Why is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ in spotlight nowadays?

Why is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ in spotlight nowadays?

The Sanskrit phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” is well known and has a deep meaning. In simple words, it means “The Earth Is One Family”. In the broader sense, the family will include not only all the human beings living on the earth but all the different species of flora and fauna and even the non-living things which we see around us. But why is this phrase the main focus nowadays? The phrase actually teaches us to see the whole world as one unity and to think of more cooperation in spite of conflict. The famous Bengali Indian poet and Nobel laureate; Rabindranath Tagore who wrote the National Anthem of India was a staunch supporter of Internationalism. He too believed that the whole world was one family. Thus, this is not a new idea in India. It is an age-old belief here that is inscribed in our nature. We have always cooperated with other nations of the world and helped others to grow and develop mutually.
Why is it in the new spotlight then?
This year the G20 summit is scheduled to be held in India. We feel it is a proud moment for all of us. The meet will be held from 9th to 10th September this year and its motive is ” One World, One Family, One Future” which is taken from the same Sanskrit phrase discussed above. For the first time in the whole history of the G20, such a grand meet is going to be held in a South Asian country which makes this meet so special event for us.
G20 is a group of 19 countries plus the European Union for International Economic cooperation and decision-making. It includes the world’s largest economies like the USA, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Saudi Arabia, India, etc. The cooperation of these ancient civilisations of the world is a must to make this world extreme poverty and hunger-free and more prosperous and happy. It is a well-known fact that our world can only prosper through cooperation and not conflict. The conflicts often lead to war which may only cause destruction and devastation all around. India has always given priority to cooperation in spite of confrontation. Following that age-old spirit we adopt and uphold this phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” believing that our world is one family. We all have to work for unity and only this unity shall lead to our earth’s bright future. The G20 also takes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations (UN) seriously. These goals include eradicating poverty and hunger in the whole world, working for the good health and well-being of all citizens worldwide, providing quality education to all students and promoting gender equality throughout the world, etc. These goals also give focus to “climate action.” Being responsible citizens it is our prime duty to protect our environment. Man is a part of the environment and he cannot live a quality life without the pure environment. Environmental pollution is a universal problem that we face universally and we have to address it unitedly.
Thus, the motive of “One World, One Family, One Future” is pregnant with loads of wisdom in it. The need of the hour is to sideline all the differences, treat all the superiority and the inferiority complexes, and work together to make this earth a better and more sustainable place of living for all of us.
Hilal Bukhari is a teacher at GHS Kralweth. Feedback at [email protected]

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