Philosophy and Ideas of Mahatma Gandhi- 2 | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Mahatma Gandhi on Education as a Tool for Social Change

• For Gandhi, education was a crucial instrument for social change, alongside satyagraha.
• He initiated various educational schemes to exemplify his vision of "real education."
• Gandhi established the National Gujarati School in Ahmedabad in 1917 as his first experimental school.
• The school aimed to provide a holistic education encompassing physical, intellectual, religious aspects.
• Physical education included training in agriculture, hand weaving, carpentry, civil defence.
• Intellectual training involved studying languages like Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit, with English not taught in the initial years.
• Mathematics, history, geography,< strong>basic science subjects were also part of the curriculum.
• Gandhi emphasized ethical principles, especially truth and non-violence, in religious instruction.
• Despite its merits, the scheme faced challenges such as a shortage of teachers and funds, hindering full implementation.
• In 1921, Gandhi founded the Gujarat Vidyapith, the first national university in Ahmedabad, during the Non-Cooperation Movement.
• The Vidyapith aimed to produce character-driven workers for the swaraj and related movements.
• Gandhi ensured the Vidyapith operated independently from government aid, aligning with the Non-Cooperation Movement.
• Students were encouraged to spin and wear khadi, promoting self-reliance and connecting with rural life.
• The medium of instruction was the provincial language, Hindi-Hindustani was mandatory for national integration.
• Gandhi emphasized the importance of manual training and the need for education to reflect the interests of both classes and masses.
• Religious instruction was to be tolerant of all religions, with physical exercise being compulsory.
• The Vidyapith initially attracted students but faced declining enrollment, prompting Gandhi to reorganize it in 1928.
• Other national institutions, like Kashi Vidyapith and Jamia Millia Islamia, were established on similar principles and later received government support.
• Gandhi advocated for self-supporting education to address funding challenges, especially after the Congress adopted prohibition, reducing financial resources from liquor excise.
• His concept of self-supporting education gained traction after 1937 when the Congress gained power in several provinces.
• Gandhi's Wardha Scheme of Education, or Basic Education, emphasized vocational training for holistic development.
• He believed that a vocation or vocations should be the core medium for a child's overall development.
• The curriculum included various handicrafts, with a focus on teaching processes scientifically.
• Products made in schools were to be bought by the state, making education self-financing.
• Gandhi envisioned similar Basic Education approaches for both rural and urban areas.
• Despite challenges, Gandhi's educational initiatives aimed to create a self-reliant and integrated society through a strong emphasis on vocational training and ethical values.
• Gandhi's Vision for Cities and Villages: Gandhi believed cities owed a debt to the villages for their sustenance. He advocated for a "healthy moral relationship" between cities and villages through education aligned with village needs, just as village production had always served city demands.
• Basic Education Scheme Critique: While the Basic Education scheme faced criticism for its state control, Gandhi envisioned its positive impact on village decay and social justice, ensuring living wages and freedom without class conflict or heavy mechanization.
• Role of Women in Education: Gandhi saw women playing a vital role as teachers in the Basic Education scheme, specifically patriotic women with the time and enthusiasm to serve the nation, rather than those in need of jobs.
• Inception of Basic Education: The first school under the Basic Education scheme, the Vidyamandir Training School, was established in April 1938 in Wardha. Students pledged to serve for 25 years at a monthly salary of Rs 15. Out of 5,000 applications, 166 were admitted.
• Progress and Recognition: By 1938 and 1939, more Basic Education schools were established, exceeding economic expectations. The first conference in October 1939 at Pune validated the scheme's principles and methods through practical experience.
• Post-Independence Challenges: After independence, India's economic development diverged from Gandhi's vision. The necessary political will for Basic Education waned, leading to its decline after five or six years. Remaining schools under the Basic Education label lost their original intent.
• Gandhi on Higher Education: In later years, Gandhi believed higher education should be left to private enterprise, meeting national needs. He suggested state universities function as examining bodies, funded by examination fees.
• Education as a Means to an End: Gandhi viewed education not as an end in itself but as a tool for comprehensive individual development and national needs.

