The Hindu : National : Growth should carry rural people along with it: Jaggi Vasudev

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 16, 2006

National

National

Growth should carry rural people along with it: Jaggi Vasudev

Special Correspondent

"Rural rejuvenation is a great investment for future needs"

CHENNAI: Unless the current economic upsurge carried along with it the rural people, the robust growth rate cannot be sustained, said Jaggi Vasudev, founder of Isha Foundation.

Fresh from the World Economic Forum deliberations in Davos, he said: "Eyes of the developed nations were turning red'' on seeing India's progress. But the growth rate could not be sustained if the rural populace was not given quality computer education and English language skills, he said.

Mr. Vasudev also clarified that rural rejuvenation was not an act of charity or social work. ``Far from that. It is a great investment for future needs. Otherwise, in about 10 years India will start outsourcing its jobs when 60 per cent of its people were still to get proper food.''

Doing its mite without any governmental assistance, the Isha Foundation has so far reached out to 1,350 villages in Tamil Nadu, and is in the process of replicating the experiment in Karnataka and Gujarat, he said.

Propagating the concept of ``inclusive economy,'' the yoga exponent said it meant helping the educated unemployed youth in rural areas to hone their skills to suit the needs of changed times. According to him, the secret to happiness lay in ``inner engineering,'' which is all about gaining control over ``internal situations.'' In modern times, it is very difficult to teach faith-based yoga, Mr. Vasudev said, adding, ``it is science-based, without any spiritual or cultural element attached to it."

Expressing concern at the rapid deforestation in Tamil Nadu, he said Isha volunteers had planted about two lakh trees so far. The target is to plant about three million trees in the next three years..

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