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Concept of Swaraj and Mahatma Gandhi : a Critical Analysis

Concept of Swaraj and Mahatma Gandhi : a Critical Analysis

October - 2015 Odisha Review

Concept of and Mahatma : A Critical Analysis

Dhananjaya Kumar Rout

INTRODUCTION: as a method for social change. He had a vision of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the Swaraj and his concept of Swaraj was just like greatest leader of the Indian independence Rajya or kingdom of God on the earth. 3 movement in British-ruled India. Employing non- During the period when Gandhi¶s violent , Gandhi led India to freedom movement acquired its mass base, he independence and inspired movements for civil again and again defined and explained the concept rights and freedom across the world.1 He is of Swaraj as the goal of freedom struggle, in popularly known as (father of nation) who terms of political, economic, social and moral dominated the national movement of India from rights of the downtrodden and exploited Indian 1919 to 1947. He was an masses. By Swaraj, he meant apostle of peace, non-violence freedom and self-rule which and was ardent follower of should be practiced at three or complete levels, independence.2 His message — In case of individual has a universal appeal which Swaraj, it is self-control or has profound influence on Swaraj of the self. humanity till now. On Gandhi¶s — In case of the country, it influence in Indian politics is the freedom of India from the Pandit wrote British clutch, and ³Gandhi¶s influence is not limited to those who agree with — In case of community him or accept him as national level, it is Gram Swaraj or leader, it extends to those who freedom of village. disagree with him and criticise The twentieth him, at a time of action and century marked with struggle when India¶s freedom widespread national is at stake they flock to him and look up to him as movement. It has been featured as a century of their inevitable leader´. Gandhian ideology was widespread democratic upsurge. The first half of an outcome of the synthesis of both moderate and the century started movement to overthrow the extremist thoughts. The different social and political colonialism in Afro-Asian countries due to works of the moderates and extremists did not liberation struggles. By that time, India witnessed worry as he considered politics a freedom movement. In that Mahatma Gandhi

16 Odisha Review October - 2015 had a pivotal role. He used non-violent direct an integral revolution that encompasses all spheres action as a technique of protest. The of life. ³At the individual level Swaraj is vitally Indian freedom movement led by Mahatma connected with the capacity for dispassionate self- Gandhi which used non-violent direct action assessment, ceaseless self-purification and Satyagraha as a technique of struggle, won growing swadeshi or self-reliance´.(5) From general acclaim for the pioneering role it played political point of view Swaraj is self-government in sharpening and hastening the process of and not good government . For Gandhi, good dismantling the classical forms of colonialism and government is no substitute for self-government. imperialism.4 The middle part of the century Swaraj means continuous effort to be witnessed post-colonial transformation in the independent of government control, whether it is newly independent Afro-Asian states. There was foreign government or whether it is national. a massive attempt for presumption of the states Furthermore, it is sovereignty of the people based as an effective mediator in improving the on pure moral authority. From economic point of conditions of the weaker and poorer sections of view Purna Swaraj is full economic freedom for people. For the purpose of ensuring social justice the toiling millions. According to Gandhi, and equality, the liberator of the oppressed wanted "Swaraj of the people meant the sum total of the to work ³an engine of growth and development Swaraj (self-rule) of individuals and so he that would usher in a new civil order based on clarified that for him Swaraj meant freedom for progress and prosperity and confer rights to life the meanest of his countrymen. And in its fullest and liberty, equality and dignity, on the people at sense, Swaraj is much more than freedom from large´.5 However the independent states faced all restraints, it is self-rule, self-restraint and could some disillusionment and demystification. The be equated with moksha or .´6 state initiated her expectations of the positive and Gandhiji had serious attention on how interventionist role. And the people presumed to realise Swaraj. He has pointed out that alliance between the state and the masses have ³Swaraj will not drop from the cloud and it would been completely belied. be the fruit of patience, perseverance, ceaseless CONCEPT OF SWARAJ: toil, courage and intelligent appreciation of the Mahatma Gandhi was a unique freedom environment´. He also observed that ³Swaraj fighter. The anti-colonial freedom struggle means vast organising ability, penetration into the launched by Gandhi for the liberation of India was villages solely for the services of the villagers, in unique from many points of views. That it was other words, it means national education i.e., predominantly a non-violent and his struggle for education of the masses´.7 In the Gandhian the liberation of India was based on non-violence. discourse, mass education is conscientisation, Gandhiji¶s role in freedom movement was mobilisation and empowerment, which makes multidimensional. He was not limited with one aim people capable and determines their power to only to end the British rule in India. Of course, stand up. He pointed out that, ³Real Swaraj will ending of British domination was his important come, not by the acquisition of authority but by agenda. His goals were greater and more the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist ambitious. One of his important goals was to authority when it is abused. In other words, achieve Swaraj, Purna Swaraj or complete Swaraj is to be attained by educating the masses independence. The word Swaraj means self-rule. to a sense of their capacity to regulate and control However, for Gandhi, Swaraj is the content of authority´.8

