Gandhian View of 'Swaraj' PDF

# GANDHIAN VIEW OF 'SWARAJ' Rajkumar Prasad Dinesh Kumar Gandhi's concept of 'Swaraj' was not intellectual but practical. In this concept, he explained his idea of a state and a successful government. It touches all aspects of our life - political, economic, social and spiritual. Here he viewe...

# GANDHIAN VIEW OF 'SWARAJ' Rajkumar Prasad Dinesh Kumar Gandhi's concept of 'Swaraj' was not intellectual but practical. In this concept, he explained his idea of a state and a successful government. It touches all aspects of our life - political, economic, social and spiritual. Here he viewed democracy in the overall perspective of crisis in modern civilization which according to him, was no longer "governed by moral principle, and whose marvelous genius of discovery and intention is monstrously distorted towards its own ruin." Roman Roland, therefore regards Gandhi as a new incarnation of Rousseau and Tolstoy, denouncing the illusions and the crime civilization and preaching to men the return to nature, to the simple life. Gandhi describes the liberal democratic concept that "the power of man is his ability to command the services of others" because this leads to the "enslavement of man by temptations of money and of luxuries that money can buy." The power of common man lies in his potentiality for development based on the essential identity of all. This is the core of "Gandhian democracy growing from within, and not an imposition from above." Gandhi said, "The state itself represents violence in a concentrated and organized form". Hence, increase in the power of the state is an anti democratic idea today because if the state uses more and more violence, "it will be caught in the coils of violence, itself and fail to develop non-violence at any time. In fact, the modern state faces a paradox of power that is more of power, less of individual freedom and democracy. Besides, power also corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The state has grown and individuals have suffered. The socialist state tends to more than a Leviathan, the idea of a transitional dictatorship is a myth. A people can choose a dictator, they cannot order him to abdicate." The welfare state with ever increasing responsibilities has terribly strengthened its grip over the individuals and in the marriage between capitalism and democracy, capitalism becomes more important than democracy. It is often caught in the coils of counter-violence. Violence may destroy one or more bad rulers, but never all. Hence, suppression of violence is like moving in a circle. Hence, the practical solution is decentralization because "Centralization cannot be sustained and defended without adequate force." The dilemma of politics persists: Either it must evolve a non-violent decentralized polity or remain in the clutches of violence. Hence, Gandhi advocated the theory of the least government following Thoreau's diction - "That government is the best which governs the least." Gandhi knows that "nowhere in the world does a state without Government exist. Hence, Gandhi gave the idea of grass-root democracy when power belongs to the people at grass-root. He wanted the direct participation of the people in development and administration. The bottom and base will be widened and people's power will be strengthened. The higher and apex bodies will not be burdened with such multifarious power as they are today. It will serve more like a coordinating machine and as the custodian of residual powers to act with explicit direction from the bottom. Hence, there will be lesser lust of power." Gandhi's concept of power decentralization described as "Oceanic Circle" consists in control of the above from the bottom. With the result that interference with the freedom of the people is reduced to a minimum. That is "a nation that runs its affairs smoothly and effectively without much state interference is truly democratic. Where such condition is absent "the form of government is democratic in name."" It means that the "State should govern the least and use the lowest amount of forces." To preserve liberty, however, citizens must delegate power to governments to guard against anyone who transgresses the moral law. Thus liberty and authority are held in state of creative tension. In Britain, Locke argued a similar case. Liberty in a social context was not absolute. It was restricted within the framework of a civil society of which government was a necessary part." In short the common Anglo-American liberal democratic constitutional thought is Dr. Rajkumar Prasad, Head, Department of Political Science, G. B. College, Naugachia (Bihar) Dr. Dinesh Kumar JRF (UGC), Faculty of Philosophy, G. B. College, Naugachia (Bihar) ## The Indian Journal of Political Science Wrapped in a commitment to the fundamental ideas of individual liberty.12 But the value of liberty without equality is incomplete. And equality to be meaningful must not merely political but also social and economic equality. The western democracy has faltered and fallen short of its goal. If individuals carve masse to this clip-raved taste for equality, individual liberty is jeopardized. To promote the idea of equality, governments are ceded the authority to limit successively