GANDHISM

Gandhism

Gandhism is the name of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), Indian social and moral philosopher.
His social and political thought is compendiously described as Gandhism. He didn't write any treatise
of his philosophy. His thoughts are scattered in a large number of notes and pamphlets as well in
his Autobiography (“ My Experiments with Truth”). He denied the existence of Gandhism. With
passing time the relevance of Gandhian thought is being in almost all walks of life. This proves that
Gandhism has not only its distinct identity, it is also a full fledged world view. That precisely forms
the basis of Gandhism.

According to Professor Humayun Kabir, Gandhi was not a philosopher but a strategist. More
than a philosopher, he was a psychologist. He understood mass psychology. Hence Gandhi emerged
as the most successful mass leader. There is a transition in Gandhi. Gandhi also moved towards
spirituality. From a master strategist, he became Mahatma. According to Bipin Chandra Gandhi was
a psychologist, a master strategist and an exceptional politician.

NATURE OF HIS IDEOLOGY

• Social and political ideologies of Gandhiji are multidimensional. His political philosophy was a
deep-seated departure from the past in the sense that it was neither constitutional loyalist of
the Moderates nor extremism of the revolutionary terrorists.
• In his speech of Indian nationalism, he sought to incorporate the emergent constituencies of
nationalist politics that remained peripheral in the past era.
• Gandhi was the only effective nationalist leader who truly attempted to go beyond the class
conflicts by creating a method which for the first time, brought about the national aggregation
of an all India character. His social and political ideas were the consequence of his serious
engagement with issues reflective of India's peculiar socio-economic circumstances.
• Uniqueness of Gandhian movements was that Gandhi concurrently launched movements not
only against British rule but also against the terrible social structures, customs, norms and
values, justified in the name of India's ancient traditions.
• Gandhian thought is therefore neither purely political nor absolutely social but a complex
combination of the two.

SOURCES OF GANDHI’S WRITINGS

• Gandhi’s moral-political ideas can be found in his books as well as in his articles, letters and
editorials in the four weekly journals, which he edited or published at different times during his
public life in South Africa and India.
• These weekly journals were: Indian Opinion, Young India, Harijan, and Navajivan. Gandhi’s
books, some of which were first serialised in his journals, were: Hind Swaraj, Satyagraha in South
Africa, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Ashram Observances in Action, A Guide to
Health, Discourses on the Gita and Constructive Programme.

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• Gandhi’s writings were produced, not in any academic setting, but in the midst of actual
political struggles by huge masses of people against racial discriminations, colonialism, economic
exploitation, untouchability and communalism.
• Gandhi led those struggles in South Africa (1893-1914) and India (1915-1948). He also
campaigned for them during several visits to England, where, incidentally, he had studied for
and passed the bar-at-law examination. He did some of his writing on his days of silence and
fasting and during several terms of imprisonment in South Africa and India.

Some of the influences which shaped Gandhian thought are as follows:

• Religious text: Bhagwat Geeta, Ramayana, Buddhist and Jain text, Bible and Koran.
• Leo Tolstoy’s book Kingdom of God is within you
• John Ruskin’s book Unto This Last
• Western scholars like Socrates, Plato and Rousseau
• In his autobiography MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH Gandhi writes that the drama King
Harishchandra had deep impact on his personality since childhood.

PROMINENT IDEAS OF GANDHISM

• Views on Truth and Non-Violence
• Views in religion
• Views on Satyagraha
• Views on Swaraj
• Views on Sarvodaya/Doctrine of trusteeship
• Views in western civilization
• Views on rights and duties
• Views on state
• Views on education
• Views on women
• Views on politics and ethics

Views on truth and non-violence

Devotion to truth is an essence of gandhism .But the discovery of truth is as difficult as finding
God himself. Gandhi accorded God and truth as inseparable variables. Service to the downtrodden is
a way to serve God. In this respect he had wrote in Harijan (1939)
“I recognize no God except the God that is found in the heart so dumb millions. They don't recognise
His presence ; I do. And I worship the God that is truth or truth which is God, through the service of
these millions.”

