SYSTEMS | Extractivism Alternatives

Satish Kumar on Peace, Nature, and Schumacher College (3 of 4)

In this four-part interview, Satish Kumar shares his views on peace, our relationship with nature, and what led him to found Schumacher College in 1991. Among those who inspire him are Vinoba Bhave, Mahatma Gandhi, Bertrand Russell, and E.F. Schumacher.

Satish Kumar shares with Kakoli Mitra how Indian and British thinkers and changemakers inspired him. A short time after leaving the Jain monkhood at the age of 18, Mr. Kumar began working with Vinoba Bhave, widely known as an advocate of nonviolence and human rights and for the Bhoodan (land-gifting) movement in India, begun in 1951. Guided by the examples and teachings of both Vinoba Bhave and Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Kumar learned the importance of being connected to nature and the environment. As Mr. Kumar explains it, Gandhi lived and taught with an emphasis on creativity, culture, and enjoyment, not just earning money. Culture is where human imagination is nurtured and how humans become happy, not through material things. Inspired by Bertrand Russell — a pacifist who championed anti-imperialism — and guided by Vinoba Bhave, Mr. Kumar embarked on a peace walk in 1962 from India to the capitals of those countries that had nuclear bombs (Moscow, Paris, Washington, D.C., London). On this 8,000 mile journey that took two and a half years, he saw the disparity in the human condition and realized that peace is not just about eliminating the nuclear bomb, but about being able to live in peace within ourselves, in society, and within nature. As Mr. Kumar witnessed the poor condition of humans and animals alike, he understood the need to eliminate injustice for all life forms; his idea of peace broadened.

author Satish Kumar (he), a peace pilgrim, life-long activist, and former Jain monk, has been an advocate for global change for over 60 years. In his ecology-rooted work, he is inspired by Vinoba Bhave, Mahatma Gandhi, and E.F. Schumacher.
author_affiliation South Asia | Rajasthan
residence United Kingdom
organizational Schumacher College