INTRODUCTION

Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule is composed by M.K. Gandhi. It is written in a

conversational form between the Reader and the Editor of a journal/ newspaper. This book
was originally written in his native language, Gujarati. However, the British banned the
publication of Gujarati edition as it was an inciting text. Gandhi ji then went on to translate it
into English. The English edition was then published as according to the British the book
would have barely little impact on the English-speaking Indians. Hind Swaraj mainly deals
with two issues. The first is a critique of modern civilization and the other one being the
nature and structure of Indian Swaraj and the methods and techniques to accomplish it.
Gandhi Ji has also described in this book the English educational system as ‘false education’.
He has tried to define the meaning of true swaraj. In fact, it was Gandhi Ji who put forward
the combined nature of Indian nationalism. This book presents the broad figure of an
alternative society as a new civilizational framework in a rudimentary form.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK

Hind Swaraj is written in a dialogic form between the Reader and the Editor
(here Gandhi Ji). This conversation had taken place when there was a home rule
wave going on in India. Everyone wanted National Independence. A similar
situation could be seen in South Africa as well. The book begins with the
Reader asking the Editor to explain his views about the call for Indian home -
rule. The Editor replied by explaining that the answer to this question involved
all three of his goals as a newspaper editor: to understand the popular feeling
and to give an expression to it, to arouse among people certain desirable
sentiments and to fearlessly expose popular defects. He further continued to say
that the National Congress was formed out of a desire for home – rule, however
the reader pointed out that the young India seemed to ignore the Congress and
considered it as a puppet of the British. The editor replied to this by mentioning
how the Congress’s founders, both Indian and English, dedicated all their lives
to the cause of home rule, angry upon hearing this, the reader replied that this is
irrelevant – especially the part about Englishmen. The editor then tells the
reader that he lacks patience which is a necessary element to properly rule
oneself. He further went on to argue that Congress’s founders one of them being
an influential scholar and statesman Dadabhai Naoroji, who seriously advanced
the idea of home rule (Swaraj), even though he was working for the English
government, needs to be respected by all Indians. The editor when asked about
how the Congress created the foundation for home-rule replied that the
Congress managed to bring together all kinds of Indians and developed the idea
of a truly unified, independent and self-governing Indian nation.

According to the editor, it was the Partition of Bengal in 1905, which sparked the home rule
moment. Indians began demanding a reunited Bengal and they started to think of India as a
single united nation. The Swadeshi movement began, protests started to take place. The
Indians began to confront the British bravely and fearlessly. The spirit of nationalism started
to spread faster throughout India. However, Congress was also expanding and further got
divided into moderate and extremist groups.

The reader further goes on to ask the editor if he condones the unrest that followed the
Partition of Bengal. The editor replied by comparing the awakening that was occurring in
India at that time to a person waking up from sleep: how they would stretch, shake their limbs
so that they can fully wake up. The unrest that was taking place in India was an expression of
Indians’ discontent with the English rule, and it would continue as long as that discontent
exists.

The reader and the editor move on to discuss Swaraj, which is defined by people in numerous
ways. Now, the editor asked the reader whether he thought of Swaraj as simply “driving the
English out of India,”, to which he replied yes: the English men should go and they should
provide the government to Indians. The reason was obvious: England not only stole India’s
money and resources, it also enslaved its people and treated them like animals. The editor
went on to ask what would happen if the English stopped being so cruel and evil, but the
reader replied that would never happen. The editor asked if India should follow Canada or
South Africa, but the reader said it wouldn’t matter, all India needs is a strong army. The
editor then concluded that the reader is asking for “English rule without Englishmen”, to
which the reader replied that Indians should start copying England, who are strong and
independent. The editor went on to say that he absolutely disagrees, but it would take
him some time to fully explain his thoughts on Swaraj.

The editor argued that India shouldn’t copy England, which is in a despicable state. The
Parliament of England is like a sterile woman and a prostitute. Similar to a sterile woman, it
doesn’t produce anything. The parliamentarians there act out of self-interest and don’t follow
through on their promises, they vote on the basis of party and not reason. The Parliament is
like a prostitute because it continuously changes its allegiances and aims. The Prime
Ministers over there bribe others with power and status. The reader asked what the editor
thought of the English people. The editor replied that they read newspapers regularly
however, the newspapers were politically biased and dishonest. The main virtue of English
people was that they would never let anyone conquer them. He blamed England’s failures on
modern civilization.

