ARTICLES : Relevence of Gandhi

Read articles written by very well-known personalities and eminent authors about their views on Gandhi, Gandhi's works, Gandhian philosophy and it's relevance today.


Gandhi Meditating

ARTICLES


Relevance of Gandhi

  1. Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka - A Study of Gandhian Influence in Indonesia
  2. Global Peace in the Twenty First Century: The Gandhian Perspective
  3. Relevance of Gandhi in Modern Times
  4. Gandhi is Alive and Still Relevant
  5. Taking up Sarvodaya As Our Duty
  6. Gandhi Will Live On
  7. Mahatma Gandhi Today
  8. The Influence of Mahatma Gandhi
  9. Gandhi's Message and His Movement 50 Years Later
  10. The Relevance of Gandhi
  11. Good Bye Mr. Gandhi- Awaken Thy Moral Courage
  12. Relevance of Gandhian Ideals In The Scheme of Value Education
  13. Gandhi And The Twenty First Century Gandhian Approach To Rural Industrialization
  14. Gandhi's Role And Relevance In Conflict Resolution
  15. Gandhi In Globalised Context
  16. The Gandhian Alternatives And The Challenges of The New Millennium
  17. Gandhian Concept For The Twenty First Century
  18. Champions of Nonviolence
  19. Science And Technology In India: What Can We Learn From Gandhi?
  20. Passage From India: How Westerners Rewrote Gandhi's Message
  21. Time To Embark On A Path To New Freedom
  22. Increasing Relevance of The Mahatma
  23. Gandhi's Challenge Now
  24. The Legacy of Gandhi In The Wider World
  25. Quintessence of Gandhiji's Thought
  26. Recalling Gandhi
  27. Mohandas Gandhi Today
  28. The Relevance of Gandhian Satyagraha in 21st Century
  29. Relevance of Non-Violence & Satyagraha of Gandhi Today
  30. India, Gandhi And Relevance of His Ideas In The New World
  31. Relevance of Gandhi's Ideas
  32. The Influence of Mauritius on Mahatma Gandhi
  33. Why Gandhi Still Matters
  34. The Challenge of Our Time: Building Sustainable Communities
  35. What Negroes Can Learn From Gandhi
  36. Relevance of Gandhi
  37. Towards A Non-violent, Non-killing And Peaceful World : Lessons From Gandhi
  38. Gandhian Perspective on Violence And Terrorism
  39. GANDHI - A Perennial Source of Inspiration
  40. An Observation on Neo-modern Theories of Global Culture
  41. The Techno-Gandhian Philosophy
  42. Global Peace Movement and Relevance of Gandhian View
  43. Technology : Master or Servant?
  44. Gandhis of Olive Country
  45. Gandhian Strategy
  46. The Effect of Mass Production and Consumerism
  47. Gandhi's Relevance Is Eternal And Universal
  48. Service To Humanity
  49. Relevance of Gandhi: A View From New York
  50. Gandhi And Contemporary Social Sciences
  51. India After The Mahatma
  52. Pax Gandhiana : Is Gandhian Non-Violence Compatible With The Coercive State?
  53. GANDHI : Rethinking The Possibility of Non-Violence
  54. Aung San Suu Kyi : In Gandhi's Footsteps
  55. Gandhi: Call of The Epoch
  56. Localization And Globalization
  57. Significance of Gandhi And Gandhism
  58. Understanding GANDHI
  59. Gandhi, Peace And Non-violence For Survival of Humanity

Further Reading

(Complete Book available online)
  1. Why Did Gandhi Fail?
    from GANDHI - His Relevance For Our Times
  2. Gandhi's Political Significance Today
    from GANDHI - His Relevance For Our Times
  3. India Yet Must Show The Way
    from GANDHI - His Relevance For Our Times
  4. The Essence of Gandhi
    from GANDHI - His Relevance For Our Times
  5. The Impact of Gandhi on U. S. Peace Movement
    from GANDHI - His Relevance For Our Times

