Page 18 - Ananda Mela 2016- Joyful Festival of India
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that Wardha Ashram. But you have rejected. What Gandhi can do? That was
good proposal – to remain sa sfied in one’s own place. That was Gandhi’s
proposal. That ‘Don’t go to the city, town, for so-called be er advantage of
life. Remain in your own home, produce your food, and be sa sfied there.’
That was Gandhi’s policy. The economic problem he wanted to solve by
keeping cows, by agriculture, by spinning thread. ‘You want food, shelter and
cloth?’ (Hindi for ro -food, makhan-shelter, kapre-cloth) Produce here, and
remain here. Don’t be allured by the capitalists and go to ci es and engage in
industries.’ But Jawaharlal Nehru wanted, overnight, to Americanize the
whole India. That is the folly.” (Room conversa on with Reporter from Re-
searchers Magazine – July 24, 1973, London)
Evolved techniques of Cow protec on and land stewardship will outper-
form modern technological advances for assuring a sustainable happy,
healthy and prosperous life
All the villages in India before the Bri sh seized control of the country were
self-sustaining. The major part of the popula on lived in self-sufficient villag-
es. A er the Bri sh established a vast railway system connec ng most parts
of rural India with the major ci es, large numbers of the rural popula on
began to move into the major metropolises and became engaged in industri-
al jobs over a period of 100 years. That trend is s ll con nuing and the re-
sults are an erosion of health, happiness and moral/spiritual deteriora on of
the people.
This same trend of popula on concentra on into large ci es has happened
in most countries of the world with the same effect of moral and spiritual
deteriora on of people. However, it is possible to reverse this degrada on of
morality.
When His Divine Grace A.C. Bhak vedanta Swami incorporated the Interna-
onal Society for Krishna Consciousness in 1966 in the USA, he established
the following goal of the society as one of its primary purposes. “To bring the
members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more
natural way of life.” He further elaborated what he meant by a “simpler and
more natural way of life.”
“Our farm projects are an extremely important part of our movement. We
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