Himalayan Times (1955)

October 2, 1955

$hnalaean (Jinn?

Eleven

REGIONAL CONFERENCE
AT DARJEEL1NG

(Continued from page 2)

on our march to the dawn.
You workers from the
Community Frojeot areas
are no longer raw reoruits
going to the fray for the
first time. You must be
battle-scarred veterens.
People in all parts of the
world have begun to sit
up and take notioe of your
exploits. Emissaries come
from foreign lands to pro-
fit by the study of your
methods. They are anxious
to have representatives
from your ranks visit them
and tench them your
strategy.

In turning the cor-
ner ourselves, we may be
blazing a new trail for a
forward march by all
mankind. That, indeed is
the ultimate test of the
validity of any programme
for progress The fulfil-
ment it must promise
must be for all, and not
for only a few. The hu-
man race has become too
closely knit and, human
experience, whether for
good or for evil, whether
in prosperity and peace,
or in poverty and war,
has beoome totally indi-
visible. We are groping
through our work to basic
principles whioh must be
universal in their applica-
tion. That must* be an
exhilarating thought.

Let me pause a little
to consider a few of these
principles whioh we are
beginning to disoover. The
first of these is the nature
of the problem we are
oalled upon to taokle.
Have we not begun to
peroeive the unity under-
lying the diversity of its
outward aspects ? , It is
now enough to describe
the totality of all our
problems by just one
name, which is Poverty.
But this ancient term has
acquired a new definition
and a new meaning. We
recognise it as a compen-
dious evil, referring not
merely to a lack of mate-
ria) possessions, but also
to a low state of physical
vitality and to febleness
of mind, will and spirit.

We cannot produce
more wraith without heal-
thy bodies and eager in-
centive. Consequently, we
have to think of medical
aid, sanitation, roads, and
houseing at the same time
as we plan for inorease
of the yield from our
farms and workshops. We
have to make simulta-
neous provision also for
stimulation of the mind
through education and
recreation. These see-
mingly different problems
are joined together in an
inextricable manner, so
that we cannot advance
in any one direction wi-
thout making advance in
equal measure in other

directions at the same
time.

Many consequences fol-
low from this awareness in
the field of practical ac-
tion. Let me touch upon
a few of these very briefly.
Co-ordination ana team
work in administration be-
come obviously important.
The programme of deve.
lopment becomes a closely
integrated, comprehensive,
multi-frontal undertaking.
The personnel who have
charge of execution of this
programme have to cultivate
a liberal understanding of
many specific fields of work
and the inter-relations of
these various fields.

Extension work, origi-
nally thought of as dissemi-
nation of new knowledge
and technique in the field
of agriculture alone, has
come to acquire a compre-
hensive meaning. Our ex-
tension workers in the vil-
lages have become multi-
purpose agents of develop-
ment in all spheres of rural
living. They are no longer
counterparts of the County
Agents in the United States
of America, although these
were the early models, I
presume, "we had in mind.
They are not experts or
specialists in any technical
field, although they have
to have a practical under-
standing of the principal
problems which arise in all
these fields, with a particular
(Continued on page 13)