Technology : Master or Servant

Dr. S. V. Prabhath,
Chairman, NCRI

“We shape our tools,” McLuhan said, “and then our tools shape us.” The quote raises the question: Do we create our own destinies or become subordinate and play into the hands of forces beyond us? Technology, according to McLuhan, is an extension of our own natural faculties. Every technology is, likewise, an extension of our own natural powers, born out of some natural need or the other. “This is to say that technology can be understood in terms of final cause, or purpose, and that purpose is a purpose of the living human being.” Technology, therefore, has a relation to the need and purpose and cannot be otherwise. As such, technology has an important role in linking people at the grass-roots level to the outside world. There are many examples in rural areas of how technology is helping people to take informed decisions. Technology will continue to play a decisive role in ushering change in the rural areas.
Though technology has become an important part of human life, it is also leading us into situations which are having an unsettling effect on us. It has brought us many benefits and comforts, but things are changing at such an alarming pace that unexpected problems have also been generated in an equal measure. McLuhan’s warning that “we become what we behold,” conveys that when you take into account, and are guided by the ultimate values of life, the relationship between the assumptions preceding the acquisition and development of such technology and its application becomes crucial in all our endeavours.
Therefore, we should not be surprised that there is much misunderstanding of, and debate about, the benign as well as the pernicious effects of technology. While we accept technology as an inescapable part of human life, its advantages dwarf as we notice what they are doing to our relationships, as noted by MIT Professor Turkle. She argues that people are increasingly functioning without face-to-face contact, while despite all the talk of convenience derived from texting, mailing and social networking – what humans still instinctively need is each other. She draws our attention to a sobering and paradoxical portrait of human disconnectedness in the face of expanding virtual connections. This is only one of the few instances of how we unwittingly become regressive.
Discussions on the advantages and disadvantages of technology range from utter pessimism – the opinion that eventually the human race will be destroyed – to heightened optimism – that technology will unfold a utopian existence for everyone. Technology, though, will continue its march unhindered, as humans will persistently explore and innovate in the quest for progress, as has been their wont through ages.
Technology will always have to contend with three factors: social, economic and regulatory. Further, the merits and demerits of various technologies are also determined, invariably, by the people at the helm. For example, there are people (some leaders, decision-makers, lobbyists etc.) who advocate application of nuclear technology to the extent possible and consider genetically modified food products to meet the energy and food requirements of the ever-growing world population. On the other hand, there is another school of thought which considers these technologies, and some others, to be harmful and, therefore, need to be considered with due circumspection. Social aspects take a back-seat even as the economic and regulatory factors start taking different turns with changing regimes and oppositions. This is cyclic; view points about their benefits or harmful consequences are promoted, patronized and propagated incessantly, depending upon the conditions prevailing.
Admittedly, technology has become an integral part of our lives. There have been innovations that have brought in newer perspectives on how we address the challenges of day-to-day life. On the other hand, technological advances in a few spheres have proved to be detrimental and are in fact, assuming dangerous proportions. We must not allow technology to become the master. It must be used judiciously and with sufficient caution, as excesses lead to problems, often irreversible. Therefore, advances in technology have to happen in moderation, because then we will be able to undo some wrongs based on our assessments and, perhaps, introduce modifications or shun them altogether. Our curiosity should not drive us to uncontrolled mania for novelty; instead, it should lead us to newer, safer and more useful application.
While it’s not all gloom-and-doom, the idea that technology will eventually lead us to a utopian existence is also ill-founded. The perception that technology has the solution to all our problems, and will, eventually, usher in perfect living, is not prudent. Technology has, and will always, come with a rider – direct or otherwise. We have to be alert to spot the risk and avert disasters, while always trying to promote the better aspects of technology.
There are enough areas, especially in the rural context, where technology, if applied discreetly, can become a boom. Technology interventions in the areas of agriculture and allied fields, energy (solar, wind, bio-fuels etc.), weather forecasting, disaster preparedness, including advance warning and disaster management, as well as management of natural resources (fresh-water preservation and making potable water out of salt water) would stand us in good stead. Other areas of technology intervention could be health services, internal security and pollution control.
Whenever new technology is in the offing-though material benefits will try to influence and drive our thinking and hence, the decision-making vis-à-vis technology – it must be evaluated from a long-term perspective. Only then will we be able to say that technology is a boon to mankind.

Source: Ailaan, NCRI Newsletter, Vol. II, Issue V