Unto the Last

There has been a surprising response to bhoodan and other dan programs. As some of our local Kannavaipatty people said to a question, “Why did you become gramdan?” The immediate reply was, “We were getting poorer and poorer. We saw no other way out.” In the recent efforts for gramdan in the Tirunelveli district, where several new gramdans have been secured in recent months, it has been remarked that most of these are small hamlets and involve the poorest of the village people. Sometimes we say that our efforts have not reached the very poor. In December 1963, at Gandhigram, Jawaharlal Nehru reminded us several times during the day that we had not gone down to the neediest. However, in the bhoodan and the gramdan movement we must recognise that this noble but difficult aim of sarvodaya has been achieved to a very large extent. Even in the Constructive Program much has been done, and is being done, in reaching this goal. How many hungry have been helped in the khadi program during these several years! How many helpless and needy untouchables such as the scavengers have been aided by the Harijan Sevak Sangh. Certainly the program for a national language and special attention to the vernaculars has taken into consideration the lowliest who could never think of any education in English. The program for women and children again has been for the very needy. I have seen much of the work of the Kasturba Memorial Trust. Especially when I went to the balvadis, and at the beginning of such a program, I would see naked children, suffering from malnutrition, being helped. Certainly, in the work with women in this area we have dealt with the very needy. In Gandhi’s program for labourers and students he went to the neediest. Basic Education surely has the needs of the neediest in mind as well as the welfare of all. The leprosy program has been directed towards one of the needy sections of our population. The bhoodan and gramdan movements have continued this emphasis.

Taking Sarvodaya To The People

By R. R. Keithahn

Gramdan sarvodaya is a movement of the people towards total freedom. It grew out of India’s great non-violent struggle for political freedom. But it was always a fundamental part of that significant struggle. It is true that it was primarily a movement of the national leaders; but to their credit and to the credit of Gandhi in particular, they had a profound sense of the deep-felt needs of the people and always tried to make the immediate program that of the people. One remembers so well when Vinoba came to the Madurai district. With hesitation we set for ourselves a goal of 25 gramdans. Then we were experiencing unusual success. Vinoba asked, “How do you explain this?” I replied, “You have sensed what is already in the hearts of the people; that is why there is a remarkable response”. Of course, this was but partly true.

Food, clothing and better housing are certainly felt-needs of the people. Thus the “land to the tiller” program strikes a responsive note in the heart to the needy. The khadi program has had remarkable success in a land of need at a time of great world industrialisation. It helps the helpless who have no money to buy cloth to clothe themselves. Thus there are always ready responses to a cottage or village industries program that meets a real need. It is true that we need good technicians and capital; we need to solve the problem of marketing. However, in the original Khadi and Village Industries Program we started at such a simple level that these latter needs were insignificant. The wastes of the village were used to meet real needs.