Yojana October 2019- Invaluable Legacy (Part- 1)

Key Topics Included In This Article: Basic Argument, Trusteeship is Based on Ahimsa, Trusteeship Allows Creation Of Wealth, Trusteeship & Nature, Trusteeship In Consumption, Gandhi՚s Response to Direct Violence, Gandhi՚s Response to Structure violence, Gandhi՚s Response to Cultural Violence, Mahatma Gandhi՚s Eleven Vows, Vital Contribution, Gandhi՚s 18-point Programme, Constructive Programme & Civil Disobedience Movement, Gandhi & Swadeshi, Swadeshi In Present Times, Nai Talim,

Reaffirming Faith

  • In first half of 20th century, Gandhiji led our nation to a successful fight against than mightiest power w⟋unique tools of love, truth & non-violence.
  • Politics, sociology, economics & ethics of Satyagraha, Constructive Programme, Trusteeship Swadeshi & Khadi, basic Education, Truth & Nonviolence, Eleven vows, peace & sustainability of human society- all contribute to a Gandhian dream of a sane, just & empathetic society.

A Possibility in Eco-system of Swadeshi & Swaraj

Govt. by making a law forcing corporate & business world to spend 2% of their profit for social bettement, has gained ground for Gandhi՚s idea of Trusteeship, It is now known as CSR.

It is generally believed that spheres of practical affairs or business & spiritual pursuits or dharma are distinct from & incompatible w⟋each other, that it is madness to introduce dharma into business. For we should succeed in neither if we made any such attempt.

Basic Argument

  • Basic & fundamental argument he made in this regard was that both capitalism & communism were founded on violence. In capitalism, wealth creation generates violence. Communism that talks about equity also recommends violence.
  • Trusteeship is one such theory from where one should deduce & should not hold Gandhi responsible for such deductions. This point needs to be emphasised as eminent scholars, have observed that trusteeship as a concept is not absolute but relative in space & time & on needs of society.
  • Idea of trusteeship is based on one particular value that is embedded in Indian tradition
  • It is value of aparigraha non- acquisitive nature of human being that has to be developed. This aparigraha is foundation of his idea of trusteeship.
  • Aparigraha becomes integral part of human behaviour & this has to be considered also as a part of behaviour of economic man.
  • Aparigrahi, i.e.. , person who is acquiring wealth but is not acquisitive, has a variety of uses of his wealth.
  • Important aspect of aparigraha is its multi-utility concept. This concept is slightly diff. & qualitative in nature, & for maximisation of satisfaction, this multi-order utility has to be considered rather than focusing only on economic man, where anthropocentric behaviour aims at maximsing individual utility.

Trusteeship is Based on Ahimsa

  • Essentially, trusteeship is based on idea of ahimsa. Natural corollary of ahimsa is satyagraha, that is, if wealthy & capitalist do not part w⟋their wealth voluntarily then weapon of satyagraha is to be used
  • A variant of trusteeship was tried out by Vinoba soon after Independence that related to land, which is well known as bhoodan.
  • Gol. of India also introduced a mumber of land reforms at same time. They included Zamindar Abolition Act & Land Tenancy & Land Ceiling Act.
  • As against violence & murder, Gandhian approach requires corporate sector to be more trustee-like & use wealth for benefit of all.

Trusteeship Allows Creation of Wealth

  • Decent standards of living, in this context would mean provision for roti, kapada, makkan, education & health. These provisions can be made w⟋an idea of trusteeship.

Trusteeship & Nature

  • As a corporate sector, consideration should be to minimize extraction cost or transportation cost or if there is some absolute scarcity cost of natural resource.
  • Take an example of forest. Demand for wood is indirectly a demand for forest. Payment for wood would only include monetary cost of cutting & transporting wood. It is not real value of wood by removing a tree, part of forest is removed. That part has an entire range of ecological services including that of livelihood for families who live there or nearby. This cost of ecological services would remain unpaid & not borne by consumer.
  • In Gandhian theory of trusteeship, handling of nature & use of nature in one՚s own production system can be diff. perhaps more conservation⟋preservation oriented.
  • Gandhi՚s opposition to machinery is well-known. He was against excessive & senseless use of machineries & technologies. His concern was sensible use of technology. In contemporary parlance it can be treated as eco-friendly technology.

