Did you know?

Although the pressures on nature had not become so acute in Gandhi's lifetime, this wise man had the foresight to see that our planet's carrying capacity is not infinite and some restraint will have to be placed on how much pressure we can place on its air, water, forests and minerals.

Mahatma Gandhi said, 'Nature has enough to satisfy the needs of everyone but nothing to satisfy the greed of even a few'.

Due to the unequal distribution of power, it is possible for a relatively small number of people to corner an extremely large share of the earth's resources. The United Nations Development Programme in a report said in 1996, the net worth of 358 richest people of the world is equal to the combined income of the poorest 45% of the world's population -- 2.3 billion people. The richest 20% of the world's people corner 85% of the world's income. People in industrial countries consume nearly nine times as much commercial energy per capita as people in developing countries, though they constitute only a fifth of the world's population.

Mahatma Gandhi stated quite clearly that the greed of even a few people, their tendency to pursue a highly affluent and wasteful life-style, can prove very destructive to nature. This is evident today in the global warming crisis, very high levels of air and water pollution and various other alarming aspects of ecological ruin.

In his latest book, 'Man over Machine-A Path towards Peace', Bharat Dogra examines the enduring Gandhian message of peace, non-violence, peaceful resistance of anything unjust, as well as a simple, low consumption yet happy and fulfilling life, based on need and not greed.