Non-violence is also the pursuit of truth. It refers to abstinence from violence in one’s
behaviour towards other living beings. This is the negative side of nonviolence. On the positive side ,
it implies love for all. He advocated love for all including one’s haters. According to Gandhiji even the
intention of harming someone is equivalent to violence itself. He said that even the act of spreading
atmospheric pollution and damaging public health amounts to violence. Hence the principle of
violence embraces all rules of good citizenship and human decency.
Nonviolence is not the resort of the weak but rather the power of the strong. It has its genesis
in firm adherence to truth. Fight for Justice with firm faith in truth results in a change of heart of the
opponent. Hence spiritual force wins over physical force. Gandhi’s technique of struggle against the
mighty British empire was thoroughly based on the principle of nonviolence. This further gave rise to
methods like civil disobedience and satyagraha. His doctrines of trusteeship and vision of classless
society were also the manifestations of this adherence to truth and non-violence.

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Views on religion
• He was genuinely a religious man. This standpoint shaped his political ideas, his economic ideas
and his view of society. However, the religious approach that he absorbed was significantly
different from the conventional view of religion. He accepted the inner oneness of all existence
in the cosmic spirit, and saw all living beings as representatives of the everlasting divine
reality.
• Gandhiji believed that man's ultimate goal in life was self- realisation. According to him, Self-
realisation meant seeing God face to face, i.e., realising the absolute truth or, knowing oneself.
He believed that it could not be attained unless man identified himself with the whole of
mankind. This necessarily involved participation in politics. He expressed his firm faith in the
spiritualization of politics.
• In his autobiography, Gandhiji stated that self-realisation required self-purification as its ethical
foundation. Men's moral life flows from such a search into this oneself and expresses itself in
outward activity of fellowship and concern to others. This moral outlook is a mainstay of
Gandhiji's political viewpoint. According to Gandhiji, the moral discipline of the individual is the
most important means of social construction.
• In Gandhi’s view the essence of all religions was identical. The God of Hindus is not different
from the God of Muslims. No religion was superior or inferior to others. Religious tolerance was
the keynote of social harmony. For him adherence to religion was a part of the pursuit of truth.

Gandhiji and his moral principles:

- Truth
- Non-violence
- Non-stealing
- Non possession
- Celibacy
The adherence of these moral principles would purify man and enable him to strive after self-
realisation.

Views on Satyagraha:
Satyagraha is a means or strategy adopted by Gandhi in his struggles. It is formed from two
Sanskrit words that are Satya (truth) and Agraha (adherence). It is based on the foundational
principles of Gandhism.
1) Non-violence.
2) Ends and means.

Gandhi had first adopted this technique in South Africa. He defined satyagraha as the conflict
between good and evil. The Indian freedom struggle was not an ordinary struggle. It was a fight
between good and evil. The British state represented evil whereas the Indian represented good.
Devotion to truth is the essence of Gandhism. In Gandhi’s view, God and truth are inseparable.
Devotion to God can be carried out through devotion to his creation, particularly through the service
to the down-trodden.

Satyagraha is defined as a method of using soul force over brute force through self suffering, that
would secure the change in the heart of the opponent and would depart from the path of injustice.
He had employed both mass and individual Satyagraha.
Satyagraha is practised at two levels that is
• At the individual level that leads to moral upliftment
• At the political level that leads to Swaraj.

Gandhi made a difference between satyagraha and passive resistance.

Passive resistance as a concept was given by Thoreau. In the Indian context advocated by
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Aurobindo. Gandhi was in the habit of giving new meanings to the existing terms. According to
Gandhi, in passive resistance:
a) Person is not using violence because he thinks that the strategy of violence may not be
appropriate in a given context.
b) In passive resistance a person thinks the other person against whom passive resistance is
applied as his enemy.
But for a satyagrahi, non-violence is an act of faith; it is not a matter of choice. For satyagrahi,
there is no enemy – satyagraha is against the evil and not against the evil-doer.