Trusteeship in Consumption

  • Philanthropy or daana is driven by lokeshna - desire to be known among people.
  • After earning wealth. Indian culture advises one to make large donations to get recognition in society.
  • Bhamasha Shreshthi & Mahajan who gave up his entire wealth to Rana Pratap to regain his state. That is level of philanthropy & trusteeship India had already achieved.
  • Consumption has two distinct levels: personal & societal. Trusteeship at personal level is individual՚s consumption requirements & needs. Theory of aparigraha, non-acquisitiveness, tends not to acquire & consume things which are useless to an individual.
  • There is a difference b⟋w a philanthropist & Mahajan. Mahajan tradition is originated specifically from Gujarat & Rajasthan. Mahajan is a trustee who produces & possesses wealth more than what he⟋she requires, understands it follows a very simple lifestyle & uses Wealth for socially productive purposes. It is not being done to improve one՚s status in heaven which is philanthropy notion of taking care of other world was deserted by Western world w⟋Protestant ethics.
  • Trusteeship is based on idea of ahimsa. Natural corollary of ahimsa is satyagraha, that is if wealthy & capitalist do not part w⟋their wealth voluntarily, then weapon of satyagraha is to be used.
  • Socially useful activities that cannot be taken up by an individual of by State because of lack of resources should be handled by Mahajan. In Gujarat, a mumber of educational institutes & healthcare units is financed & managed by Mahajans.
  • Current concept of CSR is to part away a share of profit for larger society & be happy w⟋rest.

Quest for an Alternate vision

  • ՚return to Gandhi is an expression we hear often repeated in general discourse on Gandhi, particularly in context of celebration his 150th birth anniversary.
  • it is well-known that central aim of Gandhian Programme or action is attainment of swaraj & Sarvodaya which in general parlance mean all-round (w) holistic development of humanity.
  • It is true that scientific like Michio Kaku aver that (three) scientific revolutions in fields of quantum mechanics, bio-genetics and artificial intelligence are dramatically reshaping destiny of humanity positively along with space-time continuum.
  • Spiritualistic Worldview, it was assumed that life has a dimension of transcendence & there was a Divine Order behind existence. Earth was understood as a living organism & human life was to be organized on basis of this understanding. Respecting & even adoring every aspect of nature & trying to live in tune w⟋its laws. But as physical sciences enabled humans to understand working of laws of nature more accurately, human attitude changed dramatically & drastically.
  • Idea that unlimited physical comforts & sensuous enjoyment could be chased & realised developed into a new theory & ideology known as developmentalism.
  • A small group of intellectuals of West, like Edward Carpenter, Leo Tolstoy, John Ruskin, (Henry David Thoreau & Ralph Waldo Emerson from U. S) et al.
  • He developed a worldview thus & enunciated them though not in sufficient detail. In his first book Hind Swaraj or Indian Home-Rule, righty characterised by some as a seminal Gandhi text & by certain others as Gandhian Manifesto.
  • Gandhi՚s Hind Swaraj contained, among other things, a severe critique of modern western civilization. He diagnosed root cause of disease of modern civilization as violence.
  • Other dangers that Gandhi identified in modern western civilization were that it dismissed religion & morality from human life & transactions as redundant & elevated physical comfort- he termed it as “bodily welfare” - to the level of ultimate goal to be sought after in life. In keeping w⟋Marxian perspective, it measured level of human civilization on basis of its increased technological capacity to dominate over, manipulate & control nature. Gandhi warns in Hind Swaraj that as modern civilization functions on basis an instrumental view of physical nature & human beings
  • Post-Hind Swaraj period & his several experiments & experiences convinced him of veracity of findings he presented in Hind Swaraj.
  • Jawaharlal Nehru who thought & wrote that ideas land down in Hind Swaraj were unscientific, reactionary, outdated & romantic, Gandhi, in a communication to Jawaharlal Nehru in 1945, reaffirmed that he stood by everything he wrote in his first book & did not think it necessary to make any correction therein.
  • Studies like Rachael Carson՚s Silent Spring (1962) , Merilyn Ferguson՚s Aquarian Conspiracy (1980) , Dennis Meadows, Donella Meadows & Jorgen Randers Limits to Growth (1972) , E. F. Schumacher՚s Small Is Beautiful (1973) , a Guide for Perplexed (1977) , Alvin Toffler՚s Third wave (1980) , to mention only a few, have enumerated graphically havocs wrought by human aggression on physical nature & on various other aspects of human life leading to a crisis of existence.
  • UN Declaration Document clearly states that focus of Programme is on people, planet, prosperity, peace & partnership, points repeatedly emphasised by Gandhi on many occasions. It also states that member nations are determined to take steps which are urgently needed to shift world onto a sustainable & resilient path.

