*Azim Premji University Colloquium Series * A Panel Discussion on The Contemporary Relevance of Gandhian Economics Panelists: Venu Madhav Govindu, Faculty, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru Rajni Bakshi, Journalist and Author, Mumbai Amit Basole, Faculty, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru Reshmi Mitra (Moderator), Knowledge Resource Centre, Azim Premji Foundation, Bengaluru Date: October 11, 2019 (Friday) Time: 2.00 to 4.00 pm Venue: Seminar Hall, 10 th Floor, Pixel A (Azim Premji University) Watch the live broadcast of the talk by clicking http://lectures.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in About the Panel Discussion Title: J C Kumarappa and the Development of Gandhian Economics Panelist: Venu Madhav Govindu Throughout his life, Gandhi devoted significant attention to both politics as well as social transformation through constructive work. With his deep commitment to freedom and justice in their multiple senses, it is natural that the economic question was an important part of Gandhi's philosophical understanding and social interventions. The Gandhian approach to economics and political economy was significantly developed by Gandhi's associate, the economic philosopher, ecological thinker and constructive worker J. C. Kumarappa (1892-1960). An advocate of economic decentralisation and a champion of the agrarian economy, Kumarappa critically analysed modern economics and its assumptions as well as implications. In the process, he provided an extensive examination of the implications of modern economic thought on our individual, social and environmental lives. In this talk, the panelist will sketch out Kumarappa's philosophical understanding and his views on economics, social reconstruction and environmentalism. While much of Kumarappa's thought has contemporary relevance, he will locate the development of Kumarappa's understanding in its historical context. Title: In Search of the Priceless Panelist: Rajni Bakshi M K Gandhi was prescient in anticipating that one earth would not suffice if the entire human race tried to live like the modern west. Now, as ecological collapse becomes more imminentglobal agencies are urging people to 'consume with care' and scrambling to put a monetary value on eco-systems so that there is a 'market incentive' to save them. Why do these efforts look futile? Is it perhaps more important to decide what is priceless and how it can be saved? Title: Gandhi for the Information Age Panelist: Amit Basole Terms such as information revolution, knowledge age, cognitive capitalism, and post-truth have become commonplace today. They point to a deep churning in the world of knowledge. Certainties of the 20th century are giving way to profound uncertainties. Everywhere in the world, including in the "mature democracies" of Europe and America there is a rise of "populism", long thought to be a feature of developing, "immature" polities. At the same time, the concentration of finance capital has never been stronger and economic policy continues to be the domain of experts. Livelihoods everywhere depend on a global economy whose rules are opaque and secret. "Anti-intellectualism", a rejection of experts and valorisation of the "popular" have been successfully hitched to a majoritarian, exclusive, and violent agenda that is comfortable with unprecedented economic inequality. Under such circumstances, can Gandhi’s experiments with a lokavidya based polity and economy show a way forward? About the Panelists Venu Madhav Govindu Venu Madhav Govindu is a faculty at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. He is a computer vision researcher with a primary interest in geometry. Inter alia he has introduced and developed the group-theoretic approach of motion averaging. He has a personal interest in the history and political economy of modern India, specifically centred around the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi. He has co-authored, The Web of Freedom: J. C. Kumarappa and the Struggle for Economic Justice. Rajni Bakshi Rajni Bakshi is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist and author. She writes about social and political movements in contemporary India. She was formerly the Gandhi Peace Fellow at Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. Her journalism has appeared in many English and Hindi newspapers and magazines. She is the author of “ Bazaars, Conversations and Freedom”(2009) which won two Vodafone Crossword Book Awards, one in the "Non Fiction" category, and one in the "Popular Award" category. Her other writings include “The Long Haul: The Bombay Textile Workers Strike of 1982-83” (1986; Great Bombay Textile Strike), “ The Dispute Over Swami Vivekananda's Legacy” (1993; Swami Vivekananda), “ Bapu Kuti: Journeys in Rediscovery of Gandhi” (1998), “ Let’s Make it Happen: Alternative Economics” (2003) and An Economics for Well-Being (2003) Amit Basole Amit Basole is a faculty of Economics at the School of Arts and Sciences, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, where he also heads the Centre for Sustainable Employment. He has taught earlier at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. His principal fields of concentration are Poverty and Inequality, Informality, Employment, Structural Change, and Political Economy of Knowledge. He works primarily on the Indian economy. -- Madhan, M -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.