CHICAGO: On October 6 and 7, India Development Service (IDS), India Development Coalition of America (IDCA), and Loyola University, Chicago conducted an international conference on the theme of Sustainable Development and Gandhian Thought at Loyola University campus in Maywood, Illinois. The objective was to bring together various experts in the field of sustainable development and grass roots workers, who are implementing developmental projects in India.

The conference provided a forum for many, who are working on projects related to water and sanitation, education, solar energy, ecological restoration, HIV/AIDS awareness, disabled persons, and rural development, to network, exchange ideas, and renew their commitment to the acceleration of sustainable development in India.

An action plan was developed for the various non-profits in the US to work together with Indian NGOs and government institutions to implement programs in rural India. Speakers included Sam Pitroda of the National Knowledge Commission, Government of India; Prof. Satish Kumar of the Schumacher Institute in Great Britain; Bunker Roy of the Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan; Manoj Dabas of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, New Delhi; Ashok Kumar Attri, Consul General of India in Chicago; Hari Lamba, author of the book Rethinking Progress, Balbir Mathur of Trees for Life, Wichita, Kansas; Madhu Suri Prakash, Professor of Education, Penn State University, Sai Padma Bellana of Gajapathinagaram, Andhra Pradesh, and Pragnanand Busi of Nalagonda, Andhra Pradesh. Bunker Roy, Founder & Director of Barefoot College in Rajasthan made a salient point when he described India as "Islands of excellence in seas of ignorance."

 He and countless others have made great strides to better the lives of the poor by teaching them how to develop existing resources in their communities. He articulated that while the urban dwellers crave for formal and regimented education with structured curricula for their children, rural folks with no formal education can be equally good in delivering services that the rural inhabitants need in their own locales. He said that rural women and men alike are being trained to build and repair solar energy based systems with precision equivalent to that of German technicians Professor Satish Kumar asked a poignant question : "Do we have to tell an acorn how to become an oak tree?" The implication being, do those in what President Harry Truman called the developed world have to manage communities down in order for them to retain their dignity and flourish. Of course not! They can be empowered to succeed where they are in the context of their own culture and environment. He said that Satvic way of development is the only way for India to sustain itself rather than taking the path of super consumerism that is characteristic of the developed nations.

Professor Kumar analogized, the acorn i.e., each suffering village, has the potential and can grow and become the proverbial oak tree through a bottom up type of sustainable systems and mechanisms. SaiPadma Bellana of Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, a physically challenged young woman, who traveled from India made a presentation sitting in a wheelchair. She said by quoting from her own volunteer work that even disabled people can deliver services to the rural poor and HIV/AIDS affected children with compassion and dignity when they are determined and possess a "can do" attitude. Two panel discussions were also held to discuss topics of wide ranging interest, from Water and Sanitation to Rural Energy and Development.

Panel members included the speakers mentioned above and Jay Sehgal of the Sehgal Family Foundation in Gurgaon; Sridhar Chari, Chairman of ICFAI, Hyderabad; Harsha Vardhan Purandare of Asha for Education in Mumbai, Jiwan Prakash Sondhi of People to Support People Foundation, Detroit; and Umesh Rohtagi of Flint, Michigan. When most people think of Mahatma Gandhi they think of peace and non-violent protest and the similarity of Martin Luther King, who was considered his heir in this regard. However Gandhiji has another legacy which is impacting growing numbers in India today. He said that India’s future lies in her villages. However Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister is regarded as the maker of modern India.

That is true when viewing the country today. As discussions ensued, it became apparent that India is a place of stark contrasts. There is India and then there is "Bharat "(traditional rural India). Modern urban India is an IT powerhouse, with a booming economy and global players being driven by 400 million citizens, while "Bharat" exists with 700 million poor souls unable to escape grinding poverty. This is a country of contrasts with the largest number of billionaires in Asia yet simultaneously and disgustingly it has the largest number of poor in the world.

This event provided various models and examples to those who believe in traversing such divides to help those less fortunate help themselves, or as the challenge is to get those with compassion in developed nations, in particular the NRIs in the US to extend themselves to those communities back home to solve some of the pressing problems there.

Secondly, solutions to environmental degradation, lack of education, diseases, and changing business environments are often found locally. Those who want to become agents of change need to listen and learn from those in need and empower them to solve their own problems. Being based in the US, NRIs can serve (perform seva) by becoming conduits of knowledge, resources and networks. Several non-profits in the US described their work in India.

The North South Foundation presented a Rural India data base they are working on to help any Indian American to provide for the needs of any village of his or her choosing. IDCA presented the initiatives it has in the works that will help that organization further exemplify its major purpose helping India’s rural poor by recruiting NRIs and others to get involved, linking resources, projects and duplicatable examples that are working.

Many speakers inspired the audience with the grass roots work they were doing in rural India. They challenged those in attendance to step up to the plate and get involved in giving back to their homeland and help repair the forgotten part of Nehru’s legacy.