Thinking Beyond The Self & Other

  • One of contemporary major challenges is multilevel violence that ranges from micro to macro level.
  • Foucault has rightly mentioned that what appears obvious to us is not at all so obvious.
  • Stanko who observed, what violence means is and will always be fluid not fixed,
  • According to Galtung violence is of 3 kinds; direct structural & cultural Here I have attempted to show how Gandhi՚s non-violence responds to contemporary problem of violence at this 3 level; direct, structural & cultural.

Gandhi՚s Response to Direct Violence

  • underlying principle of Gandhi՚s non-violence is Advaita. Thus Gandhi does not see any separation b⟋w self & other Following Advaita, his non-violence affirms that there are no others. There is only self, of versions thereof. Thus. Violence against others is actually violence against oneself.
  • perceives otherness as a relational notion in which sacrifice of self gets supremacy to sacrificing others. He noted in Hind swaraj that Sacrifice of self is infinitely superior to sacrifice of others. In Gandhi՚s paradigm. Both self & others are tied to a relationship of responsibility.
  • his non-violence implies self-purification of individual & he maintains that power Of non-violence is in exact proportion to ability of nonviolent person.
  • 1st he observes that violence does not accept essential dignity & worth of individual. 2nd violence recognizes no boundaries & finally becomes self justificatory in itself.
  • 3rd when violence becomes habitual & institutionalized, it becomes a general means⟋method to settle issue of any kind of conflicts in society.
  • violence does more harm than good as it produces a vicious & endless chain in which an individual or society get trapped.
  • He considered non-violence as law of our being that must be applied in all social relations: familial. Political. Economic, & educational.
  • In his words. I hold that non-violence is not merely a personal virtue. It is also a social virtue to be cultivated like other virtues.
  • human being can survive only if he⟋she has faith in non-violence.

Gandhi՚s Response to Structural Violence

  • In modern world, at structural level, problem of violence may be viewed in terms of concentration of power. Large scale industrialization. & exploitation of 1 group by another.
  • Gandhi held view that modern crisis can be overcome only by making our institutions more in line of low of non-violence. He recognized centralization of power. Political or economic, as violence & advocated decentralized mode of polity (Panchayati Raj) & economy (Gram Swaraj) to minimize structural violence in society.
  • Moral leadership which Gandhi calls for.
  • To create a society free from exploitation & marginalization or structural violence, is not imposition of one՚s will on others, but employing supremacy of reason & love to one՚s life & related institutions.
  • Based on active principle of love. His Satyagraha takes various forms according to a diff. situation, such as civil disobedience & non-cooperation, but object of all these methods is to awaken sense of justice in wrongdoer. However, he noted that these methods can be adopted only by those who are self-less, fearless & self-controlled. To modern society where ethnic or political conflict has become common, his Satyagraha offers a method of nonviolent, creative conflict transformation which results in reconciliation & removal of bitterness b⟋w or among conflicting parties.
  • According to him, State & Govt. derive their existence & power from individuals. He reminded people that State & Govt. cannot exist for a moment w⟋o their cooperation.
  • In his view, w⟋o moral discipline & voluntary control of greed for wealth & power, neither individual nor society can prosper.