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Political liberty was an essential the people politically for it. But it was not prepared precondition of the Swaraj. It is the first step to to take up constructive work. So, Gandhiji realise the goal of Swaraj. For political founded voluntary organisations to carry out independence of the people Gandhi had valuable his constructive program. The All India Spinners contributions and for that he worked with and Association (AISA) and All India Village through the . Of course, Industries Association (AIVIA), the Harijan there were serious philosophical and ideological Sewak Sangh, the Leprosy Foundation etc., differences between Gandhi and other prominent are the best voluntary organisations. Through leaders of the Congress, particularly Jawaharlal these organisations, Gandhi launched a massive Nehru. Gandhiji visualised a model of Swaraj programme of rural reconstruction to empower and that model was developed and enunciated in the downtrodden people. These organisations his Hind Swaraj. It was his manifesto. But his were primarily stressed on social transformation strategy of Swaraj was unacceptable to Nehru through their voluntary actions at the grassroots and other Congress leaders. They dismissed it as level. Their thrust was mainly social. However it completely unreal. But his vision presented in does not mean that they were against political Hind Swaraj was ideal for the realisation of self- development. On the other hand, they developed rule and political independence. Even he had what later came to be known as people¶s politics devoted his life for that. He wanted to reconstruct and basic politics, which in turn helped in the India which was more essential to end the British stabilization of lokshakti or peoples¶ power. Of Colonial Rule in India.9 course, constructive workers were abstaining from India was a colonial nation. But British direct political struggles. But on crucial occasions domination was not the only form of subjugation Gandhi enlisted their services for political suffered by her. India was the victim of many mobilization. For instance, the seventy nine drawbacks which were her own making. For that volunteers of Gandhi in the Dandi team foreign colonialism may not be blamed. Hence were all constructive workers. When Gandhiji Gandhi wanted an internal reform mainly through launched the Individual Satyagraha there was the self-motivated voluntary action in the form of most prominent constructive worker Vinoba, constructive work. He dovetailed them into his whom he selected as the first Satyagrahi. Gandhi freedom movement. Swaraj of his dream was to had vision of constructive work as a training be built from grassroots level. For Gandhi it meant programmer for non-violent resisters or the elimination of all forms of domination, satyagrahies. He advocated the extensive use oppression, segregation and discrimination. The of constructive programme for preparing a Swaraj could eliminate the active use of non- favorable environment for launching violence. It could be achieved through the Satyagraha.10 economic regeneration of rural India through Gandhiji wanted to transfer the Congress programmers like the revival and propagation of from political organisation to a constructive work and other related villages industries. For organisation. He proposed to rename the translating these constructive programmers into Congress as Lok Sewak Sangh to mobilise the reality, organisations were necessary. In this regard people to work and struggle for Swaraj. the Indian National Congress had vital role. The However Congressmen of the party-political Congress was chiefly concerned with the question disposition had no heed to the advice of the of political independence. It believed in mobilising Mahatma. After Gandhi¶s assassination the

