Saving the Earth is responsibility of 700 crore people: Laxmi Dass
On the occasion of Earth Day on April 22, 2020 GSDS as part of the on-line lecture series invited Shri Laxmi Dass, Vice President of Harijan Sevak Sangh and EC Member GSDS to deliver a lecture on the theme: Epidemic, Earth and Mahatma Gandhi.
Shri Laxmi Dass began by appealing to humankind to abide by the rules laid by the Government in tackling the pandemic COVID -19. He also appealed to the scientists to join together in doing a research to find a solution to kill the virus for this virus has affected the economy and large number of people’s livelihood.
He also spoke on Mother Earth how we worship her in different forms and that the size and speed of the earth cannot be reduced or increased. He said, “Humans may or may not think of Mother Earth, but Mother Earth does always think of all the living beings and this Earth Day is a reminder of how we must save and nurture the Mother Earth”, adding, “Time and again in several seminars and dialogues on saving the earth, it has been reiterated that over population has over burdened the earth, but I have a different opinion. Earth has a capacity to provide for all beings for their need not for their greed. We have two hands and one mouth. The question is how do we give work to our hands to feed this single mouth?”
Shri Laxmi Dass further said that this idea of need versus greed has been strongly advocated by Mahatma Gandhi also and he always laid stress on the use of hands. However in our greed to amass more and more wealth and in the name of industrialization, we have shifted our focus from individual well-being towards use of machines and materialism and society has become corrupt for this greed has resulted in the exploitation of the many by some. It should be our priority to explore avenues for poor people to work and be self sustained, which was also the key idea and belief of Mahatma Gandhi, who was not against modernization.
He also lamented that in the name of modernization, the tendency today is exploitation of resources provided by Mother Earth. We must grow trees scientifically so that forests grow and use it scientifically and not recklessly. This should be our prime agenda and the entire humanity should pledge towards refraining from exploitation of nature, human and wild life and create a mutual coexistence.
Referring to Gandhiji’s Hind Swaraj, Shri Laxmi Dass said that like what Mahatma Gandhi had asked us to use our local resources for development, we must also start using the local resources and not exploit them.
He further stressed upon the fact that there is a need to seek out for alternatives. The earth is nobody’s strength. “We mustn’t dry the earth of its nurturing capacity. There’s a need to create a balance in the world and not exploit the resources for creating a non-violent atmosphere around us for greed only gives way to violence. We cannot create earth and therefore saving the earth is the responsibility of 700 crore people of the world not individuals alone by limiting our greed and stopping the exploitation of the earth’s abundant resources.
