Bhoodan movement and Sarvodaya
'Sarvodaya'- Indian version of John Ruskin's 'Unto the Last'
Mahatma Gandhi was inspired by John Ruskin's book Unto the Last. He titled the Gujarati version of the book as 'Sarvodaya' meaning 'uplift of all'. Ruskin had given some ideas in his book that inspired Mahatma Gandhi. First, what is good for individual is good for all. Secondly, a lawyer's work has same value as barber's. Thirdly, life of labor like a peasant and handicraftsman is worth living.
Incidentally, all the three are utopian and unrealistic. What is good for an individual is not necessarily good for the society. The most corrupt economic offenders and others work for their own benefit. But their benefit is not compatible with social interestst. Secondly, a lawyer's work and a barber's work cannot be equated. Even a skilled beautician cannot be equated to a road side barber. All jobs are differently valued in society. This is a fact of economics. Humanitarian values cannot be fetched so far as to equate a barber with a lawyer. Also, if it is considered that life of labor and peasant is worth living, there will be no ambition left for economic progress resulting in retardation of entire economy and society.
A brief history of Sarvodaya movement
The Sarvodaya movement by Sant Vinoba Bhave was essentially land donation movement. Jai Prakash Narain, a socialist leader joined his movement. This movement is more a reaction to the violent land grab movement of communists in Telangana. Vinoba Bhave visited communist infested areas of Telangana and delivered his message of peace and non violence. He found that villagers were afraid of communists and police both. Vinoda entered Nelonda district, center of communist activity on April 18, 1951. Vinoba Bhave asked Harijans why they had taken arms and supported communists. He was told that land was promised to them. He promised that he would get them land in peaceful manner. The movement went through many ups and downs. In October 1951, the movement targeted 50 million acres of land for the landless in whole nation by 1957. This turned in a mass movement. There were also allied programmes like wealth gift or Sampati daan, shramdaan or labor gift, jeevan daan or commitment to movement. Gradually, the Bhoodan or land gift movement further changed to village gift or Gramdan movement. The movement declined after 1957.
Causes of failure of the Sarvodaya movement
The movement was bound to fail because of several causes. These are briefly enumerated below:
- The Sarvodaya movement was reaction to communist adventurism. The landlords felt that it was better to give land in donation rather than face communist violence. No surprise, the land donated was generally barren.
- The very idea of 'gift' is bizarre. There is no way to progress except through hard work. Indira Gandhi rightly stressed that there is no substitute to hard work. The best way to remove poverty and help people is to give them skill and motivate to earn more rather than giving them gift of land.
- The Bhoodan movement and sarvodaya is basically based on village economy and Gram Swarajya and is opposed to idea of large scale production. Many landless workers could be employed in industries and other professions rather than chaining them to small pieces of barren land obtained through 'gift'. Moreover, there is need for preserving land for wild life and forests. Bhoodaan movement ignores this.
- The idea of 'land gift' assumes that the 'donor'- landlord is real and proper owner of land and he needs be requested to part with his land. The communists attempted to snatch land through coercion. The Sarvodya workers persuaded them to part with land. Effect is same. The land donor felt proud and the tiller receiving the gift would feel subdued and humiliated. It is beyond doubt that the landlords had acquired the land by force in past and deprived the tillers of ownership. Thus a rentier and exploiter class of Kulaks/ landlords (zamindars) had come in existence. The appropriate course would be for government to acquire land and abolish the zamindari system. In fact. this was done.
- The Sarvodaya movement assumed that land was needed only for agriculture and so they worked for land donation to distribute among landless. But the small plots of land would hardly be economic. The best course would be for government to acquire land and redistribute for various uses- agriculture, housing, industry, various projects. Of course, this was done. In this connection, it may be recalled that West bengal government took steps to acquire land for industrial use. Tata nano car was also a project. But for political reasons, Tata had to abandon the project in West Bengal. The Bhoodan movement would be only for agriculture and not industry. Mr. Budhdev Bhattacharya had aptly remarked that West Bengal needed more industry as agriculture would not employ more people and bring desired prosperity. If Sarvodya model were adopted, we would never even dream of a highly developed economy
We may conclude that Sarvodya movement was irrational and based on land for agriculture only idea and village economy ofr cottage industries. In today's circumstances, the best way is to plan and execute a scheme whereby land is reserved for agriculture, industry, wile life and forests. Forests and wild life are an essential part of ecology and we cannot afford to ignore this lest entire humanity and other species are endangered.
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