Deendayalji said that mental slavery interrupts independent thinking. He believed that foreign influence on our outward life consumes our feeling of self-reliance
Great visionary and founder of Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) Nanaji Deshmukh liked most the concept of Udyamita that would help train activists like us and make rural jobless youth self-reliant.
When the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visited Chitrakoot, Nanaji introduced me with these words: “She is Nandita who looks after the work of Udyamita”. Atalji in his peculiar style asked me about Udyamita. I too replied without applying much thought to it that Udyamita is the process of making entrepreneurs.
Udyamita should create entrepreneurs. Human being is the best creation of God with sensitivity and creation being his distinguishing attributes. Consumerism is his life’s necessity but not the ultimate goal. He is sensitive to the agony of others and he feels happy in ridding them of their pain and sufferings. However, he needs proper grooming by inculcating moral values and imparting good education. Sans education and values a human being is reduced to the level of an animal affected by hunger, sleep, fear and copulation.
Agriculture and industry are the basis of human existence. Farming feeds him while industry completes his other needs. The processing in both the enterprises is dependent on natural resources and their supply. Therefore, keeping that supply uninterrupted is the most important requirement of human life. And this can be better understood through education and life values.
Raw material is the necessity of industries. This is available in nature. This raw material obtained from farming, forest, mines, and animals is converted into finished products useful for humans in the industries using different technologies. The basic objective of industry and technology is to provide better alternatives and facilities to the human society and not just amassing wealth.
Two types of natural resources are required for industries useful for human beings. One amongst them cannot be replenished by a man while the other comes from the earth’s crust. Therefore, we must take care while framing an industrial policy for industrialisation and use of technology lest it should deprived the future generation of their rightful needs. The present industrialisation is affecting human life in many ways. It is resulting in economic disparity and pollution of the environment. We need to invent and develop technology as per our needs and in view of the current situation. We must employ our talents in this direction so that we can develop alternative technologies suitable for our needs and with a human touch. It is not advisable to concentrate the search of alternative industrialisation at some selected places only.
Consumption is an essential human need. Therefore, it is necessary that physically capable men and women should produce material enough to suffice their consumption needs. In the present industrial system hands capable of production are speedily decreasing while the number of consumers is rapidly increasing, and will be on the rise. Providing jobs will not be the solution to this problem; hence, self-employment is the only possible answer. For this industrial policy that would provide self-employment needs to be evolved because that is going to be the right answer to the global unemployment problem.
DRI has established Udyamita Vidyapeeth at Chitrakoot to provide skills to people residing in 500 villages within the radius of 50 km from Chitrakoot. Nanaji Deshmukh tried this in Gonda, UP by setting up a production centre and offering employment to jobless youth, but that did not fetch the desired results. So he shifted to Chitrakoot where he set up a training centre along with the production unit. First, on the availability of raw material, an industrial unit was set up and then industrial units fulfilling the requirements of the people followed. Since 1994 to 1997 cottage industries were set up and machines were used wherever necessary but the participation of people was accorded priority. Rural people were given the opportunity to enhance the raw material at their places so that they could get the employment. Those who had migrated to nearby towns and urban centres were called back and provided financial help so that they could set up their own businesses in the villages. A multilevel employment model was developed to bridge the gap between big, small, marginal and landless farmers. The industrious individual is always full of self-reliance, self-confidence and can make others like him. This is the secret of Udyamita which is the greatest need of the day.
But care should be taken to follow the righteous path to become an entrepreneur. Pt Deendayalji warned that both scarcity and influence of wealth causes fall of a human being.
Dr Nandita Pathak (the writer is the Director, DRI, Chitrakoot)
