Integral humanism propounded by Pt Deen dayal Upadhyaya is the most relevant ideology for building a new world order
The past few years have witnessed a gradual shift in the geo-political scenario in the world with many unrelated events providing the background for the change. The happenings in different parts of the world such as Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war are slowly making people realize that the current world order is not capable of providing a framework which will bring sustainable peace and prosperity in this universe.
Many of the institutions which were created after World War II as part of the new world order are losing their significance and are in no position to perform their perceived pivotal role. After the end of the Cold War era, it was thought that the atmosphere of conflict and confrontation would diminish and the western political and development model followed by Europe and led by the USA would provide the required leadership and direction. But this has proved to be elusive.
The choice before the world is to just replace the current power equations with a new set of power dynamics, which is likely to continue with its exploitative and authoritative character or attempt to bring about a paradigm shift with the advent of an entirely new world order based on fresh fundamental ideological notions and concepts for running the world.
We also need an order which does not consider exploitation of nature as a birthright of humans but one which believes in living in harmony with it. We need an order which is integral in nature and humanist in character.
For this purpose the philosophy of Ekatm Manavvad, or Integral Humanism, propounded by the leading thinker of independent India, Late Pt Deen dayal Upadhyay is one of the very important treatises. Pt Deen Dayal ji had derived the thought from the ancient Indian culture, traditions ,knowledge, systems and with his immense erudition he had very succinctly developed ideas and concepts which are current and extremely pertinent for modern India. These need to be deliberated and applied for providing solutions to the problems of present day India and taking it on the path of sustainable and inclusive development. Ekatm Manavvad not only applies to the field of culture but more importantly provides a framework for social, political and economic management of the country which is in synergy with the soul of India and which does not blindly follow the western model.
While studying the Integral Humanism for developing new paradigms for political, social and economic policies and management, he should not be looked at from the prism of the political affiliation he belonged to, but to the fact that as a thinker he tried to bring about new and relevant perspectives which connect with the glorious past of our country and which can provide solutions to the multitude of our current day problems. India's rich legacy is manifested not only in the fields of culture, philosophy, science, etc., but also its great economic achievement.
In a study sponsored by OECD, The World Economy - A Millennial Perspective, one of the top economic historians, Angus Maddision, has shown that up to around the early 18th century India's share in the world GDP was around 24.5 per cent. This could have been possible only if the social, political and the economic models being followed during those times were of a great standard. Kautilya propounded his Arthshastra around 3rd century BC, which is a detailed treatise on almost all aspects of statecraft. This was almost 2000 years before Adam Smith wrote the Wealth of Nations, the precursor of Capitalism. There are numerous other ancient texts which give invaluable knowledge and insights into the best practices and principles of running the State. Unfortunately, we lost these during the period of colonial subjugation and became subservient to the policies foisted upon us by the colonial masters which were primarily meant to fulfill their interests.
Post-independence, while conceiving the policies and strategies for the future of this country, we had a chance but did not use it to delve into our prior wisdom, practices and systems, which had proven so successful, but plainly copied from the structure which were being used elsewhere. As Pt Deen Dayal has stated, we are just not supposed to blindly go back in the past and follow it because we live in a dynamic and fluid world where many things change with time and also we should not just negate everything which had been developed in the west. We should have a model which is based on our unique culture, traditions, beliefs, circumstances, past wisdom but integrated with the best practices and knowledge of other systems which are not in conflict with it.
The nature of our culture has been Integral. We have had a holistic view of a human being which is not confined just to his body but considers him an amalgamation of body, mind, intellect and soul. He is ultimately happy and satisfied only when all of these aspects are taken care of. Unfortunately, most of the policies have been designed to fulfill the requirements of the body, which should be the priority but cannot suffice. Many of the degradations in the society arise because of this approach and which manifest itself in more tangible ways in the form of corruption, poor workmanship, conflicts, and apathy.
With an integral approach, humans and nature are seen intrinsically related to each other. This gave ways for traditions for dealing with rivers, forests, animals, and other elements of nature. We had deified all these -- sun, wind, water, trees, and animals. In the Capitalist approach, the enlightened self-interest of humans are at the core of the philosophy and so nature was something to be exploited for serving the interests of man. All the environmental protection policies now being formulated are reactionary, as climate change has attained critical dimensions.
Our culture always kept Dharma at the highest pedestal. Dharma is not religion. It is basically the innate law such as the conduct and the behavior expected from any individual or any institution. The actions of individuals and institutions in our country were judged on the parameters of Dharma. This has been the basic character or soul of this nation. The ruler also had to follow his Dharma, he did not have the divine right to rule as has been in the western concepts. When this basic character is not followed, the maladies and problems are bound to happen. The State cannot be run only with the help of penal provisions. Just being a democracy is not enough. The majority can decide who will rule, but what the ruler has to do through its various wings -- the executive, legislature, judiciary -- has to be decided and judged on the parameters of Dharma.
(The author is Director, Ekatm Manav Darshan Adhyan Kendra,Varanasi)
