Traditional Culture: Basis for Sustainable Development

The 1944 Nobel Laureate in Physics, Insidor Isac Rabi recalled how his mother greeted him daily on his return from school with the same question, "Did you ask any good question today?" I submit that I shall consider myself to be more than fortunate if this address leads to one good question at the end.

1. GNP as God: Gross National Product or GNP is not the God to be worshipped - that is the lesson that the countries of the world have learnt in the course of economic growth and development spanning several decades now. The growth of the GNP is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the all round development of a country and its people. The feverish search for higher and higher GNP aided by technological breakthroughs but accompanied by a total or near neglect of the social and cultural forms of development has resulted in a situation where the sustainable development of countries is facing a grave threat.
2. Sustainable development: Sustainable Development is ensured when the benefits of development which are being enjoyed by the present generation are carried forward to the future generations as well. But, with the unplanned, unimaginative and haphazard exploitation of resources, particularly natural resources, and in the absence of timely and adequate measures to regenerate the resources that are fast depleting, sustainable development in the future will be an impossibility.
3. Dr Homi Bhaba, the Chairman of the First International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy has analysed the trend of the accelerated growth in man's consumption of energy. Taking the letter Q to mean the energy derived from burning some 33,000 million tons of coal, Bhaba calculates that in the eighteen and one half centuries after Christ, the total energy consumed, on an average, was less than one half Q per century. However, by 1850, the rate had risen to half Q per century and accelerated to 10Q per century, thereafter, in effect, what it means is that 50 per cent of the energy consumed by man in the past 2000 years has been consumed in the last 100 years.
4. It is also to be noted that in the process of transformation of energy from one form to another, some energy is always lost. This is the entropy law, a law of thermodynamics.
5. Cultural Matrix and Mainstream Economics: Much more disturbing is the fact that the high rate of consumption of resources still continues to the total neglect of the cultural matrix of the society. Naturally, therefore, questions are being raised today regarding the social relevance and the long-term implications of mainstream economics. It is heartening to note that slowly but surely the idea is gaining ground that mainstream economics is to be socially relevant and futuristic needs to be supplemented by institutional economics. In his book "Cultural Economics", Richard L. Brinkman has highlighted the fact that the crucial component of institutional economics is cultural economics. While mainstream economics bypasses the cultural matrix, cultural economics takes note of the dynamics of economic growth in the context of the cultural landscape and its transformation in the society. It was the Economics Nobel Laureate, Frederick A Von Havek who has made a rather scathing remark about the economist who is only an economist. He observes "The physicist who is only a physicist can still be a first-class physicist and a most valuable member of society But nobody can be a great economist who is only an economist - and I am even tempted to add that the economist is likely to become a nuisance if not a positive danger."
6. The problem with mainstream economics is that it focuses on one form of knowledge only, the knowledge in its application form which is technology. Knowledge in its other form, stored up knowledge which is culture is sadly missing in the vast body of literature on mainstream economics.
7. The Family and Ecological Responsibility: Yet another problem with mainstream economics is the convention to use the nation as the basic unit of economic accounting. Cultural economics, on the other hand, recognises the importance of the family, the basic unit of the society. Women constitute the bedrock of a family. The female members of a family have a vital role to play in developing what are known as 'ecologically responsible behavioural habits' in the family. These are the habits which are consistent with a more responsible consumption pattern and life-style. Cultural economics or institutional economics underlines the fact that it is possible to improve the quality of life of a community without the degradation of the ecosystem.
8. While acknowledging her indebtedness to Gandhiji's views on development and environment, Petra Kelly, one of the leading lights of the Green Movement, remarks, "In one particular area of our political work, we have been greatly inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. That is in our belief that a life style and method of production which rely on an endless supply of raw materials and which use those raw materials lavishly, also furnish the motive for the violent appropriation of raw materials from other countries. In contrast, a responsible use of raw materials as part of an ecologically oriented life style and economy, reduce the risk that policies of violence will be pursued in our name. The pursuit of ecologically responsible policies within a society provides preconditions for a reduction of tensions and increases our ability to achieve peace in the world." (Quoted from the speech delivered by KR Narayanan, the former President of India at the Seventh Forum of the Universal Academy of Cultures, Paris, November 25, 2003)
9. Technical Expertise and Traditional Wisdom: Unfortunately, however, the immense contribution that traditional culture can make towards sustainability of development is yet to receive the due recognition and appreciation. At the policy making level, the inputs from traditional culture have been rarely identified and incorporated, if at all. Nobody can deny the necessity and the value of the expert's opinion in any field of study. But the fact remains that unless sophisticated models and opinions concerning human development are blended with the rich pool of traditional wisdom, much of the benefits of the policy prescriptions of the experts will fail to materialise. The views expressed in the document, World Resources 1992-93 are worth recalling: "Initiative that respect local knowledge, support rather than supplant local leadership, and work within existing institutions supplementing but not replacing local wisdom with technical expertise, have the best chances of success."