According to Gandhiji, if someone becomes my enemy then the onus lies on the individual to
take the responsibility. Certain acts of the individual might have provoked the other person to turn
out into his enemy, hence the individual has to take the responsibility to solve the problem. Hence
satyagrahi has to make the sacrifice. Sacrifice is possible only when there is a feeling of love. It
means one should love his enemy only then one can follow satyagraha.

Satyagraha has a psychological effect on the opponent that makes him realise his fault. It is in
acquaintance with Leo Tolstoy’s method. Not only this, it also allows the opponent to put forward
his own viewpoint. It implies a paralegal method of registering a peaceful protest. Bhikhu Parekh has
identified three areas where Gandhi has used soul force over brute force. They are:
• Racial discriminiation in South Africa
• British rule in India
• Ugly social practices prevailing in India

Further Martin Luther King was inspired by the Satyagraha technique. In this respect he has
opined that “ Christ furnished the spirit and motivation , while Gandhi furnished the method “.

Philosophy behind Satyagraha

Satyagraha is the battle of good and evil and as a result ends and means have continuity.
Further satyagraha is the weapon of the strong and not the weak. Satyagraha was not to be
confused with weakness. He preferred to choose violence over cowardice .

Gandhi recommends following below steps in a satyagraha:

• Negotiation and arbitration.
• Preparation of the group for direct action- exercise in self-discipline.
• Agitation that includes demonstrations such as mass meetings, parades, and slogan-shouting.
• Issuing an ultimatum.
• Economic boycott and forms of strike- picketing, dharna, non-violent labour strike and
• General strike.
• Non-cooperation.
• Civil disobedience.
• Usurping the functions of the government.

Scope of the application of Satyagraha

Gandhi believed that satyagraha can be applied in all spheres of life from personal to
political. Gandhi started his technique of satyagraha in South Africa, kept on modifying the
techniques,perfecting them. Gandhi proposed mass satyagrahas as well as individual satyagrahas.
Satyagraha is the application of non-violence. Non-violence is the characteristic of humans.
According to Gandhi, one cannot degrade the other human being without degrading himself first.
When we use violence, we first degrade ourselves.

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Goal of Satyagraha
Gandhiji was a great politician. Hence, he preferred giving larger than life goals to whatever he
was doing. He elevated the spirit of freedom of freedom struggle by acquiring it the name of
satyagraha. It came to be fought under the veil of Dharma Yudh. His main purpose was to
communicate to the populace that as they were fighting for truth, so Indians are bound to win.

VIEWS ON SWARAJ
It is defined as the Indian version of liberty. Aurobindo Ghosh, was the first person to
interpret swaraj in terms of complete freedom from the foreign rule rather than dominion status.
Aurobindo also spiritualized the concept of swaraj. According to Aurobindo, the real meaning of
freedom is ‘inner freedom’, the realisation of the law of our being. The concept of freedom has to
be compatible with the peace and harmony in the society.

Gandhi’s swaraj is inspired by Aurobindo. Gandhi has further expanded its meaning. Gandhi’s
swaraj was also based on the ideas of Mundaka Upanishad. As per Upanishads swaraj implies ‘self-
control’ or ‘control on one’s desires’. Thus, for Gandhi, there is no real swaraj without ‘self
discipline’. Gandhi’s swaraj is also inspired by Leo Tolstoy, who held that the kingdom of God is
within you. It means man does not require any external control.

Gandhi has explained swaraj in multiple spheres.

• Political sphere – In the political sphere, swaraj meant panchayati raj, democratic
decentralisation. A system of governance where the individual is at the centre. Idea of swaraj
results in Rama rajya. Rama rajya is a stateless society.
• Economic sphere – Economic swaraj will give a life of dignity to the millions of people living in
the state of poverty. Economic swaraj is a party of Gandhi’s constructive programs. It included
land reforms (land to the tillers ), revival of cottage industries, and promotion of Khadi. The
model of economic development aims to fulfil the basic needs without harming the
environment.
• Social sphere – Another very strong aspect of Gandhi’s constructive program. It includes fighting
against the evils of communalism, untouchability.
• Cultural sphere – Gandhi suggested that one should respect one’s own culture. If we do not
respect our culture, the world will not respect us. Culture is a part of a person's identity.
However Gandhi didn’t have orthodox views. Gandhi believed that one should accept the good
things from all cultures. He held that we should keep our windows open but doors closed.
“I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the culture
of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by
any.”

