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Indian modernity through Gandhian perspective Vikash sharma Modernity mentally violates nature and destroys the possibility of a symbiotic relationship between the human species and soil. India is a developing nation, touching a new age of modernity. Modernity is a word of human achievements, progress and development. India known as “spiritual soul” but inclusion of modernity has destroyed everything. Modernity has always seen as critical subject by thinkers. It had born in west between 15th centaury. Western intellectuals had also criticized modernity through different perspective like Tolstoy, Thoreau and Ruskin. In India, modernity comes with Britishers. And most impacted through area of science. Countries who speaks the language of modernity, the language of nuclear bomb, the language of burocracy, aggressive technology and language of world war 1 & 2. A country like Great Britain, America and western nations has experienced modernity. And first modernity involved in creation of weapons. Modern weapons innovated to destroy another nation. In terms of human ego and jealousy and the World War 1. Since World War 1, countries participated in innovations of modern weapon, and Nagasaki and Hiroshima proved that most modern countries in world are. This modern phase had started with tremendous pain of beings. Yet, race has not stopped and current phase of modernity speaks about possibility of human ego. Development and progress are germinated through our un-satisfaction sense. Our satisfaction is to fulfill our ego, but not satisfying anymore. We built apartments on ocean, flying aircraft in sky, reached on planets but our ego or unsatisfied, wants more. Modernity emerges through western thought; it explains modernity as a general process of awakening of society from the dark slumbers of superstition and ignorance. But we are in process to move on way of dark slumber, ignorance and institutions. After Indian independence, modernity comes in term of techno-scientific research and industrialization. By an eminent leader and first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He wanted to make India a modern nation like western countries. The possibility to explore a new India but Gandhi was always critical about modernity. He says “the distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplication of wants”. His observation on industrialization explains that the dependence on machinery had destroyed man’s inseparable relationship with nature. He feared that this overdependence on machinery may destroy the stable and long-established agrarian village communities which is environment friendly and which for him constituted the core of the nation’s strength, not just material, but ethical and spirituality. His finest observation on society explains modern civilization is much more inimical than the colonialism. Then why modernity attracted Nehru, he also knows that modernity comes with the rise of secular state and polity, the global capitalism, the advance form of social and sexual division of labor and the transition form a religious to a secular culture. Now Indian is growing with all mentioned substances. Now west has arrived to ‘Hyper-modernity’ to only satisfy ego. And we are dying by capitalism, divisions, starvation and all. It was not dream of our people our dream was to be not corrupted by aggressive technology, not colonized by western science. Indian which cultivate own soulful force. Gandhi was only man who broadly criticized modernity. He could see the aggressiveness of a ‘satanic civilization’ and Mans excessive pre-occupation with his comforts and pleasure. But our own derivative mind was unbearable to our eminent leaders. We people are known to the current age of modernity, which are experiencing life as pathetic, and modernity has exhausted the possibilities to live alive. (This article is “Indian modernity through Gandhian perspective” is a part of my work on modernity and is based upon my personal research and observations.) E-mail; vikashsharma946@gmail.com Ph; 08285325963
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