Page 123 - Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 21st Century ISBN

21oha “krkCnh esa vkpk;Z fouksck Hkkos dh izklafxdrk

The success of consensus decision making lies in the fact that this principle is accepted ‘before’ the
process of decision making. Hence, everybody is aware that just like he/she will have a ‘veto’ power,

others will also have the same right. Every person is assured that his/her opinion will be heard and he/
she will not be forced into accepting what he/she does not like. The sarvayatan principle thus removes

the violence implicit in majority decision making process.

Swarajya: Self Control
Swarajya in the true sense of the term is not one’s own rule but ruling oneself i.e. disciplining

oneself. When Mendha proclaimed its self-rule, the first step it took was to prepare a set of rules which
were voluntarily accepted as binding upon everybody. Specificrules are made from the ecological and

social perspectives, with a view to conserve environment and maintain peace and order in the village.
While doing so, the gramsabha does not encroach upon individual freedom or violate basic human

rights. The rules are strictly in the social realm and do not interfere with personal lives or liberties of the
individuals. The most notable feature is that most of the rules are in the form of prohibitions and self-

regulation. It would be apparent that by making these rules the villagers have put a lot of restrictions on
themselves and have subjected themselves to be regulated. This is a true feature of swaraj, the ideal

which a thinker like Vinoba was advocating all his life.

Decentralization: Delegation of Responsibilities
This is the second aspect of swaraj. The responsibilities are delegated to committees or executive

bodies which implement the decisions and carry out the planned activities. At the higher levels of
governance (state and central), this task is accomplished by creating various departments. At the

village level various committees could be formed wherein all the villagers were members. Dhanya kosh
was the cherished ideal of Vinoba and Mahatma Gandhi for making the villages self-dependent and

food-secure and the same has been instituted in Mendha. There is also a justice committee consisted of
both men and women and also of both young and old persons. It functions more as a civic conflict

resolution committee. Moreoover, there is a village education committee (VEC) which is in accordance
with the present framework of primary education. The teachers of the local primary school have taken

initiative in formulating this but Mendha villagers have been actively supporting the same. Most
importantly, the village youths take interest in educational matters.

There is also a Ghotul committee of young men and women. Ghotul has been the most interesting
and unique social institution of the Gonds. It not only taught life-skills to children but also imbued them

with community values and ethics. A Ghotul management committee consisting only of young men and
women has been formed which is the de facto youth wing of the village.

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