Gandhi Journal Article-II ( December 2016 ) - Swadeshi: The greatest vow of this age

Gandhi Journal Article-II ( December 2016 ) 

Swadeshi: The greatest vow of this age

By Radha Bhatt 

Gandhi called swadeshi as swadeshi dharma. It was an integral part of his eleven vows. He described it as the greatest vow of the age. Therefore, to look at this revolutionary human value merely as an instrument to overcome the present state of economic crisis is not only unfair but also to lose its real strength.

In fact, economy is not so an important aspect of human existence as it is being made out today. Material achievement is nothing more than a means in the context of wholesome life of man. It can never become an end or the purpose of human existence. Therefore, any economic system which takes the creation of wealth as an end in itself could never achieve a solid foundation. We have to understand the intricacies of present worldwide economic crisis. We can easily see that the greatest weakness of the present thinking is that we have made consumerism as the primary aim of our life. A country like ours with its ancient culture had had an entirely different view of material wealth. For us the real wealth comprised of air, water, nature, land, ether etc. It meant that all those resources which were needed for the sustenance of human life actually constituted the real wealth. Unfortunately, today wealth is measured in terms of money which is printed on paper and used in exchange. It is eating into the vitals of rich heritage and prosperity of the world. Thus, the world economic crisis is unnecessarily being overemphasised.

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Understanding Gandhi's vision of Swadeshi

Understanding Gandhi's vision of Swadeshi

By Siby K. Joseph

Satyagraha and swadeshi are fundamental in Gandhi's philosophy of life. According to Gandhi, the whole gamut of man's activities constitutes an indivisible whole. Life cannot be segregated into watertight compartments like social, economic, political, religious and so on. So the ideas and concepts he developed in the course of his relentless experiments with truth was an attempt to integrate the various aspects of life. The concept of swadeshi was not an exception. It was not merely an economic doctrine. In fact the concept of swadeshi covered all aspects of the human life. Gandhi's vision of swadeshi is a universal concept even though he propounded it in the context of India's struggle for freedom. He used swadeshi as a means to achieve India's swaraj. India's struggle for freedom was a source of inspiration for many non-violent struggles in different parts of the globe. Swaraj through swadeshi is a principle of universal application and it can be emulated by people in their struggle for freedom. It was one of the eleven vows Gandhi prescribed for a satygraha way of life. In this paper an attempt has been made to understand Gandhi's concept of swadeshi and its manifestation in important facets of human life. Swadeshi as a generic concept covers almost every aspect of human life, all his ideas, concepts, methods and programmes. However, the scope of the present paper has been limited to areas such as economic, political, social, religious, and educational and health. Firstly, we will analyse Gandhi's vision of swadeshi.

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Gandhi Journal Article - I

Swadeshi, Self-Reliance and Globalization

By Asha Kaushik

Globalisation has impacted nation-states unevenly across time and space, in the process, enhancing opportunities on the one hand and inequalities and hegemonies on the other. Accordingly, nation-states have responded differently to the changed scenario. This paper attempts to explore elements of interplay between the aspiration and imperative of self-reliance and the forces of globalisation, relloking the issue in the light of Gandhian legacy of Swadeshi. Self-reliance has been an undisputed goal in India, since independence. However, in the post-reform scenario, both the Congress and the BJP experiments need to be reviewed.

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Gandhi Journal Article - I

Swadeshi, Globalization and Agricultural Women Workers

By Gurpinder Kumar*

Swadeshi term is used for that where a country produce all the goods it needs from its own resources. It’s included that inside the country every village/region that produce all it needs by using own local resources. Gandhi used to say that Swadeshi Dharma demands that India should boycott all foreign goods, even if they might be beneficial to it. Swadeshi means also that the things in our country are available in the village should enjoy the same things together whether it's agriculture, small industry, etc. Handy-crafted items as needed according to the access should be use. Sacrifice of Swadeshi relatives also had to pay so it should serve the household. Human beings are not able to do everything themselves. But they are able to serve their neighbours. To nurture the spirit of Swadeshi one could keep on dealing with his neighbour and he can do business also. Things we can produce in the country should not be imported from abroad. In word Swadeshi is neighbourly Feeling of affinity. But at presently country importing all kind goods from abroad. Its effect the economy of country as well as living condition & economic structure of country’s people.

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Gandhi Journal Article - II

Swadeshi: The Greatest Vow of this Age

By Radha Bhatt

Gandhi called swadeshi as swadeshi dharma. It was an integral part of his eleven vows. He described it as the greatest vow of the age. Therefore, to look at this revolutionary human value merely as an instrument to overcome the present state of economic crisis is not only unfair but also to lose its real strength.

In fact, economy is not so an important aspect of human existence as it is being made out today. Material achievement is nothing more than a means in the context of wholesome life of man. It can never become an end or the purpose of human existence. Therefore, any economic system which takes the creation of wealth as an end in itself could never achieve a solid foundation. We have to understand the intricacies of present worldwide economic crisis. We can easily see that the greatest weakness of the present thinking is that we have made consumerism as the primary aim of our life. A country like ours with its ancient culture had had an entirely different view of material wealth. For us the real wealth comprised of air, water, nature, land, ether etc. It meant that all those resources which were needed for the sustenance of human life actually constituted the real wealth. 

READ FULL ARTICLE