Thus, Gandhi’s swaraj was aimed at addressing problems of India and regeneration of India. It
was not just meant for the liberation of foreign rule. End of foreign rule was just the means and not
the end. End was to provide a life of dignity to the poor. This would ensure that circulation of elites
stopsand there is not just mere transfer of power from one set of rulers to another.

Being an anarchist Gandhiji looked at the state as a sign of weakness. Hence, he had
advocated Swaraj. At the individual level it refers to self-control ( western concept of freedom on
the other hand refers to the end of restriction). Swaraj is achieved only when man ends his
desire/passion and hence with the attainment of self-control, the need for any external regulator
like state also vanishes.

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Views on Sarvodaya/Doctrine of trusteeship

It refers to the goal of social construction in Gandhian thought that aimed at giving life of
dignity to the poor. Its literal meaning refers to “ uplift all”, “rise of all”, “awakening of all”. We can
call it Gandhi’s socialism. There is not much originality in Gandhi’s Sarvodaya.
Sarvodaya was the Gujarati translation of John Ruskin’s book UNTO THIS LAST. As per
Sarvodaya, even when we cannot make people equal in terms of income, we can make people equal
in terms of dignity. It is associated with bread labour and trusteeship. It rejects utilitarian doctrine
As per Gandhi, the work of a barber deserves equal respect as that of the work of a lawyer. Thus the
concept of bread labour is associated with dignity of labour. It is intended to uplift the poor
materially and uplift the rich materially. Thus one can understand the pain of others.

Bread Labour
It implies that every person should perform some form of physical labour, thus one can
understand the pain of others as well develop respect for manual labour.

Principles of the Sarvodaya:

• There is no centralised authority, and there is a political and economic atmosphere in the
villages.
• Politics will not be the instrument of power but an agency of service and Rajnity will yield place
to Loknity.
• All people will be imbued with the spirit of love, fraternity, truth, non-violence and self-
sacrifices. Society will function on the basis of non-violence.
• There will be no party system and majority rule and society will be free from the evil of the
tyranny of the majority.
• The sarvodaya society is socialist in the true sense of the term. All calling will be the same moral,
social and economical values. The individual personality has the fullest scope for development.
• The sarvodaya society is based on equality and liberty. There is no room in it for unwholesome
competition, exploitation and class-hatred.
• Sarvodaya stands for the progress of all. All individuals should do individual labour and follow
the ideal of non possession. Then it will be possible to realise the goal of: from each according to
his work and to each according to his needs.
• There will be no private property, the instrument of exploitation and the source of social
distinctions and hatred. Similarly, the profit motive will disappear, rent and interest will go.
• The Sarvodaya Movement is based on Truth, Non-violence and Self-denial.
• The Sarvodaya Movement makes a sincere and bold attempt to create the necessary
atmosphere to bring together such individuals with an unwavering faith in the Welfare of All
• The gain to the individual would be small. The development of each quality depends upon every
other. If all the qualities are improved a little, then the individual would gain more.
• As Sarvodaya advocated giving dignity to the masses hence it is a major component of Gandhi's
constructive program. It includes land reforms, revival of cottage industry, promotion of khadi.
production by masses rather than mass production.he believed that capital is social production ,
hence capitalist should keep what is required for running the industry. Capitalists should
consider themselves as trustees of capital rather than owners of capital. Capitalists should keep
enough for his personal use and should contribute the remaining part for the well being of the
society. In other words there is enough for need but not enough for greed.

