Hind Swaraj: Gandhi in Quintessence1

H.S.Shylendra

M.K. Gandhi, Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule, Navjivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad,
2013, 96 pages, Rupees Fifteen.
First published in 1908, Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule is among the most basic and
profound works of M.K. Gandhi, akin to Communist Manifesto of Marx and Engels. Indians
were urged during the freedom struggle to read and reread it even as some called it a work
preaching impractical ideology. Ironically, the British had banned its original Gujarati version
despite Gandhi arguing vehemently for a totally peaceful resistance to attain India’s freedom.
Written during his return voyage from England to South Africa, the book uses a unique
dialogue form between an editor and a reader to identify and analyse various issues that
plagued colonial India be it the onslaught of modern civilization on traditional values or the
rage among certain sections for a more anarchist approach to India’s freedom. Hind Swaraj
was a response to all such concerns given his crave for a more peaceful and conscience-driven
resolution of the issues.

Gandhi made it abundantly clear in Hind Swaraj that his goal was not merely striving for
political freedom of India as subjugation of a human society comes in many forms. Along with
ending political slavery, he wanted a much a deeper transformation of the Indian society to
transcend all the ills and immoral values afflicting us. Such a higher goal naturally led Gandhi
to explore problems and remedies in a more fundamental sense. In the process, Gandhi emerged
as one of the strong critics of modern civilization and capitalist development. Hind Swaraj’s
relevance lies in this fundamental exposition of modern civilization and its fallacies.

Why India was lost?

To Gandhi, India lost its freedom- both economic and political, more due to its own self-
enslavement. The self-seeking inclinations of Indians aided and abetted the British in their trade
and empire building. The British enslaved us further by unleashing their projects of
`modernisation’ based on western education, technology and values. The western civilization, a
curse by itself, then corroded the basis of Indian civilization through its irreligious and immoral
tendencies. Be it women sacrificing their secure places for factory work or the increase in the
needless modern hospitals, all are the results of modern civilization. Cruelties and worldly
pursuits have become the order, Gandhi averred.

Gandhi identified several symbols of modern civilization like railways, machines, doctors, and
lawyers and analysed the way they inflict societal damage. Modern lawyers and doctors are
given to selfish and parasitic behavior and in no way can they serve the humanity. Railways
physically spread evils like plague and famine, and cause divisions in society. Gandhi did not

1
I was compelled to attempt this review as some participants in a PRM batch felt that such ‘extreme ideas’ should
not be taught in the class.
spare even the education system. The so called science education imposed by British is more
instrumental enslaving Indians to the detriment of the character and moral fabric of Indian
society.

The severest criticism of Gandhi was directed against the machines given their varied negative
ramifications. Machines are driven by greedy capitalists and can atrophy the individuals. Unlike
man-made goods, exploitation and impoverishment are embedded to machines to the detriment
of traditional production system like hand-weaving which helped millions get jobs. Capitalists
who use these exploitative machines support British sustaining their empire.

Gandhi’s Vision

Gandhi’s vision of Hind Swaraj was one of the liberating India from myriad of threats and
simultaneously aiming for political, economic and ethical salvation. Swaraj involved driving out
both the British and the curse of British civilization. Indians have to learn to rule themselves by
ending their western enslavement. The historical civilization has to be restored to its past glory
where real home rule prevails. Devoid of all encumbrances of modern civilization, a true
civilization has to be established based on the path of duty, good conduct and morality. Not only
freedom must invariably reach the last person, Indians have to strive to live together based on
trust irrespective of their faiths. Machines should give place to humans who can help themselves
by their simpler and religious life free from indulgences.

Means as Important as the Goal

Gandhi was steadfast and categorical that the means of attaining swaraj are as important as the
goal. Any unfair means even for a fair result has no place in any civilized society. Even though
British have occupied India unfairly, there is no way we can use any violence against them. The
home rule wave aroused by congressmen has deepened the awakening about the British
chicanery. The unrest though necessary, but needs to channelize itself without any ill-effects.
There cannot be any arm struggle killing others. By such means, Gandhi feared, India would
become unholy and unhappy as Europe. One need not hate British but hate their civilization,
language, industries, and machine-made goods. We can even talk to British with love and take
what we want.

As war cannot bring happiness, love which is the historical driving force of family and society
alone should form the basis any resistance. Though disobeying law is repugnant but disobeying
any unfair law is essential. Passive resistance was the mantra which Gandhi believed was much
superior to any armed force. The essence of passive resistance was the soul-force or truth-force
coupled with purification through spiritual and ethical life. It is not a weapon of the weak as only
a courageous can use such passive resistance provided one understands its principles. Gandhi
identified perfect chastity, suffering, truthfulness and fearlessness as the essential norms.
Passive resistance is thus a high moral weapon wherein rights are secured by self-sacrifice
without making others suffer. To Gandhi, home rule shall begin with self-rule and control.

Very humbly Gandhi concluded his Hind Swaraj thus: ‘…we have used the term ‘Swaraj’
without understanding its real significance. I have endeavored to explain it as I understand it, and
my conscience testifies that my life henceforth is dedicated to its attainment’. As it turned out,
his understanding really proved to be a profound one.

Significance of Hind Swaraj

When the whole life and contributions of a person like Gandhi are so well recognized, it is not
easy assessing one particular work. Though written somewhat in the early part of his life, but by
all account, Hind Swaraj remains the basic work which has all the seeds of the greater vision
articulated by Gandhi in his later life. Reacting in 1939, this is what Gandhi said about Hind
Swaraj, ‘… after the stormy thirty years through which I have since passed, I have seen nothing
to make me alter the views expounded in it’. And for that matter they remained unaltered for the
rest of his life. Hind Swaraj hence constitutes the core essence of Gandhi. Today, all over when
there is growing violence, inequality, and ecological plunder and when clear solutions are
eluding these basic contradictions, it is of paramount importance that we look at various
alternatives. The core values of Gandhi as enunciated in Hind Swaraj possess certain
fundamental insights capable of throwing up alternatives to the dominant paradigms of
development.

No doubt Hind Swaraj too received many criticisms. It was called a work with unproven ideas
and ridden with philosophical and conceptual errors. Some even accused Gandhi of trying to
impose his experiments at the expense of India. At even a broader level, more radical critics
consider Gandhi to be an idealist pursuing reformist and status quoist approach for social change.
Well aware of these criticisms, Gandhi admitted in a true democratic spirit that he is neither
dogmatic over his ideas nor would he impose them on susceptible masses. If there are errors in
his views he said he would rather stand corrected in search of the truth. Further, he was honest
enough to concede that the conditions are not ripe as yet for the kind of swaraj he wished for,
and hence would aim for only a middle ground by way of a ‘parliamentary swaraj’ as wished by
the masses. At his personal level, however, he endeavored for a complete convergence of his
thoughts and actions.

Politically Gandhi attained tremendous success using his mantra of non-violence though he could
not get similar opportunities to advance his ideals on the economic front. Irrespective of that as
long as greed and violence remain the primary reasons of all the depravity, Gandhian approach
based on truth-force remains a potent weapon. Any political or economic system can afford to
ignore non-violence and morality in their means only at their peril. There is ample evidence to
that globally. And enough hint as to how best those values can be adopted be found in Hind
Swaraj.
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