In the Woods of Globalisation: Lectures and Essays on Economy and Swadeshi (An Old and Rare Book)

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The crisis which set off the current wave of reforms is not an intra-national developmental crisis, but largely an externally induced monetary crisis. attributable to adverse terms of trade imposed by the First World. The Western world-view, industrialism, technology and consumerism have now replaced the erstwhile imperialism. No. country can now claim to be in control of its own destiny. The government's aggressive pursuit of market economy saps the nation's inner strength and creative energies. This will gradually lead to a civilisational crisis of vast dimensions. A Swadeshi approach alone can be an such a effective response to multidimensional crisis..

The Swadeshi view is that each society has unique characteristics and has to progress on lines and at a pace determined by itself Swadeshi is the natural state of the society, the rest are distortions and perversions. The Swadeshi movement aims at restoration of the society to its natural state, and manifestation of the self-identity of the society.

The quality of life and the moral standard ought to be the measuring-rods of progress, and not the scale of production and consumption of goods.

Unless people's self-respect is awakened, the country will not be able to meet the present challenges. The historical processes are themselves driving the country in the direction of the Swadeshi ideology. The Swadeshi movement has now become inevitable for the very survival of the nation.

S. R. RAMASWAMY (present position: Hon. Chief Editor, 'Rashtrotthana Sahitya' publications and 'Utthana' Kannada. Monthly published from Bangalore) is a social worker and author of a dozen books in Kannada and English. He has been a journalist for over three decades.

A major book of his in Kannada titled 'Shatamanada Tiruvinalli Bharata' ('India at the turn of the century), written in 1989, critically analysed developmental planning in post-Independence India. Hailed as a trend-setter in developmental writing, the book received a Karnataka State Sahitya Academy Award.

A popular biography of Ambedkar (1990) co-authored by him has been translated into English, Hindi and Malayalam.

In another book 'Bharatadalli Samajakarya' (1992) he has presented a historical and analytical overview of social work in India from the Vedic times to the present He has for over twenty years been active in environmental campaigns.

In the first week of April 1995, the aircraft carrying the United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and his entourage landed at a remote military airport some 120 km from the Guatemala city. But the place was utterly deserted; some street-urchins were frolicking on the tarmac. No ministers nor officials to receive this dignitary. The plane then took off for Guatemala, the intended destination where, as expected, several hundred people and the Guatemalan Foreign Minister had been waiting for over two hours. The wrong landing was subsequently explained as a 'navigational error'.

If this could happen to one of the highest paid executives in the world backed by the most sophisticated technology and computerisation, it is hardly surprising that developmental plans drawn by ordinary mortals should go awry.

This Prolegomena is divided into three parts:

I. A whistle-stop update.

II. Gunboat globalism

III. A wobbly pedestal.

I. A WHISTLE-STOP UPDATE

On 9th October 1995, finance minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, in his Gabriel Silver lecture at the Columbia University in New York, deplored the 'veiled threats of protectionism emerging in the industrialised world. But the policies spearheaded by him at home have done little to meet this ubiquitous threat.