Sarvodaya ideals are not practicable, though the ideals of sarvodaya will be noble. Nobody can find
fault with them, in the actual world. They will be found wanting. It will be almost impossible to
establish a society strictly on the basis of great principles by Mahatma Gandhi and others. Sarvodaya
doctrines are soaring and it is doubtful whether they can rest on the earth. The poor record of

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Panchayat Raj in India bears testimony to the backward condition in which people are. In the
highly competitive world, one country can not succeed in having Ramrajya unless all states in the
world accept the Sarvodaya idea.
Doctrine of Trusteeship:
The doctrine urges landlords and capitalists not to consider themselves as sole proprietors of
their possession, but only as trustees of a gift bestowed upon them by God for the service of
humanity.
Gandhiji believed in simple living, at the level of production as well as consumption. He gave
primacy to simple technology over heavy industries. Simple technology had the capacity of mass
employment, whereas advanced technology would create vast unemployment, especially in a
country like India, and would promote consumerism with all its ill effects. Gandhiji preferred
‘production by the masses’ over ‘mass production’ by heavy industries.

Consumerism
A social outlook that tends to regard the consumption of goods and services as a great virtue and
a source of social prestige. Under its influence sublime values of life like self control, public
spiritedness, and artistic taste are relegated to the backseat.

However, Gandhiji realized that it was not feasible to switch over to the new system abruptly. The
existing system of large-scale production may be allowed to continue with necessary changes on the
attitude of the owners of means of production.
For the transformation of this relationship, he enunciated his doctrine of trusteeship. He realized
that the existing system had become oppressive because of moral decline. If the organisers of
agriculture and industry could be persuaded to act as public servants, they would win wide public
respect instead of existing hatred. However, critics point out that the vision of ‘change of heart’ of
the rich is a fascinating idea, but it is hardly realisable in actual practice.

Views on Western civilization

Gandhi criticised western civilization because it was materialistic, hedonistic and self centred.
This has been reflected in his work The Hind Swaraj. He was influenced by Edward Carpenter’s
Civilization: Its cause and cure . According to him western civilization lacked morality and religion
which were the basic tenets of Gandhian thought. He believed that economic progress is no solution
to material progress. Hence invention of new machines and material comforts do not give an upper
hand to the Western civilization. In western world there is a huge gap between what is practised and
what is preached. European civilization is suited for the Europeans but it is not conducive for the
Indians.
He has demonstrated the negative consequence of modern medicine on human health.
Modern civilization is based on the principle of Utilitarianism and Materialism and hence he termed
it as to be satanic. Utilitarianism undermines human dignity. It reduces human beings to the level of
consumers of utilities. Hence human beings lose their regard for any kind of ethics. This also gives
rise to imperialistic and Fascist tendencies.
As utilitarianism and materialism are linked hence they pose negative consequences not only
for the society but also for the environment. The path of development which Western world has
followed would need nine more earths to fructify. Therefore he advocated the finding of true
civilization wherein man would become a better human being. Rather than the satisfaction of wants
it would lead to the control of desires.
He criticised western civilization to establish counter hegemony by challenging the
whiteman’s discourse. It can thus be equated with Gandhi's war on position.

Views on Rights and duties

“Rights are present in the duties in an embryonic sense.”
Gandhi neither sacrifices individual for the sake of society nor sacrifices society for the sake of
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individual. Like Aurobindo, Gandhi looks for balance, the balance between rights and duties, the
balance between individual and society. Gandhi is inspired by the philosophy of Nishkama Karma
found in the Gita.
The Gita suggests performing our duty and when we perform our duty, we automatically get
our rights. Rights and duties are neither antithetical nor independent of each other. When we fulfil
our obligations, we automatically get the rights. Thus, Gandhi’s theory of rights comes close to
Laski’s theory of rights and duties. (Functional theory of rights).

Views on State
Gandhi believes that state is antithetical to the idea of freedom. Gandhi is considered an
anarchist. Gandhi’s Ram Rajya is a stateless society that is based on the oceanic circles of power.
According to Gandhi, the state is a symbol of the weakness of man. Since man cannot control
himself, state is needed as an external control. But the state is a soulless machine that is
incompatible with the principle of ahimsa.
That is, Gandhi did not sacrifice the state for the sake of the individual. He also did not
support the atomistic view of man. He gave importance to human dignity and believed in the
coexistence of man.

