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2531. Satyagraha and the Conquest of Evil

Author:
Vinit Haksar
Publication Date:
11-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
Gandhi and Tolstoy were perfectionists. Perfectionism is a doctrine that wants to maximise all that is best in the world. All individuals should develop the best qualities. So what are the best qualities? In the West, great men like Nietzsche have stressed that this perfectionism is associated with a rather grand view of people doing great art and great music and great action; people like Napoleon, literary figures like Goethe and so on. Gandhi following Tolstoy had quite a different version of perfectionism which confined it just to moral and spiritual matters. It was moral and spiritual perfectionism. Things like art, music, literature had no intrinsic value, according to Gandhi. He had use for them only when they were connected with the moral and spiritual well-being of human beings, or as an expression of our devotion to or understanding of spiritual reality. The problem with traditional perfectionism is that such perfectionism has a danger that all these great people mentioned, Napoleon and others, they achieved great things, the so-called great things and the rest of us got left out. At best, we just get vicarious pleasure by following the lives of these people, by admiring their adventures or as working as fodder for their projects. This is a highly inegalitarian philosophy. Some people have suggested that it is also connected with racism.
Topic:
Ethics, Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy, and Moral Philosophy
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

2532. Sustainability and Ancient Wisdom

Author:
Gauri Shankar Gupta
Publication Date:
11-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
The existence of life is closely intertwined with nature. Nature provides the support system for the survival of different species of life that exist on planet earth. As evident from historical records, for thousands of years, humanity lived in a harmonious relationship with nature. The Industrial Revolution marked a major turning point in the earth’s ecology and humans’ relationship with their environment. Particularly, since the 1950s, with the combination of capitalism, consumerism and contamination, a serious conflict has arisen between man and nature. Extraction of minerals at an unprecedented rate, degradation of soil, manifold increase in water usage, massive contamination of water bodies, increasing air pollution and nonbiodegradable waste, deforestation and loss of biodiversity are posing new threats to the very existence of humanity. In this context, the article examines the wisdom of our ancestors for restoration of harmony between man and nature so that the survival of our progeny is not endangered.
Topic:
Environment, History, Pollution, Sustainability, Nature, Ecology, and Industrial Revolution
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

2533. Indo-Japan Dialogue in the 20th Century and Cultural Heritage in the New World Order

Author:
Rekha Yadav and Anisha Deswal
Publication Date:
11-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
The paper presentations on the second day of the conference on ‘Rethinking Cultural Heritage’ continued the trend of research-based studies, as evident on the first day of the meeting.1 Professor Amiya P. Sen began with a note of apology, stating that after reflection, he had changed the title of his presentation to ‘Japan and India as Ontology: Negotiating Modernity, Culture and Cosmopolitanism in Colonial Bengal’. The paper was divided into two parts. The first part of the paper focused on the broad introduction of the structure and arguments which he developed about 19th century Bengal, as the site where the first crop of a Westerneducated Hindu intelligentsia, creatively and actively engaged in a two-way, quite contrary, intellectual enterprise. While it produced some of the greatest supporters of Western modernity, it also created its sharpest critics. The second part of the paper examined changing Indian perceptions of Japan over a period of time, through the writings of two prominent intellectual figures of Bengal, that is Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), and the poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941).
Topic:
Diplomacy, History, Bilateral Relations, Culture, and Dialogue
Political Geography:
Japan, South Asia, India, and Asia

2534. New Contours of Management: Artificial Intelligence, Interconnected World and Industry 4.0

Author:
Jagdish N. Sheth
Publication Date:
11-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
One of the key drivers of change is technology, which is the focus of today’s talk. If the companies are not able to transition from analogue to digital technology, you see disruptions, such as Amazon in retailing. Or, you see disruptions from rising companies like Uber that are transforming the ride-sharing industry completely from outside in. So, in my presentation, I will articulate how technology has consequences on society, and definitely consequences on management.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Industry, Management, and Fourth Industrial Revolution
Political Geography:
India and Global Focus

2535. The Beginnings of East Asian Art History and India in Japanese Traditions

Author:
Punita Kapoor and Vineeta Kumari
Publication Date:
12-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
India and Japan traditionally have strong relations, and have been guided by shared cultural traditions, including the heritage of Buddhism, and a strong commitment towards the ideals of democracy, tolerance and pluralism. The theme of the conference, and the papers presented, featured this shared cultural tradition, especially the ways in which this heritage developed in the 19th and early 20th century, through interactions between thinkers and intellectuals.
Topic:
History, Arts, Intellectual History, and Tradition
Political Geography:
Japan and East Asia