individual freedoms in the name of conformity. This puts a democratic dilemma". The more equality, the less liberty and the vice-versa." Western representative/parliamentary democracy is based on party system. The debate continues whether elected representative are the spokesmen for particular interest or for the national interest. They represent the programmes of the political party and national interest is subjugated before the party interest. The cabinet has achieved defecto control over the legislature in practice because the government represents and leads the majority party in parliament. Infact, in the name of democracy, run by the "government of the people", it is done by a party or party bosses. Therefore it is veiled autocracy. So Gandhi says, "The Western democracy is only so called. It is diluted fascism and Nazism".14 There is many defects in parliamentary democracy, like being a costly joy of the nation", "Prime Minister being more concerned about power than about the welfare of parliament, and also" open to subtler influences", "bringing people with honours", having "neither real honesty nor a living conscience", bewilderment of voters through dishonest press" and other means of media, lack of interest of the members of the parliament in actual business of the House, reducing the people to mere "rubber stamp". Gandhi therefore, has compared it to sterile women". 15 Many of the Western thinkers will agree with the spirit of Gandhian criticism. Gandhi wanted not a representative but a participatory democracy, a people's democracy. It is interesting to note that Gandhi had prepared a constitution for the princely state of Andhra when the ruler decided to give self-government to his people in 1938. Gandhi called it participatory democracy at the grass root level.15 ### Economic Swaraj: One of Gandhi's basic principles is that the "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed". Whereas mainstream economics makes the common man completely helpless in the matter of production and distribution of resources, Gandhi visualized an alternative through the system of swaraj. According to Gandhi, "True economics never militates against the highest ethical standard, just as all true ethics, to be worth its name, must at the same time, be also good economics... True economics stands for social justice; it promotes the good of all equally, including the weakest, and is indispensable for decent life..."16 The components of swaraj are based on two independent variables, psychology and ethics. Since resources are scarce, production cannot be increased indefinitely. The psychology of affluence is an irrational phenomenon. The basic principles of economic activity are based on needs and not on affluence. The goal of swaraj brings limits to human wants. What are the ingredients of economic swaraj? First, Gandhi gave adequate importance to the traditional sector. Two, villages must get more importance than cities. The effectiveness of economic swaraj can be tested by the application of the following seven criteria: - Eradication of poverty and minimization of affluence; - Self-sufficiency of every unit in basic needs; - Identification of basic human needs and their fulfilment; - Agro-centric economy as the basis to create an economy of permanence; - Need-based production as far as possible through small-scale units; - Check on distortions through basic education and skill formation; and - Curtailment of concentration of economic power. ### Swadeshi: According to the principle of swadeshi, whatever is made or produced in the village must be used first and foremost by the members of the village. Trading among villages, and between villages and towns, should be minimal. Goods and services that cannot be generated from within the community can be bought from elsewhere. Swadeshi avoids economic dependence on external market forces that could make the village community vulnerable. It also avoids unnecessary, unhealthy, wasteful and environmentally destructive transportation. The village must build a strong economic base to satisfy most of its needs and all members of the village community should give priority to local goods and services. In countries practicing swadeshi, economics would have a place, but would not dominate society. Both economics and politics should not simply be concerned with material things, but should be the means to the fulfillment of cultural, spiritual and religious ends. In fact, economics should not be separated from the deep spiritual foundations of life. For Gandhi, a machine civilization was no civilization. A society in which workers had to labor at a conveyor belt, in which animals were treated cruelly in factory farms and in which economic activity necessarily lead to ecological devastation, could not be conceived of as a civilization. ### Trusteeship: Gandhi's idea of Trusteeship arose from his faith in the law of non-possession. It was founded on his religious belief that everything belonged to God and was from God. Therefore the bounties of the world were for His people, as a whole, not for any particular individual. When an individual had more than his respective portion, he became a trustee of that portion for God's people. If this principle could be imbibed