Redefining Materials Development in Tune with Nature

Organized by the International Center for Cultural Studies (ICCS), the 8th Triennial International Conference and Meeting of World Elders of Ancestral Traditions in Dibrugarh (India) was attended by 125 foreign delegates from 33 countries representing their traditional ancestral wisdom.

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Highlighting three major agendas comprising the revival of traditions, realizing ecological knowledge and understanding collaborative governance, the five-day conference (28 January to 1 February 2024) with the theme of shared sustainable prosperity also adopted 'Dibrugarh Declaration' on the concluding day. The declaration stated loud and clear that  ancient wisdom profoundly views human beings as an integral part of the natural ecosystem and not as a master. Hence it always advocates for equitable human progress achieved in harmony with the ecology.

“Humanity has experienced remarkable advancements in the past century, thanks to modern science & technology. The fulfillment of material needs and creation of comforts for a significant portion of the population are undeniable achievements. However, growing economic disparity, escalating mental health issues, and the alarmingly increasing levels of environmental degradation pose significant
challenges,” stated the declaration, adding that a predominantly human-centric development also led to the imbalance.

The declaration emphasized on promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle, prioritizing the well-being of both humanity and the environment by the children of Earth. It also recognized an urgent need for the
practitioners of all ancient traditions to be more effectively organized. With the blessings of the ancestors and guidance from the elders, it’s believed that a selfless, transparent, and accountable social leadership can emerge. To achieve this, a robust mechanism for consensus-based decision making and conflict resolution should be established, asserted the declaration insisting on an urgent need to
revive and promote the ancient traditions in all corners of the globe.

Moreover, the idea of shared sustainable prosperity should be promoted for the well-being of humanity and ecology, said the declaration, adding that initiatives should be taken to conduct community programs promoting compassion, patience, and ethical conduct. Moreover, documenting oral traditions and recognising the ancient knowledge systems, the human race should be encouraged to engage in  responsible
production and consumption with equitable distribution of resources. It also advocated the individuals pursuing ancient traditions to interact more to understand each other in a better way and finally cooperate and collaborate on various common issues.

Addressing  the valedictory function, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale, commented that sustainable development can be ensured only through sustainable consumption. While the prosperity should be shared equitably, the earning and distribution remain the core philosophy in every society which is governed by such ancient wisdom, stated Hosabale. The top RSS leader also pointed out that spirituality is the soul of Indian culture &
tradition and all cultures have commonalities.

“The ancient traditions are the only ones on Earth to have recognized feminine divinity.  Also, these traditions emphasise family values and sustainable living in a common way of life. Reviving tradition,
ecological knowledge and collaborative governance are very much required for shared sustainable prosperity,” said Hosabale, adding that this movement of global indigenous ancient traditions is flourishing now. Highlighting on the theme, he opined that the prosperity should be sustained for a long time and it must not happen at the cost of Mother Earth’s exploitation.

RSS Sarkaryavah gave an example from the take of Samudra Manthan, where  Lakshmi, that is prosperity, came out of it after a lot of churning. Thus churning is required for prosperity. Conch (shankha) is
the brother of prosperity. Blowing of the conch was particularly done while performing pujas. Our ancient elders  communicated in a very gentle way through stories conveying this message to us  that
prosperity should be sustainable and equitable. The presence of divinity is seen in every being. The planet provides to everyone sufficiently. Now, it is our responsibility to preserve this divinity,
he added.

He emphasised on three follow-up action plans for the conference starting with the indigenous tradition & culture, which are not meant to be preserved in museums like antiques. Ancient wisdom and belief
systems are continuous living traditions on Earth and these should be in the mainstream and not to be marginalised, said Hosabale. Secondly, indigenous cultures have been experimenting for thousands of years on individual and societal lifestyles, thus it is for sure that these are the only ways to save our planet. Thirdly, capacity building is required for each community for fine tuning progress and materialistic development, he concluded.

