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On the Path of Mahatma Gandhi’s Teachings 143

Chicago through the Internet, why can’t a villager talk to his
friend in Washington using it? He should also get the benefit of
electricity. This is an attempt to fulfil Gandhiji’s dream.

I do not wish to talk about corruption. So much has been
said about it that words have lost their strength. My only
question is – Can we not eradicate corruption? I feel that the
ideals of Mahatma Gandhi have the potential to eradicate
corruption. A case in point is Gandhiji’s principle of trusteeship.
If we had followed the path of Gandhiji since independence,
this principle of trusteeship would have been the backbone of
society. We would have been able to save society from the
corruption, which ruins society like termites. The State
Government has tried to apply this principle and got miraculous
results, which I want to draw your attention to. At the time of
post-earthquake rehabilitation work, our education department
entrusted the job of constructing school rooms to committees
of local villagers. They were provided with plans and funds
according to estimates and given the total responsibility of
making the rooms such that children could begin studying again
and leave the impact of the earthquake behind. These
committees were given funds on the principle of trusteeship.
You will be happy to know that the rooms built were stronger
and bigger than originally intended. Where needed, villagers
donated parts of their own land, some even carried out physical
labour and got the rooms ready much earlier than the schedule
time. Not only had this but the villagers returned crores of
rupees to the government, which is a first in independent India.
This was possible only due to Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of
trusteeship and is a wonderful example of what can be achieved
by applying this principle.

The very thought that life has capability is powerful. Few
follow this, but if we try to convey this to the public without
any hypocrisy, it has the potential to bring about change. Faith
is very important – faith brings success.

We have been raised quite differently from people in other
countries of the world. Our ancestors grew up amidst nature in
the age of Rishis and Munis. We spent our formative years