ABSTRACT
In this chapter, while many are lauding the technological marvel as a defining characteristic of the global village, Kuruvilla Pandikattu questions the viability and sustainability of such a vision. He asserts that we should resort to Gandhi’s vision of a “free, democratic, [and] egalitarian” global village that shares means, opportunities, and benefits for all. He articulates this Gandhian vision of the global community that aims to (1) meet the basic human needs, (2) sustain the harmonious relationship between humans and nature, (3) put the last first, and (4) practice non-violence and sarvodaya (the welfare of the whole). Such a communitarian vision is diametrically opposed to the current force of globalization, which is predicated on the myth of unlimited progress and fosters uniformity in thought patterns, value systems, and ways of life. Pandikattu believes that Gandhi’s dedicated commitment to prioritize Harijans (“the least, the lowly, and the rejected”) and firm opposition to the oppressive system through non-violence represent the viewpoint of the majority, that is, “the Leavers” (i.e., “the defeated, the vanquished, the uncivilized, and primitive people”) as opposed to that of “the Takers” (i.e., “the conquerors, the civilized, the survivors”). He cogently argues that in sharp contrast to the machinery and industrialization dominated global village, Gandh’s vision of village economy, as symbolized by charkha (hand-spinning wheel) and khadi (hand-woven cotton cloth), is self-sufficient and secures basic necessities for all. In a similar vein, Dissanayake (Chapter 30) described the Sarvodaya movement in Sri Lanka as a viable alternative path to development.
