REDEFINING INDIA’S DEVELOPMENT ON GANDHI’S ‘SWARAJ’ PATH
By Kathakali Das Bhaumikon Jan. 08, 2022 https://vikalpsangam.org/article/redefining-indias-development-on-gandhis-swaraj-path/
People have to explore their own path to achieve the normative vision of swaraj. However, the principles will be the same, as explained earlier – political decentralization and economic self-sufficiency rooted in the morality of the greatest good of all.
moving towards the normative vision of swaraj inherently brings co-existence. The question is how to enforce this moral value. At the moment, I think it can be achieved through redefining cultural memory and environmental education.
Cultural memory represents historical consciousness that provides diachronic identity for people in the present. It is referred to as memory because it forgets what lies outside of the horizon of the relevant. It entails mythical history where distinction between myth and history vanishes.
Further, it involves events from the absolute past, from the mythical primordial time that spans over the last three thousand years. The cultural memory mediates from generation to generation through symbols in the form of structures, texts, rituals, icons, performance of various kinds, classical or other formalised languages.
Since the worldview of a large section of society is shaped by its cultural memory, it is essential to engage with it to bring about a transformation. Another important way of enhancing commitment to the morality of non-violence is through cultivating self-knowledge by inquiring about the place of the self in the cosmos.