Cohesive Development through
Alternative Development Paradigm

Bharat Patankar

It was a very great expe rience to read Prof Sunil Ray’s book ‘Birth of an Alternative Development Paradigm–Unfolding of Transformative Mode of Production’ [Germinal Publications Pvt Ltd. 44, BalaramDey Street, Kolkata-700006, Price: 250 INR, Contact 8240016324].

In fact, at many instances while I was reading, I thought as if I am reading my own writing on the “Alternative Development Paradigm “!! This was particularly true when I was reading the beginning of the Part III which says,”The primary condition for cohesive development is social cohesion among individuals with a sense of community and commitment to the common objective based on collective understanding and shared consciousness. It is this common objective that binds individuals together despite differences that might exist between them. However, this can happen only if common objective never falls in line with the existing power structure which is undemocratic and exploitative and yields powerlessness and deprivation of majority. In other words, no social cohesion can ensure cohesive development as an alternative development paradigm if it fails to recognise the debilitating impact of the existing power structure on it.”

This theoretical presentation is almost the same as our understanding on the basis of which we are implementing aspects alternative development paradigm. People’s movement has forced the government to treat water as a common pool resource and agree to the idea of equitable water use for agriculture irrespective of land holding. Because of these lakhs of families have gained the right to use water for agriculture in an equitable manner irrespective of land ownership and thus ensuring their livelihoods.

This concept became the base for giving renewable alternative to the coal-based power projects of Tatas and Ambanis and a successful people’s movement which forced the cancelation of non-renewable resource-based power projects.

People are becoming successful in gradually taking collective control of managing water, forest, and land through eco- development committees etc.

In short Prof Sunil Ray’s book has presented almost the same theoretical perspective which is similar to our perspective and social practice. We hope that his book, with this perspective, brings together the perspectives and practices of intellectuals and people’s movements at global level.

The concept of the, “Alternative Development Paradigm” is understood in various different ways. Some perspectives or viewpoints just vehemently oppose all aspects of the established, “non-renewables based development paradigm “which is basically controlled by private and state capital and headed by a chain of multinational monopoly capital. But these perspectives do not do the basic analysis of its nature and do not provide the detailed alternative perspective. They often put forward the pre-capitalist forms of agricultural production practices and production processes of that era as an alternative. It is impossible to fulfil even the minimum needs of the population today in a satisfactory manner if we really generalise these pre-capitalist production processes. We have to use most advanced production processes in agriculture as well as non-agricultural production sectors which are based on renewables, ecologically sound and are also non-polluting in character. At the same time, it is also true that we have to have enough production to meet various basic needs.

There are problems with the so-called renewable energy generation alternatives. Wind Mills are supposed to be renewable energy alternative. But the whole structure of the wind mills is made up of non- renewable materials. Same is the case with the solar energy generation systems.These could be considered as transitory systems while going towards total renewable systems.But it doesnot look like if there are any efforts made in this direction. So, question is how we can make a transition towards almost total renewables. This riddle could be solved only through the social movements and social practices. Problem of going towards the total organic farming falls in the same category. Success of these processes is related to the social practices of the majority of the social sections who needs this transition for getting liberated from all types of exploitations.

Book says very significant things about this problematic. Sunil Ray says in the book, “It is not that powerlessness is confined to the economic aspect of human life alone and hence the talk about monolithic class division. It is equally important to recognise how in other aspects of life including social, cultural, political, environmental, etc subordinate groups are excluded from various forms of power.....The task of the subordinate groups, therefore, is to overcome the cultural hegemony of dominant groups, preserve cultural diversity and ensure all social groups to have a voice through democratic means such as participation, dialogue, etc as ruling by obeying comes into play.”

He further says, “Hence cohesive development, in the present context, is conceived as an alternative development paradigm that replaces the logic of capital as it works in the capitalist system with the new one that seeks to establish radically different social metabolic order based on the principle of solidarity between humans on the one hand and humans and nature on the other....”

Sunil Ray takes a theoretical approach which integrates theory and practice of the people’s movement. He says, “...fundamental tenets of epistemological base of the cohesive development as emerging from radical movements and transformative initiatives.” He talks about: 1) holistic cosmovision with diversity, 2) solidarity between humans and humans and nature, 3) equity and justice for harmony, 4) principle of sufficiency, 5) new logic of capital, 6) participatory democracy and communal self-management, 7) reciprocal altruism, 8) expansion of commons, and 9) qualitative metamorphosis. It is needlessly to mention that each of these tenets is interdependent as a rational totality and reinforce one another for constructing an alternative paradigm.”

Except for ‘new logic of capital’,all other tenets are practised today in new social movements in India about which Dr Gail Omvedt had written a book some years back. We are part of these moments including equitable water distribution for drinking and agriculture uses of the rural population instead of water getting controlled by rural elites and industries. The other areas are struggles for environmentally healthy energy generation in place of fossil fuel based generation by giving people’s alternatives and movements for forest rights of people and healthy relationship between water-forest-land and humans. We are also part of caste annihilation movements, women’s liberation movements, alternative people’s cultural movements etc. The perspective put forward in the book will stimulate the process of live dialogue and mutual exchange of knowledge between people’s movements and the academia.

[Dr Bharat Patankar (ShramikMukti Dal), KasegaonTaluka. Walawa District. Sangli, Maharashtra 415404]

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Frontier
Vol 58, No. 19, Nov 2 - 8, 2025