   a) It is precisely in this context that one can appreciate the environmental concern of the Angami Naga ladies, the twenty-nine principles that guide the life of the Bisnois in Rajasthan, the institution of the Ima market of Manipur, the fine bamboo works of Tripura and the bamboo policy of the Mizoram government, the Tankha paintings of Arunachal Pradesh, the use of the non-toxic natural dyeing processes of the tribals, the now famous Chipko movement and the like. These are only some of the major avenues which can help make the local population economically strong without at the same time being environmentally hostile.

10. The tribal people in particular do not accept any change that goes against their tradition, customs and manners. This is not to say that the tribal life style is to be preserved in the way that a showpiece is preserved in the museum. After all, aren't the so-called tribals more progressive than the non-tribals in many areas of social life? Isn't, for instance, the institution of the Ima market (mother's market) in Manipur a symbol of women's economic independence and women empowerment? Isn't it a cultural element which is apparently traditional but is, in effect, quite modern and progressive in outlook? If such practices do not constitute the plank for sustainable development and economic self-sufficiency, what will?
11. The harmonious blending of the technical expertise, the distinguishing mark of a New India and the traditional wisdom and practices, the symbol of Old India, can never be smooth and painless. But, is there an alternative to such a blending of the two? It is ultimately the genius of the people, which will have to identify the best of the various alternative ways of bringing about this blending in the society. It is an exercise in self-introspection. In its absence, the people in general and the youth in particular will be caught in the vortex of confusion and directionless growth. While making an appeal to his countrymen, Swami Vivekananda himself visualised this 'terrible' situation. He observed "On one side, New India is saying 'If we only adopt western ideas, western language, western food, western dress and western manners, we shall be as strong and powerful as the western nations'; On the other, Old India is saying 'Fools! By imitation, others ideas never become one's own nothing, unless earned, is your own. Does the ass in lion's skin become the lion?
12. 12. LPG with a human face: In the wake of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation (LPG), new elements are entering into the domain of cultural economics. Whether one likes it or not, globalisation is inescapable and irreversible. The question is not whether to accept it, the question is how to accept it and manage it without losing one's identity. Globalisation is multidimensional. It goes beyond the movement of money and commodities. To quote the Tenth Human Development report, 1999, "Globalisation is a process integrating not just the economy but culture, technology and government." Globalisation is a powerful instrument of integration of the consumer markets the world over. All the countries are striving to raise the level of consumption of their people. This in itself is no crime. Surely, poverty puts self-dignity and respect of the individual under great pressure. But, the condition is that the pattern of consumption needs to be changed in a way that makes the process of production more eco-friendly and pro-economic self-reliance. After all, in the absence of sustainable development, the countries which will suffer the most will be the underdeveloped countries as they will be required to mobilise additional resources not only for development purpose but also for the purpose of restoring the ecological balance so badly battered by a pattern of development which discounts the future so heavily.

(It was the Keynote Address in the seminar titled "Traditional Culture- Basis for Sustainable Development' organized by the VKIC, Guwahati in March, 2004)