18 Odisha Review October - 2015 constructive workers, under the leadership of the same time enslaved to it. Hence he thought it , set up the Sarva Seva Sangh at necessary to evolve a mechanism to achieve the the national level and Mandals at the twin objectives of empowering the people and regional state levels to carry on Samagra Grama empowering the state. It was for this that he Seva(integrated village service) to fulfill the goal developed the two pronged strategy of resistance ofSwaraj. Subsequently two major non-violent to the state and reconstruction of the state through movements for socio-economic and political voluntary and participatory social action. revolution in India namely the Bhoodan- Socio-political growths in the post- Gramdan Movement under Vinoba and the Total colonial world paralleled with the Gandhian Revolution movement under Jayprakash forecast. The post-colonial Indian state started Narayanan were established under the aegis of showing signs of becoming authoritarian under the the Sarvodaya Movement. However it could be pretext of becoming an adequate instrument of observed that the constructive work organisations serving the people. Since erstwhile colonies had founded by Gandhi and the Sarvodaya Mandals to overcome their under- development due to and Sarva Seva Sangh are precursors and role colonial exploitation and develop in order to catch models of people¶s movement, Voluntary up with the west. Post-colonial societies were organisations and some of the Non-Government urged to give their states enormous power in every Organisations which are launched in various parts domain. There are struggles which held around a of India at present.11 variety of issues that are different but inter Gandhi had very clear ideas about the connected. The theatres of struggles are also role to be played by the constructive work equally varied. The actors are disparate and organisations. He had importance on the Lok sometimes even conflicting. At a glance, they Sevak Sangh in the reconstruction of India. He appear almost kaleidoscopic. But there are certain did not hesitate to use non-violent direct action characteristics that stand out. The most against the new government headed by Nehru. predominant, he supposes is the convergence and Gandhi made it unequivocally clear that mass alliance of actors in each struggle. Most of these Satyagraha was required to launch against the struggles are localised and single-issue based and landlords for persuading them to end their take place in remote and inaccessible places. oppression and exploitation for the historic Therefore during the early years of these struggles, struggle for justice. He criticised the state as the as the issues were not properly reported in the most organised and concentrated form of violence. media, the action groups found it difficult to hold He called it an impersonal entity, a soulless on against their adversaries who were formidable. machine that satisfied individuality, which lay at But as a result of organised and concerted effort the root of all progress. The state is that it is an the situation changed gradually. As the action instrument of serving the people. But Gandhi had groups could succeed in publicising the feared that in the name of molding the state into a seriousness of the problem and the consequences suitable instrument of serving people, the state thereof, most of the theatres of struggle now attract would abrogate the rights of the citizens and a chain of actors. At the base are, of course, the arrogate to itself the role of grand protector and direct and immediate victims, but on these demand abject acquiescence from them. This converge people from media, professionals like would create a paradoxical situation where the researchers, technologists, doctors, professors, citizens would be alienated from the state and at and human rights activists including lawyers and

19 October - 2015 Odisha Review also writers and theatre artistes, and students from People¶s Movements, though nothing concrete, different levels.12 Some of the fights have attracted capable of making a dent countrywide, has arisen support even from foreign. yet. But an important and crucial political question This kind of meeting of worried and hitherto ignored or marginalized by mainstream alerted people strained from dissimilar gaits of life political parties and political critics have been and numerous areas of concentration has assisted pushed into the vortex of modern political those at the base line of the deed to obtain discourse by the Actions. truthfully correct data and claim their case An important trend that has started additional methodically and persuasively. It has developing with the fights that effort to resist and also shaped a new sense of cohesion and group opposite globalisation is the rank given to positive evocative of the days of the historic anti-colonial activities, Act Groups that were concerned with fight. Freshly when a designated team of chiefly to anxiety and were betrothed in mobilising Satyagrahies of the N.B.A. obvious to do jail people only for fight, have achieved an alteration Samarpan, i.e. offering themselves as detriment in their location by joining positive work also into in the rising waters of the river Narmada and their praxis. There was a time when attention in declined to leave their post,, many sympathizers, and persistence on positive work was fleecy aside strained from several parts of the country, as a Gandhian fad, but now, the number of obtainable to drown with the Satyagrahies. And Actions and Groups that allocate a key role to they continued with them in neck deep waters the building up of models of other initiatives and defying the risk of being washed away by the structures, are on the increase as they have state-created flood. This is one of the oddest understood the substantive and planned meaning protests of harmony that can be read as a very of these programmers. The role of in comforting sign of hope by all those who stand these fights is of course a moot question. As and scrap for the superior common good. previously stated, while some actions and groups have openly spoken their condemnation of One of the significant consequences pacifism as a technique of fight, others have attained by the fights is that they prospered in emphasised the need to give up ferocity and starting a thoughtful dissertation and chat within option to non-violent means. Though these groups and among the Action Groups and People's do not follow to Gandhi¶s location on pacifism, Actions on another growth example. This has i.e., accepting pacifism as an article of faith and helped the Action Groups in insertion the whole creation in the central organizing code of life, they range of fights in viewpoint and in developing an are persuaded more than ever before that pacifism agreement on what is destined by maintainable has to be putative as perfect if a just social order development, the standards that motivate it, the is to be translated into reality. For them, fairness mechanisms that establish it and the practice that is vital worth and they know that ferocity in any would interpret it into repetition. The discourse form and in any grade quantities to a rejection of on other development model has thus tapering fairness. So, they emphasise peace, taking depressed the philosophical coldness between concord as one form and appearance of pacifism. actions. It has also highlighted the need to change It is really revealing of developing tendency other politics. Deliberations on various aspects among Act Groups of giving up fierce approaches of the developing people¶s politics which remains and slowly moving towards pacifism. Certain distinguished from party politics, are galore in organisations claim to be peaceful. However, a

