“The only way to uplift India is the Gandhian way” says Atmaram Saraogi who has dedicated   a major portion of the past decade to spreading the Gandhian message  to the youth in rural India. An alum of the Harvard Business school, he has held several top positions in  leading Indian companies including the Times of India Group, J K Organization, Birla Enterprises, STP Limited and others. He is currently a member of the Core Group of Sarva Seva Sangh and Trustee of Gandhi Smarak Nidhi. He is also the founder of the International Center Calcutta, a space where intellectuals, professionals, artists, creators and performers, students and inquisitive laymen can gather to react, proact…think beyond the immediate.

“Gandhiji always used to say that before you do anything, you need to ask if it will benefit the last man.  Unfortunately politicians do not think in that way” says Saraogi. “In the past few decades people have forgotten the message of Mahatma Gandhi. It is the goal of my life to bring this message to the youth around the country.”

Why is this message so important? Has not India progressed significantly? Has not the Indian economy experienced unprecedented growth in the past decade? ” What is the use of such progress if it has left a majority of India untouched and has created more problems in its wake?  I travel quite often and visit villages in all parts of the country. Most of them have been left untouched by the progress. After traveling the length and breadth of the country, I am now convinced that only the Gandhian idea of empowerment and self-sufficiency at the village level can uplift the villages” says Saraogi.

Saraogi strongly believes in the value of decentralization and the Gandhian idea of keeping the village as the focus. “Just to give an example of the work which we promote and encourage, look at a village called Hiware Bajar, a village close to Mumbai. The chief of the village is well educated. With simple techniques, he has led the movement in changing the face of the village completely.  They used water harvesting techniques and the village that always experienced drought now has enough water for everyone, even to export to other villages! People are able to grow the necessary crops. People are leaving Mumbai and returning to the village drawn by the quality of life. There is no alcohol in the village. All this could happen because the village panchayat took decisions that kept the villagers welfare at heart. Such a change can be brought about only by the local people. This is the essence of the Gandhian philosophy and it is the only thing that can save India” says Saraogi.

So what is he doing to implement Gandhi’s philosophy? “ I am an active member of the two organizations – Sarva Seva Sangh(SSS) and Gandhi Smarak Nidhi. Born out of the last will and testament of Gandhiji, SSS  has been working quietly since its foundation to carry forward several
constructive programmes and movements as envisaged by Gandhi and the needs of the changing times. It had been at the forefront of the Bhoodan movement, struggle against emergency in 1974, the introduction of panchayti raj institutions, surrender of dacoits in Chambal, bringing peace in Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Punjab, etc. etc. It has a Santi Sena(Peace Army) to maintain/restore peace and communal harmony, bringing sanity on the Ayodhya issue, etc. For some years now, it has been involved primarily in various constructive programmes and peoples’ movements at the grassroots with the philosophy of “think globally and act locally” and that “there is enough for everybody’s needs, not greed”. It is also been working on an alternative decentralized model to the present political and economic structure” says Saraogi.


What about the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi?  “It was established with the object of promoting Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals and practices by carrying on work in the sphere of constructive activities on an all-India basis. Its primary role has been, and is, to find means and locate people for the fulfillment of this object”

What kind of activities does Saraogi actually do to bring about the change he desires to see?  “ It is simple. I work to organize people and spread the message of Gandhi in the villages. Once they understand, they will be empowered to help themselves. I think we should help people, especially those in the villages to become self sufficient.”

Saraogi also is the founder of International Center Calcutta. What was he motivated to create that? “If we have to solve problems in India, we must first understand the root cause of problems. We have to collect data and bring together people from different walks of life to look at the data , analyze it and then come up with creative solutions.  A wide variety of perspectives is important to understand complex problems. Do you know that 20 % of all land area in India is under the control of Naxalites? Unless we understand the root cause behind the problem, we can only provide temporary stop gap arrangements”

This October 2nd, we celebrated the 136th birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi. Lokvani wishes Saraogi well as he proceeds to help transform India through the message of Gandhiji - a Mahatma who with his touch changed the world forever.

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