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu, who was also present on the occasion,  revealed that his State has 26 tribes who have lived inharmony for centuries. Our age-old traditions shape our lives and give us identity, stated saffron leader, adding that preservation and promotion of indigenous culture remains the policy of his government. 

Talking about the newly inaugurated Itanagar’s greenfield airport, Khandu mentioned that it was  named as Donyi Polo Airport respecting the indigenous tradition. Donyi means Mother Sun and Polo means Moon God as per the local indigenous belief of Arunachal, stated Khandu.

The government has initiated to establish  three Gurukuls to preserve the indigenous tribal traditions. The youth festival for indigenous
people has been organized every year. He also informed that Arunachal has already received GI tags for 12  products. 

His deputy  Chowna Mein informed that the government has already increased the budget for development and preservation of cultural traditions. Localizing school curriculum, digitizing folklore & folksongs, and reviving the system of tribal priests were accepted as major themes by the government. Mein also highlighted various initiatives to revive the system of tribal priests in the Tibet bordering State.

Mentionable is that the ICCS is  a non-political, non-religious, non-profit socio-cultural forum for Elders (spiritual masters, regardless of age) of ancient traditions and cultures, which was
founded by Yashwant Pathak and his team of academicians and scholars at Nagpur of Bharat in 1997 with an aim to explore, research, learn and internalize their ideas through global networking. Ratan Sharda of ICCS, pointed out that they refer  to all the traditions and cultures which existed for more than 2000 years as ancient traditions and cultures such as over 1000 cultures of Africa, over 500 Cultures of Native Americans and indigenous traditions of Australia (Aboriginals), New Zealand (Maoris) and Indigenous traditions present
in different parts of the world including Asian countries.

Earlier delivering the keynote address in the inaugural session, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat insisted on conserving the environment, culture and ancient faiths for the benefit of the human beings.
Bhagwat noted that many theories and isms came up from individualism which didn’t consider society important to communism that considered society as supreme, but with no space for individual bliss and social peace. All theories necessarily focused on material prosperity, he stated, adding that religions evolved to find out solutions also failed.

Sarsanghchalak Bhagwat pointed out that the United Nations in 1951 talked about scrapping of ancient philosophies and disintegration of ancient social institutions for economic progress, but in 2013 it
admitted that integration of culture into development policies was necessary for the global sustainable development. Despite two thousand years of progress and material prosperity, the world is facing conflicts, asserted Bhagwat, adding that there is no peace outside or within. He congratulated the elders of traditions and cultures for keeping their ancient faiths alive  despite an  aggressive environment.

Welcoming  the delegates, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that Assam is home to hundreds of indigenous tribes and faiths. The saffron leader pointed out that in the current intolerant and
strife-torn world, indigenous traditions and faiths have suffered the worst, and it is everyone’s duty to nurture them. These belief systems which connect the communities with the natural world must be preserved, stated Sarma, adding that these are living in harmony with nature since time immemorial. He mentioned many Assamese tribes are still pursuing the ancient beliefs, but they have been lured with education and healthcare facilities for conversion.

The erosion of indigenous faiths is deeply worrying as it weakens the society, opined Sarma recalling how Birsa Munda made it his mission to protect the community from conversions. He also quoted Mahatma Gandhi from his book titled ‘Why I am a Hindu,’ where Gandhi said that the demise of a faith is the demise of its wisdom. Sarma informed the audience that his government has formed a separate department for
preserving, promoting and nurturing indigenous faiths. Finally he hoped that the deliberations will help prepare a roadmap for global peace and prosperity.

On this occasion a new academic and research journal  focusing on history, anthropology and governance was launched by the ICCS-Bharat in presence of its president Shashi Bala. A souvenir with insightful articles and highlights of earlier conferences was also released.

Academic seminars, workshops and cultural programs with their faith demonstrations were also organized during the conference. A splendid procession with the delegates from participating  countries in their
traditional attire passed through Dibrugarh to mesmerise the onlookers. The main program began with lighting of auspicious lamps, followed by religious prayers of eight representatives of ancient faiths from seven continents.