Gandhi՚s Response to Cultural Violence

  • He was well aware that violence has many dimensions & forms in the contemporary world. For example, exploitation or Marginalization.
  • Multi-dimensionality of violence, as Allen points out, Signify psychological, linguistic & socio-political & economic violence indirectly inflicted on a particular community in society which is not overt but hidden in very structure & mechanism of society.
  • This normal world view often conceals happenings outside normal & defines them as deviant case & in extreme condition as terrorism Gandhi challenges such violent normal view & its normative world design & Emphasizes on nonviolent world view arguing that we need to analyze our existing worldview portrayed as normal which is, in fact, violent from w⟋I. to develop a nonviolent worldview, he emphasizes on a new king of socialization thru. Swadeshi & a new type of education thru. Nai Talim in society
  • Gandhi submitted that we should feel a more living bond b⟋w ourselves & rest of animate world. He also suggested that humans & nature must be in harmony rather that human being exploiting nature for their pleasure.
  • Gandhi՚s idea of non-violence attempts to eradicate root cause, of present ecological crisis by proposing idea similar to a notion recently termed as human ecology. Human ecology, as Moolakkattu argues, is concerned w⟋ecological implications of all what human beings do.
  • He intimately links environment to very nature of other human institutions as a polity, economy, health, & mode of development & calls for essential change in these fields.

