Gandhi

Relevance of Gandhi today

1. Non violent resistance - Social change is more sustainable this

way. Using Gandhian methods to delegitimise authoritarian
powers is very successful for transition to democracy.
2. Empathy - The heart of Gandhi’s ethics of empathy is to look
within oneself, change oneself and then change the world.
3. Democracy/Rights - We should individually as well as a
democratic culture - experiment with truth - leads to harmonic
exchange and dialogue.
4. Communal question - The capacity to engage with conflicting
cultures is an essential to practical wisdom and empathic
pluralism of Gandhi. He makes no distinction b/w Church,
temple etc he says all faiths are on a similar quest for reaching
the truth. So harmony essential. He was against monotheists.
He said one should accept the religion he’s born in and was for
broad and non violent interpretation of one’s religion.
5. Environment - Need/Greed; Gandhi preached against the
unsustainability of western pattern of production and
consumption.
6. Public life - no security and transparency/openness with people

Gandhi on State

Solution

He wanted anarchism, ram Rajya -> demo decentralisation,

liberty, equality, non violence, politics with ethics, democratic
culture, village republics
Satyagraha against coercive state
The basic principles of GRAM SWARAJ as laid down by Gandhi
were
supremacy of man, the best utilisation of the whole
manpower of India, bread labour, equality, trusteeship,
decentralisation, swadeshi, self-sufficiency, cooperation,
 satyagraha, equality of all religions and village governance
by panchayats.
Based on cottage industry, land reforms, khadi, production
by masses

Gandhis idea of Parliamentary Swaraj

1. Swaraj meant rule of all the people but immediate political sense
was parl democracy so he agreed with Nehru
2. Ultimately hind swaraj is best bec Parl swaraj had drawbacks
1. Different groups pressures
2. Monopoly of few
3. Centralisation
4. Corruption
5. Majority people in villages

Critic of Gandhi’s satyagraha - George Orwell’s Reflection of Gandhi -

how to apply his method in a regime where the opponents suddenly
disappear at night - fascism or a dictator?