Oceanic circles of power

About Oceanic Circles Mahatma Gandhi articulated the need to shift from pyramidical social
structures to a horizontal model - like oceanic circles, to empower individuals and communities to
be in control and make decisions. It is a beautiful, visual metaphor that fits the spirit of human-
centred design, empathy and co-creation.

VIEWS ON EDUCATION
Gandhi’s scheme on education is called ‘Nayee Taleem’. He suggests learning from book of life
rather than life from books. He focuses on vocational education that is the idea of ‘earn and learn’.
Like Plato, Gandhi believes education to be a lifelong experience and hence a person should be
capable of financing its education rather than depending on guardians or parents. Gandhi gave priority
to the learning subjects like social forestry, nursing, home science, handicrafts etc.

VIEWS ON WOMEN
Gandhi was of the opinion that women were superior to men in their moral and spiritual
strength. They had greater powers of self-sacrifice and suffering. On this account, women were
capable of infinite strength, which they only needed to realize and channelize it. Sita and Draupadi
were to be the ideals of woman in India.

Women had a key role to play in the family, in Gandhi’s opinion. The family was the crucible of
society where future citizens, leaders and lawgivers were nurtured. Hence, it was here that the
mother could mould the values and traits of her children in a direction that could lead to social
progress. The ultimate aim was to teach children to be self-reliant and not keep them dependent on
the family’s resources.
Gandhi had strong views on another key subject relating to women. This was the value of
equality between the sexes. He was definitely against gender bias in the training of children. He
asserted that girls ought not to be taught to adorn themselves as that identified them as objects of
desire without any other distinct human qualities.
Gandhi envisaged an important political role for women vis-à-vis the power structure in
society and the foundations of an equitable and non-violent social order.

Views on Politics and Ethics

Gandhi treated ethics as the guiding star of all human behaviour including politics. Gandhi's ethics
was based in the moral teachings of all religions, although he paid special attention to time-
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honoured Hindu religion (sanatana dharma). He expressed his firm faith in the spiritualization of
politics. This means that politics is meant to be a blessing and not a curse to mankind. It is guided by
the highest ethical and spiritual principles. In other words politics should be guided by high moral
standards and not by expediency.
Continuity of ends and means: Gandhi believed in the continuity of ends and means. Only right
means should be adopted for the pursuit of right ends. He strongly refuted the idea that the end
justifies the means or that if a nobel end is achieved by adopting ignoble means , their use would be
excused.
Gandhi was convinced that if we take care of our means, the end will take care of itself.
Means and ends may be compared to the seed and tree respectively. The nature of the tree is
determined by the nature of the seed. Only the right type of seed will grow into the right type of
tree. Karma and phal (result)-the famous concepts used in Bhagwat Gita.
Means and ends are the two sides of a coin. They cannot be separated. Immoral means
cannot be used to achieve moral ends. If used, they will vitiate the end itself. Wrong may never
lead to the right destination. The authority founded on fear and coercion cannot inspire love and
respect among people. Gandhi adopted Satyagraha for achieving swaraj as the path was sacred as its
destination.
Regarding politics he believed that politics bereft of religion was nothing short of a death trap,
whichkills the soul. So Gandhiji wrote in his Autobiography
“My devotion to truth has drawn me into the field if politics, and I can say that without the
slightest hesitation and yet in all humility, that those who say that religion has nothing to do with
politics donot know what religion means”
In short politics and ethics were inseparable in the Gandhian system of thoughts.

GANDHISM AND MARXISM:

Both Gandhi and Marx were deeply concerned with the plight of the down-trodden. Both
stood for a classless and stateless society. It is sometimes felt that their philosophies were akin to
each other. But on deeper analysis, it is revealed that their differences were more pronounced than
their similarities.