Gandhi's Vision for Rural Regeneration

• Gandhi believed that the condition of India's villages reflected the overall health of the nation. For the country to thrive, its villages needed to improve.
• He proposed a comprehensive rural uplift program that included health, education, employment. Reviving village-based industries and creating urban demand for their products were crucial.
• Gandhi emphasized the role of volunteers in this program. He encouraged them to live simply among peasants, teaching them healthy practices through example.
• His ideas were spread through journals like Navajivan, Young India, Harijan, which were translated into various languages.
• Gandhi suggested a “village-worker ratio” for effective rural regeneration, proposing that villages be organized into blocks with one worker per block. This would require around 70,000 volunteers to cover India's vast number of villages.
• The schedule of work for village workers included conducting censuses on cattle, untouchables, detailed surveys of village resources. This information would aid in planning uplift programs.
• In response to Gandhi's vision, volunteers established village service centers across India, engaging in activities like spinning, medical relief, rural sanitation.
• In 1934, the All India Village Industries Association (AIVIA) was set up under Gandhi's guidance to support and improve village industries and sanitation.
• AIVIA's work involved encouraging known industries, surveying village industries, attending to village sanitation.
• Gandhi's concept of bread labor emphasized the importance of manual labor for everyone, aiming to address issues like overpopulation and poverty.
• To raise awareness about village uplift, khadi exhibitions were organized, showcasing the work of craftsmen and emphasizing the need for fair wages.
• Gandhi recognized the need for government support in rural reconstruction and provided guidelines to Congress governments in 1937 to promote village industries.
• While Gandhi's efforts did not yield significant concrete results, they highlighted the essential issues of social and economic change in India.

Mahatma Gandhi's Views on Marriage and Varna

• Gandhi's views on interreligious and inter-caste marriage evolved significantly over time.
• In the early 1920s, he saw such marriages as against dharma and had practical objections to them.
• By April 1928, his perspective changed.
• He began to advocate that caste should not be a factor in marriage.
• Gandhi emphasized that a shared sense of belonging to the nation was more important.
• By 1931, he saw no moral issue with interreligious marriages.
• He believed that each partner could freely practice their own religion.
• Gandhi suggested that the children of interreligious unions be raised in the father's faith.
• This reflected his patrilineal and patriarchal background.
• He promoted interprovincial and inter-communal marriages among educated individuals.
• This was seen as a way to counter provincialism and caste exclusiveness.
• His views on varnadharma shifted, believing all Hindus should be classified as Shudras.
• He aimed to level distinctions of high and low.
• Gandhi emphasized that everyone should live by their labor and be entitled only to simple maintenance.
• This belief was rooted in the doctrine of 'bread labor'.
• Gandhi became a strong opponent of the caste system, believing it should be dismantled.
• He encouraged reformers to begin this process with themselves, even at the cost of social boycotts.
• In response to those who justified untouchability through the Hindu law of karma, Gandhi argued against it.
• He stated that karma should not be used to condemn individuals but to uplift them.
• Gandhi cited examples from Hindu history where great figures helped those in need.
• He urged modern Hindus to follow suit to eliminate untouchability and promote an egalitarian society.

Gandhi's Views on Public Service

• Gandhi stressed the importance of high moral standards for public workers, believing they were crucial for a healthy public life.
• In 1899, he set an example by refusing valuable gifts offered for his service in South Africa. Instead of keeping them, he created a trust for the community, advocating that public workers should not accept costly gifts.
• He advised public workers to focus on a few chosen fields instead of taking on too many responsibilities. This, he believed, would lead to better results.
• Gandhi argued that by addressing one specific area of suffering, a public worker could make a significant impact on reducing overall suffering.

Mahatma Gandhi's Views on Communal Tension

• Gandhi, through his experiences in South Africa and India, became aware of the infrastructural frictions in Indian society, including conflicts over caste, political, denominational affiliations.
• He expressed deep concern about the state of Indian democracy, which he felt was choked by internal strife between different groups such as Hindus and Muslims, Brahmins and non-Brahmins, Congressmen and non-Congressmen.
• Gandhi viewed Hindu-Muslim relations as crucial for national harmony and progress. He believed that before British rule, there were only localized misunderstandings between Hindus and Muslims, which were exacerbated by British policies.
• He argued that the two-nation theory was fueled by ambitious elements in both communities, while at the grassroots level, Hindus and Muslims coexisted peacefully.
• Gandhi noted that most Muslims in India were Hindu converts and shared a common culture. He believed in India's capacity for assimilation and the historical fusion of Hindu and Islamic cultures.
• He criticized the British for escalating Hindu-Muslim differences by intervening in conflicts that were previously resolved through mutual compromise.
• Gandhi identified issues such as cow protection societies as sources of conflict. He condemned these societies for disrupting social harmony and suggested that the best way to protect cows was through persuasion rather than force.
• He believed that Hindus were also responsible for cow slaughter due to their treatment of cows and criticized practices like phooka, which involved extracting the last drop of milk from cows.
• Gandhi argued against the notion that Hindus and Muslims could not coexist peacefully due to differences in ahimsa(non-violence) principles, stating that such ideas were propagated by selfish religious teachers.
• He felt that British historians contributed to communal animosity by presenting a distorted view of different cultures and that the granting of separate electorates to Muslims in 1909 intensified social and political tensions.
• Despite the challenges, Gandhi remained hopeful about Hindu-Muslim relations and emphasized the importance of mass awakening and proper direction of this awakening for future peace.
• He criticized the shuddhi movement launched by the Arya Samajists, arguing that it had no rational basis and was merely an appeal to individual selfishness.
• Gandhi was critical of the role of the press in exacerbating communal tensions, particularly in the Punjab, where abusive language and mutual accusations fueled conflicts.
• He believed that mutual suspicion and prejudice between Hindus and Muslims contributed to their strained relations, with Muslims sometimes mistakenly thinking of themselves as conquerors and Hindus as subjects.

