Challenge for HR - National HRD Network

In a world plagued by failures and
frustrations on several fronts such as
Economics, Politics, Governance,
Judiciary, Corporate Social Responsibility,
etc., it was felt that an International
Dialogue should be organized to elicit the
views of eminent thinkers and experts so
that a better world may be created in due
course of time in which there may be
greater emphasis on peace, culture and
ethical values. Such Second International
Dialogue was held at Udaipur on
November 1-3, 2007 under the kind
patronage of Acharya Shri Mahapragyaji,
who has given innovative ideas on the
Background
The first dialogue on “Economics of Nonviolence
and the Vision of a Sustainable
World” was organized at New Delhi on
December 5-7, 2005 under the auspices
of Acharya Mahapragya and one session
of the conference was addressed by the
then President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan on
December 6, 2007. In the conference,
scholars from various parts of the world
put their heads together to develop a new
and deep insight into the problems of
rampant violence and poverty and devise
practical and workable solutions in order
to establish a sustainable world order.
The Second International Dialogue which
was held at Mahapragya Vihar, Bhuwana,
Udaipur from November 1-3, 2007 was in
continuation of the first one and touched
upon the various issues related to ethics,
culture and non-violence in the context
of an alternative model of economics
which has been designated as ‘Relative
Economics’ by Acharya Shri Mahapragya.
Before the organisation of the Second
International Dialogue, a curtain-raiser
symposium was held on October 12, 2007
at IILM Academy of Higher Learning,
Jaipur with Dr. Ashok Bapna, Director,
IILM in the chair, where Prof. V.S. Vyas,
PROLOGUE
relationship between Economics and Jain
thinking, based on non-violence, nonpossessiveness,
peace and prosperity for
all.
In the vast gathering attended by people
from home and abroad, particularly, from
USA, UK, Canada, Sri Lanka, Singapore,
etc., there was free and frank exchange of
views, on the theme of conference, and
there was unanimity on one fundamental
issue – that is the ‘Eradication of Violence
and Corruption’ should be the top-priority of
all nations, and for this an alternative model
of development should be devised, adopted
and implemented vigorously in this new age
of turbulence and torture prevailing in
different parts of the world.
Acharya Shri Mahapragyaji pleaded for the
view that Modern Economics should change
its emphasis from Absolute Economics to
Relative Economics so that the disparities
and divides between the rich and the poor,
between the urban and the rural, between
different regions of a country, between
backward and forward communities,
between males and females, between
Shri L.N. Nathuramka, Dr. S.L. Gandhi, Prof.
Dayanand Bhargava, Shri S.R. Bhandari
and Dr. Vivek Bhandari expressed their
views on ‘Economics of Non-violence:
Cultural Values and Ethics’.
There was a consensus among scholars
both at the curtain raiser symposium and
later at the conference at Udaipur that
humanity is at crossroads today. With
enormous achievements in the domains of
knowledge, politics, diplomacy, economics,
culture, science and technology, human
beings are surrounded by the threats and
problems of terrorism, insecurity in their
lives, deep frustrations and lurking fears of
even ultimate destruction of mankind in case
the nuclear arsenal falls in the hands of
unscrupulous extremists and hard-headed
fundamentalists, who do not respect
‘swadharma’ or ‘adhyatma’ or ‘selfrealization’
at all.
There is a growing feeling amongst the right
thinking persons today that something is
gravely missing in the lives of all human
beings today. That sole missing factor is
ignorance about ethical norms, ethical
conduct, ethical behaviour and ethical
principles. Ethics can be regarded as the
first step towards the path of ‘spirituality’.
One need not go into deep philosophical
precepts to understand the ground realities
literate and illiterate people and in several
other possible forms, are reduced, and
finally removed altogether.
Yuvacharya Mahasharman gave a novel
idea, related with non-violence, when he
suggested that non-violence should
enter not only in the domain of
Economics, but should become an
essential part of politics, governance,
judiciary, and even war, etc. so that finally
there is a total transformation of human
society, but for this work, extensive and
intensive studies and surveys would be
needed to give a concrete shape to this
new world order. It was agreed that an
International Centre for Studies in Nonviolence,
Peace, Ethics and Culture
should undertake this onerous task of
social reconstruction for the future, based
on Jain Philosophy, and more such
international dialogues should explore in
depth, the feasibility of such vital
changes for the betterment of mankind
and lasting peace in the world.
Ashok Bapna
Convener
and rules of basic moral values and moral
behaviour, because normally everybody,
men & women, old & young, literate &
illiterate, rich & poor, rural and urban, can
understand ‘what is right and what is
wrong’, ‘what is just and what is unjust’,
what is dharma and what is adharma’ on
the basis of the prevailing good social
conduct and behaviour and his/her
philosophical and religious beliefs.
Today, we find that modern globalised
world has given rise to more problems
than it has solved. The society is always
in a state of fundamental disequilibrium
due to the pursuit of self-interest by some
groups in society.
The time is now ripe to introduce ethical
norms in resolving problems in various
fields, more particularly, in the economic
domain, which affects directly and
profusely lives of the teeming millions of
the people across the world. Ethics
propels and promotes economic activity
and economic activity reactivates and
refines ethical modules & models.
Therefore, convergence and confluence
of Ethics and Economics alone can save
humanity from impending disaster in
human affairs. That is the message of Jain
thinking, which has, of course, been
shared by other religious as well.
| HRD News Letter | December 2007, Vol.23, Issue:9 27 |