20 Odisha Review October - 2015 dangerous spectator is forced to point out that References: theirs is not the pacifism of the courageous 1. Yasmin Khan (2007). ³The Great Partition: The visualised and established by Gandhi, but pacifism Making of India and .´ Yale University of the feeble.13 Press. p. 18. 2. B.L. Grover, Alka Mehta, ³A New Look at Modern People¶s movements and their fights have Indian History´, New Delhi, 2015, pp-334-335. been mostly situated in civil civilisation by social 3. J.L. Nehru, ³´, Bombay, experts.14 Civil civilisation has been progressive 1962, p-422. to deliver the theoretical framework to understand 4. Rajni Kothari, ³Masses Classes and the state³ in New Social Movements in the South, Empowering and assess people fights. It has been pointed out the people, ed. Ponna Wignaraja, Visataar that these fights are to be seen as part of an Publications, New Delhi, 1993, p. 61. attempt to make true civil society in which the 5. Ibid. p. 62. values of freedom and parity can be 6. M. P. Mathai, ³What Swaraj meant to Gandhi"´ knowledgeable by all its memberships. An earlier International workshop on Non-violent Struggles and dangerous look at Gandhi¶s idea of Swaraj in the Twentieth Century and their Lessons for the Twenty-first, October, 1999, New Delhi, will show that it can provide a more passable pp-1-5. theoretical device to find and assess the fights of 7. Ibid. See also M. K. Gandhi, ³´, June the burdened populates. As pointed out previous 28, 1928, p. 772. Gandhi¶s idea of Swaraj is a complete one and 8. Ibid. January 29, 1925, p. 41. See also M. P. Mathai, summarises the separate human person and life Op.cit. in an all-inclusive outline. It visualises the liberal 9. Neera Chandhoke, ³The Assertion of Civil Society against the State: The case of the Post- deliverance of all from all cruel structures and so Colonial World´ in People¶s Rights ed. can be equated with redemption. Manoranjan Mohanty, ³Social Movements in Conclusion: Creative Society: Of Autonomy and Interconnection in people¶s Rights´, New Delhi Thus, Gandhi¶s aim of totally implementing 1998, p. 32. the concepts of Swaraj in India was not achieved. 10. M. P. Mathai, Op.cit. The voluntary work organisations which he 11. Ibid. founded for this purpose did serve as precursors 12. Harsh Sethi,³Survival of Democracy: Ecological and role models for people¶s movements, Struggles in India´ in New Social Movements in voluntary organisations, and some of the non- the South, Empowering the people, Op. cit. See also his article, ³Action Groups in New Delhi ,1998, governmental organisations that were p.32. subsequently launched in various parts of India. 13. M. P. Mathai, Op.cit. Although the word Swaraj means self-rule, 14. Ibid. See also Rajni Kothari, Op.cit. Neera Gandhi gave it the content of an integral revolution Chandhoke, Op.cit. that encompasses all spheres of life, at the individual level Swaraj is vitally connected with the capacity for dispassionate self-assessment, ceaseless self-purification and growing self- reliance. Gandhi was undaunted by the task of implementing such a utopian vision in India. He Dhananjaya Kumar Rout, Lecturer in History, KIIT believed that by transforming enough individuals School of Social Sciences (KSSS), KISS. Campus-10, and communities, society at large would change. Bhubaneswar- 751024.

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