2536. Vedanta Today

Author:
Karan Singh
Publication Date:
12-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
At the outset I must pay my personal tribute to Prof. M.G.K. Menon, Goku as we used to call him, who was a dear friend and colleague for several decades. I first met him when I was in Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s cabinet and he attended a cabinet meeting as scientific adviser to the government of India. We were both very young men at that time. And after that of course, thanks to India International Centre, we became very close. We had so many meetings, so many conversations in this unique institution, India International Centre. Today, I will briefly present before you what I consider to be the contemporary relevance of the Vedanta. To my mind, a philosophy is only relevant if it helps us today. What it was thousands of years ago is very interesting for research scholars, and for people who are doing research, like the book on Sankaracharya, but unless those teachings are of use to us today, they are not really relevant. So what I believe is that the Vedanta is relevant, and I will explain why. We live in an age of great turmoil, tension and transition. The old is collapsing, and the new is struggling to be born, and we find ourselves precariously poised between a disappearing past and an uncertain future. All the so-called clear landmarks that we thought existed have disappeared one by one, and we often find ourselves afloat on an intellectual and political sea with no clear guidelines. It is at a time like this that we look into our scriptures for light and guidance. Not in order to go back in time, let us be very clear. Any idea that you can go back to some kind of mythical golden age is absurd, because time goes in only one direction, Charaiveti Charaiveti. But we look into our scriptures in order to get the clarity, courage and the confidence to move into the future.
Topic:
Religion, Hinduism, and Vedanta
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

2537. Challenge of Statelessness—The Indian Response

Author:
V. Suryanarayan
Publication Date:
12-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
There are stateless people all around the globe. The problem is very acute in the Asia–Pacific region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are 10 million stateless persons across the world. A stateless child is born every ten minutes. What does it mean to be a stateless person? It means you have no identity, you have no nationality. You are not recognised as a citizen of any country. As UNHCR has rightly pointed out, ‘Often they are excluded from cradle to grave— being denied a legal identity when they are born, access to education, health care, marriage and job opportunities during their life time and even the dignity of an official burial and a death certificate.’ Over one-third of the world’s stateless are children
Topic:
Human Rights, Refugees, Constitution, Citizenship, History, and Stateless Population
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

2538. Fast Forward Toward Civilisational Greatness: Agenda for India

Author:
Pradip Khandwalla
Publication Date:
12-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
I want to share some ideas on how to create a great civilisation, especially in the context of modern India. These ideas have been elaborated in my book, Fast Forward Toward Civilizational Greatness: Agenda for India. In the modern context, to me, a civilisation is great, not because it is a super economic or political power, but, above all, if it is largely a humane, creative and excellence-seeking society. ‘Humane civilisation’ evokes in me the imagery of a people who are just, honest, and tolerant. They care for the weak and the needy. They are polite, civic-minded, lawabiding, generous and caring, even for foreigners. A humane civilisation nurtures and upholds the best virtues of humankind. As Gandhiji said, the greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.
Topic:
Governance, State, Civilization, and Society
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

2539. The French Revolution, Napoleon, and the Jews

Author:
Michael Nutkiewicz
Publication Date:
12-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
This paper brings together ideas from several interests: the Western political tradition, Jewish history and human rights. The issues addressed are: • Why theFrenchRevolutionwas awatershed in theWestern political tradition. • The debate before and during the Revolution known as ‘The Jewish Question’, and Napoleon’s role in that debate. • The ambiguous resolution of the ‘Jewish Question’. • The legacy and implications for today regarding the relationship between the state and religion in the West.
Topic:
Human Rights, History, Jewish community, French Revolution, and Napoleon Bonaparte
Political Geography:
Europe and France

2540. Western Concepts and Indian Realities

Author:
Arvind Sharma
Publication Date:
12-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
I think it is fairly self-evident that we in India use Western words and therefore concepts to describe Indian reality. The reason why we do so is also fairly self-evident and can be traced to British rule over India which formally came to an end in 1947 and the continuing prevalence of English language as a medium of discourse in India. This is such a familiar fact that we lose sight of its significance. Here I attempt to explore the consequences of this fact at both the micro and macro levels through concrete examples.
Topic:
Religion, History, Language, and Hinduism
Political Geography:
South Asia and India