The North Star of Sustainable Transformation

The North Star of Sustainable Transformation -Uday Dandavate Dr. G.G. Parikh, or GG as he is widely known is a Socialist, Freedom Fighter, Gandhian, and a Medical Practitioner from India. Dr. GG Parikh is widely known for his contribution to rural development, and as a founder of one of Indias foremost NGOs Yusuf Meherally Centre. GG Parikhs ideological orientation and commitment to rural development is grounded in Gandhis ideas.To understand the relevance of Dr. G.G. Parikhs contribution it is important to recognize the relevance of Mahatma Gandhis vision of free India. Though Gandhi gained an academic degree in law from the University College of London and practiced in Durban, South Africa, his political ideology and ideas for an India free of British rule were grounded in empathy for the underprivileged in India. While, his impulse to fight injustice was triggered in South Africa, his visionary approach to building tools of a participatory democracy was shaped during his yearlong travels around the country, at the behest of his mentor, Gopal Krishna Gokhale. This yearlong probationary period transformed Barrister Gandhi into a sensitive and creative human being whose intellectual capacities had expanded such that he could envision a future for humanity and for India through appropriate use of natural and human resources. Mahatma Gandhi recognized the oppressive social systems in India as a barrier to progress and envisioned a path to unleashing Indias potential through a combination of struggles (against social injustice) and constructive work (for building a participatory democracy). At the heart of his ideas were two key principles- He believed that India could prosper only by inculcating egalitarian values in her people, and by pursuing sustainable Innovations that are respectful of the need to preserve ecological balance. Dr. G.G. Parikh embraced Gandhis

values and vision as his lifes mission and embarked on a journey of service, struggles and rural reconstruction that is today recognized as one of the successful grass root level rural development projects in India. Dr. G.G. Parikh joined the socialist movement in the year 1942. The Socialists were committed to establish an indigenous development model that was inspired by Gandhis vision of a participatory democracy. If Gandhis life not been short circuited by the bullet fired by Nathuram Godse, the gap between the top-down elitist approach of the Congress party and slow yet sustainable approach to development prescribed by Gandhi would have grown. After attaining independence the Congress party got busy cashing the goodwill generated by the freedom struggle for electoral gains. On the other hand, the Socialists led by Jayprakash Narayan, Narendra Dev, Ram Manohar Lohia, Yusuf Meherally, Achyutrao Patwardhanm Basavan Singh and others charted their own path due to growing ideological differences with the Congress party. Mahatma Gandhis vision was closer to the path of building an egalitarian society chosen by the socialists than to the path of rapid modernization adopted by Nehru. Dr. G.G. Parikhs relentless and uncompromising pursuit of Gandhian values today makes him a North Start of Gandhian vision of rural development. G.G. Parikh founded the Yusuf Meherally Centre 64 kms South of Mumbai, which completed 50 years in 2011. With its principal rural base in Tara, it has a hospital, school, dairy, several village industries, organic farming activities and sustainable livelihood projects. It is an important rural development hub in Raigad district. The Centre also has a presence in over 8 States in India including in Orissa and J&K. The Yusuf Meherally Center is popularly known as TARA (a star) which continues to inspire inspiring many others to volunteer and start their own rural development projects in their communities.

His initiation into polities began through student movement while in school. He became a student leader during his college days. He was detained in 1942 for his participation in the Quit India Movement and incarcerated for over 10 months in Worli Temporary Prison and one month in Thane district Jail and was beaten up severely during that period. GGs approach to rural development is distinctly different from most other NGOs in India. Unlike other NGOs he did not insulate himself from politics. He was not shy of confronting the oppressive social system. He participated in every anti-corruption movement in India. GG was was also influenced by other Socialist leaders like Acharya Narendra Deva, Achyut Patwardhan, Yusuf Meherally, Jayaprakash Narayan, and Asoka Mehta. He joined the Congress Socialist Party (then a political party within the Indian National Congress) in 1946 as a cadet member. He got actively involved in the Trade Union and Cooperative movements and at independence he was President of the Bombay unit of the Students Congress. Though a staunch votary of non-violence, GG understood the value of symbolic violence both during the freedom struggle and the dark days of emergency. During freedom struggle GG shared socialists special admiration for Subhash Babus brave attempts to destabilize the British government through force. During emergency GG was tried in the Baroda Dynamite case along with George Fernandes, Viren Shah, CGK Reddy and others. The group had planned a series of bomb blasts in different parts of the country to destabilize the authoritarian regime of Indira Gandhi. The plot was uncovered and GG spent around 20 months in jail along with 24 other colleagues. He was initially lodged at Yeravda Prison in Pune and then subsequently at the Tihar Central Jail in New Delhi. He was released after Mrs Gandhi declared elections in March 1977. His wife Mangala Parikh was also incarcerated for over 18 months with Pramila Dandavate under MISA and was detained at Yeravda and Dhule prisons. Their

19 year old daughter, Sonal, too offered Satyagraha to protest the Emergency and was kept as an under trial for four weeks in Arthur Road jail in Bombay. GG was one of the leaders of the Socialist Party, first at the city level, and then a part of the National Executive. He remained with the Praja Socialist stream of the Socialist movement along with Ashoka Mehta, Nanasaheb Goray and Madhu Dandavate, when Rammanohar Lohia and Madhu Limaye left the party in 1955, and also when Asoka Mehta split the PSP to join the Congress in 1964. I hold a distinct impression of the towering figure of GG kaka (as I call him) since my childhood. Through years of association I have come to recognize him as a resolute idealist who is undeterred by politics of convenience. I have never seen him perturbed when close comrades from the socialist movement deserted the mother ship periodically. GG Kakas towering persona reminds me of Pashtun Leader Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan. I did have the opportunity once to meet Gandhijis close colleague Pashtun leader Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan when he visited Mumbai. As I stood in front of the tall figure of Gaffar Khan, a surge of excitement and a feeling of reverence for a man who never left Mahatma Gandhis side overcame me. Every time I remember that moment, the only other image that overlaps with the memory of Gaffar Khan is that of Dr. G.G. Parikh. They share similar stature, aura and demeanor. They both made a lifelong commitment to Gandhian idealism. While the image of Gaffar Khan remain unaltered in my memory as a reminder of the legacy of Gandhian values, GG Kakas image has continued to evolve as I sought his advice from time to time on various issues. After passing of my parents, there have been many moments when I have felt confused or lost and unable to form a point of view on political situations. During such moments, GG Kaka fills in the place of my parents. I reach out to him for advice because he is amongst a few of my parents colleagues who share their convictions and have a

flexible and progressive (as opposed to dogmatic) view of the future. He is always eager to keep himself in tune with the thinking and aspirations of the youth. At 90 his energy is inspiring. He continues to travel around the country despite a chronic abscess in his thigh, developed from a wound in a train accident from ten years ago. He is relentless in is mission to inspire the youth to participate in building a secular, egalitarian and ecologically responsible civic society. Dr. G.G Parikh serves as a bridge between the past and the future- between Indias ongoing struggle against injustice and slavery and younger generations aspirations for a progressive society of responsible citizens. His zeal to connect with the youth and curiosity for new ideas allows him to serve as a catalyst of change that Gandhi envisioned. Dr. G.G. Parikh is the North Star of Sustainable Transformation.