Towards an egalitarian society

  • w⟋a multi-dimensional mission, he wanted to touch every aspect of our individual national & even international life, In particular, his heart & mind remained ever ignited to work for the total regeneration of the Indian society-be it political, economic, social, cultural religious or spiritual aspects. In political field, he applied age-old principles of truth & non-violence.
  • In economic field he challenged very foundational values of western model of development viz. (a) it is self-interest that moves man & his society & that (b) it is ever spiraling desires & aspirations of man which lead to progress of human society.
  • He rejected overemphasis on materialism as its singular pursuit corrodes finer & higher aspirations of human beings in Religio-cultural field. , he stood for Sarva Dharma Samabhava (equal respect for all religions) & rejected western concept of secularism, i.e.. a distinct separation of religion & politics. He did not have much faith in state power & ever remained a votary of civil society organizations. In process, he provided 3 major instruments of social change viz. 11 Vows (Ekadasha Vrata) . Constructive Programme & Satyagraha, instead of a singular role of State power.
  • he Strongly believed that Indian Socio-Religio-Cultural tradition would have to be brought on its original track thru. A gamut of radical social reforms.
  • made it clear that in absence of such radical reforms, both in its institutional & intellectual fields, India would ever remain Englistan & could never become true Hindustan. He had background of liberal Hinduism, despite calling himself a Sanatani Hindu.
  • Saurashtra, region he come from, was marked by all inclusive Hinduism on account of Swami Prananath & his sect, Pranami Panth. Gandhi՚s mother, Putlibai was personally connected w⟋Pranami Panth.
  • his 3-year stay in England (1888 - 1891) had further strengthened such process of liberalism.
  • But it was in course of his long stay in South Africa (1893 - 1914) that made his ideas to take their concrete forms. It was in Phoenix Settlement (1904) & Tolstoy Farm (1910) , that some of his liberal ideas like sharir shram (bread labour) Sarva Dharma Samabhava (equal respect for all religions) & sparsh bhavana (elimination of untouchability) started being practiced in more vigorious way: though they were not regular ashrams.
  • Upper caste Hindus, particularly Brahmins, were not ordained to engage much in physical⟋menial work. They were supposed to pursue only mental work. It is only lower castes particularly shudras who were to engage in menial work.
  • He set up Satyagraha⟋Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad during 1915, he introduced 11 Vows (Ekadash Vrata) which every inmate of ashram would have to follow & imbibe in his life & living. These 11 Vows were: truth, non-violence, non-stealing, brahmacharya, non-possession, control of palate, fearlessness, elimination of untouchability, bread labour, swadhesh & equal respect for all religions.
  • 2 of them viz. sparsh bhavana (elimination of untouchability) & sharir shram (bread labour) were primarily concerned w⟋principle of dignity of labour.
  • Simple meaning of principle of bread labour is that 1st must work to live.
  • performance of bread labour became an integral part of Gandhi՚s daily routine both at Sabarmati & Sevagram ashrm. Every inmate of these ashrams was to follow this routine including that of physical labour. Gandhi also associated this principle of bread labour w⟋Jajna concept of Bhagavad Gita.
  • In his letter to inmates of Sabarmati Ashram, written during his incarceration in Yeravda Jail (Gandhi called it Mandir) , during 1930, he advanced a number of arguments in tavour of principle of bread labour, 1, certain amount of physical labour is needed for maintaining good health by any individual. 2, scourge of superiority of mental work over physical labour could be easily abolished by following this principle of bread labour. 3, rich would come to consider themselves as trustees of their property by following principle of bread labour & as such existing conflict b⟋w capital & labour could be easily taken care of. 4th he considered self-scavenging as best form of bread labour, as it would automatically eliminate scourge of untouchability & lead to state of social equality of all men.
  • Charkha & Kargha become symbol of synthesis b⟋w mental & physical work They also were meant to provide employment to millions of people during their spare time.
  • Culture of self-reliance was to be promoted all ever society thru. Them. Was primary idea behind khadi & its related works.
  • He was fully aware that it was based on false belief that upper caste Hindus would get polluted by coming into any kind of physical contact w⟋people born in certain castes & families.
  • He considered entire spectrum of untouchability as a blot on fair face of Hinduism.
  • He risked his own life by going on a fast unto death when an attempt was made by British to take away Dalits from Hindu fold thru. Communal Award of 1932.
  • He had set up Harijan Sevak Sangh & published a journal called Harijan W⟋same purpose.
  • 1, he considered it a sin to look at some people as untouchables based on their births in a particular family. 2, it was never an integral part of Hinduism. 3, as everyone comes from same source (God) hence all are equal, he further asserted.
  • 4, it is nothing short of practice of love & ahinsg, 5th elimination of untouchability amounts to removal of barriers b⟋w man & man.
  • He found scavenging as most essential act in human society.
  • it has become symbol of indingnity of labour. He pleaded for self-scavenging.

Overflowing Love Melts in Others Woes

Truth

  • Truth for Gandhi is basis of life, & it is in practice of Truth. Gandhi explained that there is an “unalterable Law that governs everything & every being that exists or lives. It is not a blind law; for no blind law can govern conduct of living beings.”
  • Gandhi stated, that Law w⟋governs all life is God, & he called that Law as Truth, sovereign & eternal principle.
  • He understood Truth as Sanskrit term satya connoted, it stems from word Sat, w⟋means that w⟋exists All that exists is real or true, hence part of Satya

Life

  • Gandhi says. “for, I can see that in midst of death, life persists. In midst of untruth. truth persists in, midst of untruth. Darkness light persists Hene, I gather that God (Truth) is Life” in empirical sense, Life is God.