by people in general, Trusteeship would become a legalized institution. Gandhi wished it to become a gift from India to the world. Basically, Gandhi suggested this concept as an answer to the economic inequalities of ownership and income, a kind of non-violent way of resolving all social and economic conflicts prevalent in the world. Therefore, man's dignity, and not his material prosperity, is the centre of Gandhian economics. Gandhian economics aims at a distribution of material prosperity, keeping only human dignity in view. Thus it is dominated more by moral values than by economic ideas. According to Gandhi, Trusteeship is the only ground on which he can work out an ideal combination of economics and morals. In concrete form, the Trusteeship formula reads as follows: - Trusteeship provides a means of transforming the present capitalist order into an egalitarian one. - It does not recognize any right of private ownership of property, except so far as it may be permitted by society for its own welfare. - It does not exclude legislation of the ownership and use of wealth. - Under State-regulated Trusteeship, an individual will not be free to hold or use his wealth for selfish satisfaction, in disregard of the interests of society. - Just as in the case of a decent minimum living wage, a limit should be fixed for the maximum income that would be allowed to any person in society. The difference between such minimum and maximum incomes should be reasonable and equitable and variable from time to time, so much so that the tendency should be towards the obliteration of the difference. - Under such an economic order, the character of production will be determined by social necessity and not by personal greed. As man advances from a narrow sphere of personal satisfaction to the nobler concept of the welfare of all, he marches closer towards self-realization. The whole idea of possessing wealth only to guard it from being misused and to distribute it equitably, aims at protecting human dignity. If it is possessed for any other objective, it is objectionable on moral grounds. Gandhi enjoins this moral obligation on the part of the trustees, as he is fully aware of the ills of capitalism which widen the gap between the rich and the poor. The Gandhian concept of Trusteeship departs significantly from Marxian economic philosophy too. If Marxism is the child of the Industrial Revolution, Gandhian theory can be understood only in the context of certain basic spiritual values of the Indian tradition. Marxian socialism aims at the destruction of the class called capitalists, whereas the Gandhian approach is not to destroy the institution, but to reform it. Gandhian socialism, being ethical, is different from Marxian socialism. Man to Gandhi, is an ethical being first and a social being later. ### Conclusion: This thesis deeply discusses the Gandhi's concept of 'SWRAJ' in democratic and economic approach. According to Gandhi, respect for the individual is the moral basis of democracy. Democracy is also an institution, and therefore, it is liable to be abused also but there is no alternative to democracy. If these can be any alternative, that will be to have better democracy, " then democracy is not only a governmental or a political concept but also a way of life. The democratic state will govern the least and use the least amount of force, * this will be mostly self-governed which means continuous effort to be independent of government control as far as possible. The test of the strength of democracy his in greater importance to duties than to rights. Every right is the right to do one's duty. "The true source of right is duty." People who obtain rights as a result of performance of duty, exercise them only for the service of society, never for themselves. Infect, in forms of Economic Swaraj, Swadeshi and Trusteeship he provided the solutions of Today's problem years ago, particularly for unemployment. Not there is a desperate need is to consider Gandhi's view to solve the Today's problems and make the country free from the problems like poverty, unemployment and others problems spreaded by Globalization. ## References 1. Roland, R. "Homage from a Man of the West to Gandhi", Mahatma Gandhi, (ed) S. Radhakrishnan, Bombay: Jaico Publishing House, 1956, p. 197. 2. Ibid., p. 198. 3. Gandhi, M.K.; Hind Swaraj. Navjivan Press, Ahamedabad 1938, p. 35. 4. Rothermund, I. "Hind Swaraj and the Idea of Democracy", Hind Swaraj: A Fresh Look, (ed) N. Prasad, Delhi, Gandhi Peace Foundation, 1985, p. 130. 5. Gandhi, M.K; Modern Review, 1935, p. 142. 6. Gandhi, M.K., Narayan, J.P.; A Plea for Reconstruction of Indian Polity, p. 38. 7. Datta, Amlan; For Democracy, Calcutta, Prachi Prakashan, 1953. 8. Gandhi, M.K.; Harijan, 30.12.39. 9. Ibid. 15.09.46 10. Singh, Dr. Ramjee; Gandhi's Concept of Democracy. 11. Gandhi, M.K.; Harijan, 11.01.1936. 12. Ropar, J.; Democracy and its Critics, London, Unwin Hyman, 1968, p. 4. 13. Singh, Dr. Ramjee; opit. 14. Ibid. 15. Rottarmund, Indira; The Aundh Experiment: A Gandhian Constitution at Work, Bombay, 1984. 16. M.K. Gandhi in 'Harijan'dt. 9th October 1937. 17. Singh, Dr. Ramjee; opit. 18. Gandhi, M.K.; Young India, III, p. 560. 19. Ibid., II. p. 479. 20. Gandhi, M.K.; Harijan, 25.3.39