Makaranda Madhukar Anand Mahendale Festshrift

Author(s): M A Dhaky, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 191

180
Leela Arjunwadkar
Makaranda
it has percolated down to the present times as an inherited faith. I had to get a tree in my garden felled. The man whom I had hired for the purpose came with all the materials of worship. He worshipped the tree, broke a coconut, begged the tree to forgive him—for the sin of killing a living being, though for the sake of his livelihood. I was sincerely moved by this act of his and got indirectly a confirmation of the correctness of the picture of man-nature relationship in my mind.
It can be said a bit derogatorily that this is just symbolic, an idealistically conceived point of view, and that also may be tinged with fear, merit-andsin consideration, Dharma-Adharma concept. That may be so. But what is significant is that it has seeped down to the lowest strata of Indian society as is evinced by the above experience of mine.
But recently an agro-economist, who is also a Sanskritist, has completely shattered this picture to pieces. With his crassly pragmatic approach and ruthless logic he has pointed out that unless we want to have planned poverty', especially for the people in hilly and backward areas, we have got to take up more and more developmental projects. A harmonious and ideal relationship between man and nature was possible in olden days because there was no population explosion, and social fabric was essentially based on inequality and accepted as such. With the menacing problem of population growth and the aim of our development as a nation, we have to accept the fact of, as also the hazards of spiralling industrialization. May be, because of this, our moon and constellations will be contained in neon-signs and we will have to be content with indoor plants and pet animals etc. If ecological imbalance and environmental problems is the price we have to pay, we will have to pay it and seek newer solutions. But now the wheel cannot be turned back..
This shattering stance has completely undone me and quite a few vexing questions are tormenting me :
1. Is my analysis of the old Indian ethos correct or is it mere escapism or idealism?
2. Was the old harmonious relationship possible only because there was no population problem and inequality was the accepted norm of the social structure ?