INDIA'S ' URBAN-RURAL' INFERS : MASTER PRECIS

 

No urban / rural divide : To state that India's neglect of its urban centres can be traced to Gandhian ideology is to misrepresent Gandhi's views. [  '' Dirty old towns '',  August 19th].

While Gandhi was indeed concerned about India's villages, he explicitly referred to the need for clean, healthy, liveable Indian cities in his writings.

In 1938 Gandhi wrote that he did not want '' penury, misery, dirt and dust in India''.

Note that there is no reference to ''rural'' there. He meant all of India including urban centres. Perhaps Indian governments might have misinterpreted Gandhi, but that is not his fault.

The World Students Society thanks Jaydeep Balakrishnan, Associate dean, College of Business, California State University, Sacramento.