The editor was then asked about civilization. He said even if most people instinctively defend
their civilization, there are many English writers who notice the barbaric qualities in their
civilization. The main feature of industrial or modern civilization is that it considers “bodily
welfare” as the main goal in life. Europeans constantly try to build better and evolve.
However, modern civilizations technology also enslaves people, the wealthy people force
others to work for them. Civilization has made Europeans isolated, exhausted and miserable.
However, the editor believes that this can be cured.

According to Gandhi ji, under the British rule India turned into an ‘irreligious’ country. He
expresses that technological advancements and industrialization like development of
railways, industries, new professions like that of lawyers, doctors have only resulted in
making India poor. He argues that these higher people have just managed to point out these
Hindu – Muslim disputes and helped the British to consolidate their position. In the end he
compares, this critique of modern civilization to an Upas tree which is a poisonous plant that
destroys all life around it. For Gandhi ji the main objective of education was to bring our
senses under control and to imbibe ethical behavior in our life. He states that it is swaraj
when we learn to rule ourselves. He explained the symbiotic relationship between swaraj as
‘self-rule’ of individual Indians and Swaraj as the home-rule or self-government for the
Indian people. He focused on the use of soul force on the basis of ‘relative truth’. People of
different religious background would continue to make their own nation unless and until we
maintain the principle of non – interference in one another’s religion. Gandhi ji believed that
ancient Indian civilization fitted the bill for being the true civilization. He accepted that at
present modern India is moving away from these old values.

RELEVANCE OF THE IDEOLOGIES IN THE BOOK

I honestly feel that the essential portion of the Hind Swaraj and the arguments contained in it
so far as the true meaning of Swaraj is concerned, is as relevant or perhaps more relevant
today than it was a hundred years ago when this book was written by Gandhi Ji. The youth of
the present generation has barely any idea about the ideologies of Gandhi Ji and the kind of
Swaraj he wanted to set up in India. Gandhi Ji’s views have been expressed very nicely in
this book. However, those views have remained unnoticed and have not been given much
importance by both the rulers of Independent India as well as by the scholars. Gandhi Ji has
anticipated some of the terrible consequences of modern civilization much clearly than most
of his fellow people could do. E.g., Problems of climate change as well as ecological
imbalances. In this book, he has criticized the western culture, obsession for machinery, self-
centered attitude of lawyers with regard to their disputes and litigations or of doctors in
performing their jobs from a social, ethical, religious as well as a spiritual point of view. Hind
Swaraj ensures the marginalization of millions, how they become the victims of domination,
and how the exploitation of power takes place. It gives a request for ‘sweat, blood, patience
and perseverance’. In this book, Gandhi ji has also mentioned how the British system of
education taught the good of hatred, violence and war, fought with sequentially deadlier and
very destructive weapons, provided to them by modern science and technology. Gandhi ji has
also defined self-government or home-rule from an ethical point of view, as not just driving
away the Britishers from India but also substituting them by administrators of India and
establishing a Parliamentary democracy but with citizens having control of themselves, as
self-rule. In Gandhi Ji’s life Swaraj literally meant self-control in an ethical, spiritual and
religious sense. The only right way to right a wrong is Satyagraha, a passive resistance, which
has attracted worldwide recognition. Gandhi ji did not tolerate any doubt that India must
progress according to his own thoughts and ancient culture. He rather planned for a
progressive economic system that could lead to greater prosperity without sacrificing the
qualities of simplicity and higher values of life. This book could be read as an everlasting
work that could be subjected to new interpretations to be suitable for the changing needs of
time. Hence, as long as mankind continues to seek a better, meaningful social life, Hind
Swaraj will always have its relevance.
 CONCLUSION

It can be concluded that in Hind Swaraj Gandhi Ji has anticipated some of the disastrous
consequences of modern civilization much clearly than most of his fellow men could do. And
the following historical developments can confirm rather than conflict some of his worst
deductions and concerns. One of them being the problem of climate change as well as
ecological imbalance. On a much deeper level, his views expressed in this book regarding
man, society and nature have rather been proved over the time. The aimless and unsystematic
use of technological and scientific revolution has led to a lot of problems. History is a witness
to Gandhi’s formulation that unrestricted use of technology results in concentration of power
in a few hands. This book has not only mentioned the problems but has also tried to offer an
alternative to them which is creditable. It is based on studies, reflection and action of the
general of an unarmed army trying to take over the mightiest power on the Earth. Overall, it
could be read as an everlasting work.