'We cannot progress on the
basis of caste or religion'

Do you feel that the dreams that you had then were shattered, and reality today is something else?

We thought we would be able to get over many of these difficulties in the next decade. But, even after 50 years, many of them continue to persist. We leave it to your generation find a solution, to bring about a new situation.

We fought for freedom and we got freedom. That was our contribution. Your contribution will be to oversee the creation of an independent India which fulfills our dreams. The work should be continued generation after generation. You cannot, in one generation, expect to achieve everything. Ultimately, the future depends upon your generation. There is no use of blaming the previous generation.

You should ask yourself whether your generation is doing everything that is necessary for solving the many problems which India confronts. It is now the responsibility of the younger generation to take up the thread and fulfill those dreams.

Is it not because the leaders of free India were more interested in themselves than in the welfare of the country that we are in a situation like this today?

There is always a certain amount of selfishness in every human being. Unfortunately, that has become the dominant motive today. Just like we fought for freedom without any selfish motive, the present generation should take it up and strive without selfishness for the removal of all these difficulties.

Are you hopeful about that?

I am sure that it will happen and it should happen.

What exactly can the present generation or the ordinary people do?

You can do a lot. For example, the student community and the younger generation should refuse to get agitated over silly matters. They should not get carried away by politicians who only have the selfish motive of getting into power. They should not encourage such divisive forces.

If you take the recent Tamil Nadu elections, for example, you will find that there are quite a number of parties based on caste. All of them were routed. Take the Pattali Makkal Katchi, for example. They said they would have 65 seats. But they could gain only a few seats. This shows that, generally, people are not carried away be caste considerations.

People of your generation were very hopeful when you won freedom for India. But if you look at today's generation, you can sense only pessimism, cynicism and disappointment in them.

That is not the way to make progress. You should develop a sense of optimism. Every individual will have to see that he or she does not function in a way which promotes these divisive forces. That's the only way to progress.

I am sure it is only because there is so much of poverty and ignorance here that politicians exploit these things. Caste politics does not bring you food or a better life. Today, caste has no meaning or significance at all. In the past, caste represented a particular profession. Today, if you take a particular caste, you will find that they occupy almost all possible professions in society, from the highest to the lowest.

In the same way, you see people from the so-called higher caste doing menial jobs. Which is why the caste distinction is bound to go.

Then why do we have reservation according to caste, instead of economic criteria?

This is where our short-sightedness comes in. Now, it looks as if the entire nation is declared as backward (laughs). And it is a fact! This, of course, is my view.

But let us move forward with optimism. We cannot progress on the basis of caste or religion; we can only do so by using science and technology and, at the same time, retaining the basic human values of love, truth and harmony. Thankfully, our spiritual movement is very strong since it is not based on caste but on spiritual values.

Where will India be in another 50 years?

It depends on you. You should give me the answer because we won't be there. (laughs)