of this. Earlier, governments were no different, except that they kept their eyes and ears open and the public felt that they were being heard and had confidence. Those committing injustices were convicted. This led to a relatively fearless society.
But if the government takes decisions that only favour a particular section of society then the public becomes fearful. The public then searches for avenues for freedom from fear, while living in fear. The road to develop a fearless society is one of faith, respect, belief, determination and commitment. This gives rise to strength and self-confidence and enhances overall well-being. A fearful society loses confidence in itself and weakens from within.
We should never accept the argument that displacement and destruction are necessary for development and the path to prosperity. Nothing could be further from the truth: This path will only lead to violence and destruction. The truth is that governments never allowed the germination of self-dependence in thought or action. This self-dependence has to come from within and needs a nurturing environment, else it will just remain lip service. The mind should have the space and freedom for free thinking. This will make a person fearless.
In absence of free thinking, a fearful society is born which then accepts non-truths and violence and chooses to remain silent. This silence subsequently perpetuates these non-truths and violence. That is why governments are never keen to enable free thinking and fearless societies.
India got independence from its rulers through truth and non-violence. The Maa Ganga Satyagraha which is demanding a law that protects the Ganga and ensures its aviral flow is also in pursuit of truth. The Himalaya are in serious crisis and the Ganga is dying. This requires the attention of all people of India. It is now time for society to fearlessly come forward and save the Ganga.
Many learned politicians across all political parties have been approached for supporting this truth about the Ganga, that it needs aviral (incessant) flow. Hope they understand. At the moment thought, the only conclusion one can draw is that those in power and political parties are not keen to assure the future of this country which is dependent on nature and environment protection and is non-violent.
This is evident in the way the Ganga has become a ‘pariah’ in Parliament. Together, we need to get this perception changed for the sake of holy Ganga.
*The writer is an internationally acclaimed water conservationist and is also known as the Waterman of India. The views expressed are personal.
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