Non-violence

  • Nonviolence is law of our species as violence is law of brute. Gandhi proposed, anything that protects, promotes & preserves life are also attributes of Truth.
  • This non-violence is not a mere individual virtue, but a method of collective living. It is an attitude, of “overflowing love, & melts at another՚s woes” . It means selfless devotion to a righteous cause, self-suffering & love, as Gene Sharp put it.
  • As a pragmatist, Gandhi՚s search for truth blossomed into such vibrantly nonviolent concepts as swaraj (conscientious living by individuals) . Sarvodaya (searching one՚s welfare In welfare of all) , swadeshi (neighbourhood organic relationship) , khadi (mutual⟋reciprocal sustenance) . Communal harmony (tolerance towards diversity) & nayee Talim (learning art of inclusive living) .
  • He wanted to free India & humanity at large, from all bonds that in some way or other prevent people from being free. This holistic non-violence sustains life & therefore he called it ahinsaparamodharma.

Peace: An Experience of Life

  • In our day-to-day life, it is recognized thru. Attributes such as satisfaction, joy, happiness, comfort, relief (attributes of impact of human action) ; sharing cooperation, mutual & (attributes of human action) . Love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance (attitudinal attributes) , understanding, realization & consciousness (cognitive attributes) ; all these, together as well as independently, refer to experience of peace.
  • Joy & happiness are termed as close attributes of peace. From Gandhi՚s exposition of Truth, we understand that all-encompassing Truth, or its manitest form Life in particular, is an unqualified & comprehensive reference for peace.

Peace: A Pursuit of Life

  • Peace independent of life is called peace of graveyard. When life is all good, experience. Of it is termed as peaceful: & when life is in trouble, experience of it is termed as peaceless.
  • In that manner. Anything that protects, promotes, preserves or sustains life gives us an experience of peace. Eating sustains life. Hence act of eating gives us satisfaction-peace Meeting people sustains social being emotionally, hence act of meeting give us comfort-peace.
  • poverty, unemployment, their precursors like illiteracy & lack of skills are forms of peacelessness, as they repress prospect of peace drastically. Gandhi՚s constructive intervention such as Khadi, village industries are, that way, pro-life acts of peace making.
  • Peace is experienced thru. Creative, constructive & sustaining instances pertaining to life.
  • For Gandhi, Peace is having a truth-centric life.
  • Gandhi said: “nature has enough for every one՚s need, not for greed of even one man. “
  • Accumulation of wealth is a kind of economic obesity, it destroys person & fellow beings That is why Gandhi spoke about aparigraha.
  • Life is experienced thru. Fulfillment of its needs. Peace, therefore also means, a situation (context) that enables individual to procure or avail of these need, & do so w⟋o hampering fellow being pursuit of their needs in any manner.
  • Gandhi՚s idea of swaraj is an ideal pursuit of peace, for it leads to self-rule which means self-empowerment of every individual to extent of each taking care of oneself, w⟋o hurting anyone՚s prospect of life in any manner.
  • Society is sum of individuals bound by collectively held goals, guided by shared values. Cultural means & methods, all attuned to same thing called life. Primary objective of society is to ensure life requirements to Its members.
  • Gandhi s idea of decentralized socio-political order or appropriate technological intervention for economic justice (Swadeshi economy) is essentially meant to create systems & structures that are comfortably sized for individual members to use them adequately, no less & no more.
  • Need fulfilment, social relationship, systems & structures that ensure fulfilment, knowledge of system & skills to deal w⟋it & consciousness of not overdoing at expense of others are some of components that together ensure peace in life G &hi s concept of Sarvodaya-Welfare of all. deals w⟋peace in this connotation.

Harmony w⟋All

  • Gandhi՚s understanding of all-encompassing Truth & its existential interpretation of welfare of all subscribes to the fact that he was a believer in the principles of Advaita.

Conclusion

  • Gandhi termed that non-violence & Truth are convertible terms. Peace, as a by-product of non-violence, therefore, can also be seen as a convertible term to & non-violence. A life of non-violence is a life of peace; a life of truth is a life of peace; not in metaphysical sense, but in a very mundane, pragmatic sense.

Examrace Team at Aug 25, 2021