HISTORY & CULTURE THE MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR MAINS ...

HISTORY & CULTURE THE MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR MAINS 2017 (PART-1) MAHATMA GANDHI’S HIND SWARAJ Gandhi put forward his political ideas in several of his speeches and writings, the most notable of which is the booklet, 'Hind Swaraj', which he wrote in Gujarati on board S.S. Kildonan Castle during his return voyage from London to South Africa in 1909. Gandhi's objective in writing Hind Swaraj was to condemn both the cult of violence and the claims of superiority of modern civilisation. Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj takes the form of a dialogue between two characters, The Reader and The Editor. The Reader voices the common beliefs and arguments of the time concerning Indian Independence. Gandhi, The Editor, explains why those arguments are improper and interjects his own arguments. As 'The Editor' Gandhi puts it, "it is my duty patiently to try to remove your prejudice." GANDHI’S VIEWS ON SWARAJ He defined Swaraj briefly as self-rule and self-restraint, or as the autonomy of the moral self rather than getting rid of English rulers. The word "Swaraj", Gandhi writes, "is a sacred word, a Vedic word, meaning self-rule and self-restraint, and not freedom from all restrain, which 'independence' often means." Swaraj, so defined, he said, is an 'all satisfying goal for all time.' The major ingredients or fundamental processes of Swaraj are: (I)decentralised participatory democracy and (ii) the spiritualisation of politics and economics or, in other words, the integration of politics and economics with the principles of Satya and ahimsa. Gandhi believed that the real Swaraj, couldn’t be attained in driving the English out from the country. He said that it would simply lead to the exploitation of the people from brown hands rather than the white hands. Gandhi also argues that Indian independence is only possible through passive resistance. Swaraj is a government over the Self, it is not liberation from foreign rule and formation of a new government, but the control over one’s moral self. Swaraj is achieved when individuals come together, form a community and earn their food through labour and live in harmony – self respect, self realization and self sufficiency are the hallmarks of Swaraj. Gandhiji did not want Indians to blindly imitate western form of life, or government once the British left India.

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HIS VIEWS ON MODERN CIVILIZATION Gandhi condemned modern civilisation not because it was Western or scientific but because it was materialistic and exploitative. Gandhi says that modern civilisation seeks to increase our "bodily comforts" through better houses, better clothes, faster modes of travel and transport, mechanised production, etc. These however have failed to bring happiness to the people. On the contrary, they have brought about newer diseases, dehumanisation of the workers, more efficient and large-scale means of the destruction of life, etc. "Formerly", write Gandhi, "men were made slaves under physical compulsion. Now they are enslaved by temptation of money and of the luxuries that money can buy. There are now diseases of which people never dreamt before .... This civilisation takes note neither of morality nor of religion ... Civilisation seeks to increase bodily comforts, and it fails miserably even in doing so." Divorced from ethics or morality, the modern self or the individual is left to the play of self-interest, greed, competition, exploitation, brute Force, violence, etc. Modern man feels no moral or spiritual restraints in conquering or colonizing other peoples. Imperialism and fascism were, to Gandhi, the mere political expressions of the satanic character of modem civilisation. MAHATMA GANDHI’S VIEWS ON MACHINERY Gandhi was against the use of machinery. He believed that would turn us into slaves, people will become money-minded, unhappiness will increase and so will poverty. “I know most of us are ardent supporters of capitalism, but I agree with him here, as machines have been used more for the bad rather than the good. But I’d rather blame the humanity factor of the people here than directly attacking the machines. GANDHIJI FROM RESPONSIVE CO-OPERATION TO NON -COOPERATION Mahatma Gandhi returned India in January, 1915 from South Africa. His ‘Satyagraha’ was a successful movement in South Africa. Britain was involved in the first World War when he came to India. Initially, He resorted to cooperation with the British Government with a hope that the Government would give more rights and just administration to India. He was cooperative towards the Government and didn’t want to disturb its war efforts. He even encouraged the Indian youth to join army. This cooperative attitude towards government get him the title of ‘Kaiser-i-hind’ by British Rule. The enactment of Montague Chelmsford Reforms, the enforcement of the Rowlett Act in March, 1919 was a setback. People called it “Black Act”. They were discontented with this act instead of some constitutional concessions for their cooperation to Britain in the first World War. Such developments changed Gandhi to non-co-operation with the British rule. NEO IAS  0484-3190310, 9446331522, 9446334122 www.neoias.com | www.youtube.com/neoias | www.facebook.com/neoias


Champaran Sathyagraha -1917, Ahmedabad Mill Strike -1918 and Kheda Satyagraha -1918 had also given some feedback to his attitude to lean towards nonco-operation. Incidents after Rowlatt Act led to declaration of mass movement by Gandhi. Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13,1919 and then the report of Hunter Commission also aroused the feeling of protest among people. Khilafat movement was also launched now. Thus, by 1920, Gandhi’s responsive co-operation was transformed into non-cooperation. He even returned the title of Kaiser-i-Hind to the Government. Now Gandhi launched and encouraged protest of Government, boycott, swadeshi a mass movement of non-cooperation. All these awakened the mass under his leadership for the first time on such a wide scale. This resulted in active involvement of people in national movement.

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