Societies thrive on certain well defined attributes which bring stability to the prescribed social order . The social solidarity remains a cardinal principle for the harmony of social relations. This intricate balance like other dimension gets involved in complexities as soon as the society progresses on socio economic trajectory. There are various such societal controls whose top position is acquired by legitimate authority of government, which represents consolidated public opinion in interior and exterior quarters. To be simplified in context means to say any of the issue needs to be analysed at two prominent levels with SOCIETY centre and GOVERNMENT at the top. The overall functional linkage is dependent on one another with certain well defined backward and forward linkages to get the things done.when there’s imbalance in yhe linkage,it may give rise to issues at centric stage which doesn’t spares the cause for issue , but whole society has to bear the brunt . To one end the human beings survived on the natural resources and to other end they started exploitation to get some more benefits. This conundrum can be explained from GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT POLES factor.
Initially the relationship worked in tandem with mutual benefits for human beings as well as environmental preservation by relying on historical perspective. The so called tribals more or less maintained a harmonic balance for sustenance of livelihood opportunities and thus favoured their growth story on traditional wisdom of sustainability. Though the concept was vogue but the spirit augered well for preservation of environment. It’s far well not a matter of surprise that such was the influence of environment and its manipulation to decide human course that paved way to school of determinism i.e to say EVERY ACTIVITY SEEN THROUGH PRISM OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINT. This phase well suited the preservative sense and amplified the course by such ideological support. The gardens of golden wealth provided everything suitable for advancement of society. As an analogy to this fact” SND reported the hunting JIWA TRIBE who survive on same traditional activity ti today abstain from such activity on the arrival of summers to our surprise,because this period is breeding period for such species thriving in forests of their areas”. This traditional knowledge prevailed and sustained the centric stage for a long long time as the very survival was dependent on the very existence of the healthy environment. Such a cause and effect relationship couldn’t digest the degrading phase of social order which unanimously changed the very course of survival. Herein lies the RELATION BETWEEN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT which makes rounds along concentric circles without any sustained forward journey with existence of humanity at core.
To be near the terms of reference, Growth and Development are considered synonymous with one being helping hand for others failure. But to me like unbiased analysis comes to surprise the fact that GROWTH measures consumerism while as DEVELOPMENT measure sustainability. In fact these are two poles of successive phases which often seem contrasting with miniscule tribute for development in 21st century of social order. The onslaught began with mixed story that came along with industrial revolution. There’s a grand measure of success on the face with science at every second one step we Traverse,thanks to RATIONAL THINKING EPIDEMIC.To environmental end the story is open to publish with sturdy ground makeup awaiting massive tragedies like CLIMATE CHANGE CATASTROPHIC EVENTS. Pollution is the relative which most often visits us for health check up. The story is mixed with growth on economic front while as bleak development for sustainability like paris summit with SDGs at home means to say development getting cornered for short term benefits.
The socio economic growth is not synonymous to socio economic development
The arrival of new thinking couldn’t change the social mindset in our backyard. The traditional wisdom got shattered blow at the hands of colonial government and deep bended ritualism eagerly supported to keep society backward. In our country the social thinking has not had kept pace with law of the land. In backdrop of our reliance on clean India campaign THROUGH SWATCH BHARAT, the link with society doesn’t looks straight. The recent survey on said program brings fore the reality that 19 % of people don’t use toilets despite they have such facility due to social attitudes. Does government steps change social attitude?. Does the success story depend solely on government? This time the balance tilts towards government of the day with certain miniscule mismanagement approaches on sanitation front to revive ancient glory of environment. As the saying goes ” CHANGE MUST START FROM SOCIETY WITHIN TO FETTER THE ABUSES IN ENTIRETY”. To blowing away the cobwebs on the saying means to say that social change changes the fate of society for ever while as the imposed change perverts the firm of change to other dimension. I would never side by the pessimists on government front but the amplification in its functioning to reach the roots and before calling the pot a black the critical analysis should be taken with social participation through civil society, NGOS and local government bodies to augment essential resources and wisdom for efficiency.
The cleanliness drive of the environment niether lies in garbage treatment of Ganga nor that of Muncipal workers hard won sweeping of roads. This is only one dimensional front. The revival or reform to whatever strategy we rely must begin the hearts clean drive for any effectual outcome. We pray holiness of ganga with on site dumping hiddenly,thanks to religious sanction for immersing idols. I would suggest the one time solution on reverse trend of SWATH BHARTI than SWATCH BHARAT with active involvement of every section of socio political makeup along multi dimensional front like long drawn drive through educative insemination of ideas, reform in social laws, ample provision of services to poor among others. Nearer to my round corner at stone’s throw I aspire a multi pronged strategy with involvement of citizenry at front to change the fate of planet from one of global catastrophes to that of polishing the sobriquet of blue planet in entirety. The ideological orientation always serves the ground reality with one and one assignment of jobs for preservance of attributes which we move forward to future generations in reclaimed form. Let’s sum up with note that to reverse the trend from garden to garbage,the need to is to resolve the contradiction that “socio economic growth is socio economic development” . I reject such a notion in toto and hope on same lines from society. ……..
(The author is Kashmir’s Deputy Grand Mufti. His views are personal)
