The thinker Satish Kumar on the divide between the two lndias – the affluent urbs and the other that is "based on land and livelihood, people and forests".
In 1962, Satish Kumar walked on foot on a personal peace march from India, through Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, onward through the Soviet Union and Europe, arriving in the United States in 1964. His first mission, inspired by the writings of Mahatma Gandhi had been a walk across India at the age of 18 as part of the Bhoodan land reform movement of Vinoba Bhave.
In 1974, Kumar became editor of Resurgence, the journal of ecology, environment, new economics, and spiritual values. He came close to the economist EF Schumacher, after whose death he helped found Schumacher College, an international centre for ecological studies. Satish Kumar was interviewed by journalist Rahul Goswami while attending a conference on ´Gandhi, Health and the Environment´, in Maharashtra´s Gadchiroli district.
Q: From the perspective of green philosophy, how do you view the developments in India since the liberalisation of the economy in 1991?