Comparative study of Gandhian and Marxian views

Gandhian view Marxian view
He was a spiritualist He was a materialist
Treated religion as a moralizing force. Dubbed religion ‘opium of the people’
Favoured simple technology Relied on advanced technology as a liberalizing
force
Attributed division of society into classes to Held the existence of private properties is
a mental outlook based on the contempt responsible for division
for physical labour
Believed in class cooperation Regarded class conflict as the instrument of
social transformation
Enunciated the doctrine of trusteeship for Exhorted the proletariat to overthrow capitalism
resolving the conflict between rich and
poor
Saw the state as a soulless machine for the Saw state as an instrument of class domination
coercion of individuals

Hoped that when non-violence is adopted Anticipated that after socialist revolution and the
as a universal principle, society will become fullest development of forces of production, ‘the
redundant state will wither away’

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Vision of future society consists of self- Vision of the future consists of a self-regulated
discipline individuals having minimum society ruled by the principle -‘from each
needs with a sense of moral responsibility according to his ability, to each according to his
towards social needs needs.’

Gandhism ideology in contemporary period:

• Gandhi's life and ideologies are a great message to humankind. Gandhism is a dominant political ideology that made
immense transformation in the arena of political science. Gandhi is one of the great activists and theoreticians of
the twentieth century.
• The uniqueness of Gandhism ideologies is that Gandhiji desires social and political transformation through non-
violent means. He also provides a revelation of his model and accepts modifications to this ideal on grounds of
viability.
• His idea of stateless democracy based on the federation of Satyagrahi village community is relevant for Indian
democracy. Gandhian democracy is still relevant in India. It is clear from the 73rd amendment of the Indian
constitution. One noteworthy provision of that amendment is decentralisation of power up to the rural level. That
amendment has already beenimplemented in India.
• Gandhian systems are mostly followed by the Indian people to fulfil different demands. Gandhi's philosophy of life is
applicable to all humanity. He did not leave any effort in serving India and humanity and sacrificed even his life. He
was a forager, a manual labour, an economist, a politician, a religious man, a lover of humanity and above all a
Mahatma.
• In contemporary Indian politics there has been the rise of Criminalisation of politics. Gandhi's vision of politics
based on religion can lead to reformation of the sorry state of affairs incontemporary Indian politics.
• Gandhiji has also accorded his views on the rights of citizens and these rights have become an integral part in the
present Indian constitution.
• His critique of modern science has been popular with a great number of environmentalists and NGOs.
• His focus on vocational education is very well reflected in the New education policy of India. Further his doctrine of
trusteeship has been adopted by various leading philanthropists of the world like Bill Gates and Azim Premji.
• Thus Gandhian principles are very much relevant in today’s contemporary Indian as well as international society.

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

• Explicate the ideological components of Gandhism. 2020
• M. K Gandhi’s concept of Swaraj.2019
• Examine Gandhi's Critique of Modernism. 2016
• Gandhiji's views on states.2015

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Sayings of Gandhi Theory to which it belongs

"Truth is God and God is Truth." --- Gandhi
“For me truth is the sovereign principle which includes
numerous other principles.” --- Gandhi
“Where there is Truth, there is also knowledge which is true.
Where there is no Truth, there can be no true knowledge.” -
-- Gandhi
“For me the only training in Swaraj we need is the ability to
defend ourselves against the whole world and to live our
natural life in perfect freedom, even though it may be full of
defects. Good government is no substitute for self-
government.” --- Gandhi, Young India.
“Satya (truth) and ahimsa (non-violence) together make the
parent trunk from which all innumerable branches short
out.” --- Gandhi
“Socialism is a beautiful word and so far as I am aware, in
socialism all the members of society are equal, none low,
none high.” --- Gandhi

“The individual has a soul but the state is a soulless

machine, the stale can never be weaned away from violence
to which it owes its existence”. It can never be weaned away
from violence because its basis has been force." --- Gandhi
The state is not an end in itself, but a means of enabling
people to better their conditions in every department of
life.” --- Gandhi
“I look upon the increase in the power of the state with the
greatest fear, because although apparently doing good by
minimising exploitation, it does the greatest harm to
mankind by destroying individuality, which lies at the root of
all progress.” --- Gandhi
Democracy is something that gives the weak the same
powers as the strong” --- Gandhi

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 GANDHISM

Sources
• IGNOU
• INDIAN POLITICAL THOUGHT : VR MEHTA
• INDIAN POLITICAL THOUGHT : O.P.GAUBA

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