Gandhi's Views on Hindu-Muslim Relations

• Gandhi felt discomfort due to the mistreatment of Harijans (untouchables) by some Hindus.
• He noticed that many Hindus had misunderstandings about Islam, often viewing Muslims as untouchables.
• Despite facing intolerance from some Muslim scholars who criticized his use of the Koran to support non-violence, Gandhi remained undeterred.
• He emphasized that truth belongs to no one and that mutual respect and tolerance are essential for civilized discussion.
• Amid the conflict, Gandhi also saw signs of harmony, such as when the Gorakshana Mandali in Mysore noted that most Muslims supported Hindus in preventing cow slaughter.
• Gandhi believed that mutual consideration could pave the way for effective legislation to address concerns and anxieties.
• Gandhi believed that cordial relations between Hindus and Muslims were crucial for the social progress of India, alongside swadeshi and the removal of untouchability.
• He included this in his constructive programme of 1920 and used his influence to promote communal harmony.
• Gandhi's experiences in South Africa made him see the commonalities between Hindus and Muslims, he viewed the Khilafat demand as an opportunity to unite both communities in the national struggle for independence.
• Gandhi encouraged Muslim leaders to present a reasoned statement of their claims to the British authorities, helping to organize the Khilafat movement.
• He believed that Hindu-Muslim unity on the Khilafat issue would foster emotional integration across India.
• Despite initial Muslim reservations about non-violence, Gandhi successfully advocated for non-violent methods of agitation, gaining support from key leaders.
• In November 1919, the Khilafat demand became a significant part of the all-India satyagraha campaign, marking Gandhi's first major step towards promoting Hindu-Muslim harmony.
• Gandhi's influence on Muslims is evident in figures like Maulana Abdul Bari, who began advocating for Hindu sensitivities, such as avoiding cow slaughter.
• The period of Hindu-Muslim cooperation initiated by Gandhi was short-lived, ending with the abolition of the sultanate in Turkey in 1924.
• Communal riots erupted after the withdrawal of the non-cooperation movement in February 1922 and continued until 1924.
• Feeling responsible for the communal violence that followed his efforts at cooperation, Gandhi undertook a 21-day fast starting on September 17, 1924.
• This fast, held in the home of his friend Mohammad Ali, was a demonstration of his commitment to Hindu-Muslim unity.
• Gandhi aimed to be a cementing force between the two communities, even willing to sacrifice his blood if necessary.
• As a result of Gandhi's fast, a unity conference was held in Delhi on September 26-27, 1924, where Hindus and Muslims came together.
• The conference passed a resolution drafted by Gandhi, aiming to re-establish friendly relations and address the cruelties of the riots.
• It emphasized that taking the law into one's own hands was unlawful and irreligious and called for arbitration or court resolution of differences.
• The conference also aimed to protect minority rights and established a board of arbitrators to oversee this.
• It condemned improper religious conversions and advocated for open and respectful conversion practices.
• Gandhi had high hopes for women’s roles in improving inter-communal relations, having witnessed their sacrifice during the civil disobedience movement.
• He urged women to engage in satyagraha for Hindu-Muslim unity and to avoid cooperating with men at home until communal tensions ceased.
• Gandhi also proposed the formation of Peace Brigades to prevent communal riots.
• Although Gandhi's attempts to foster Hindu-Muslim unity were ultimately unsuccessful due to various external factors, his integrity and dedication earned him the respect and trust of significant portions of the Muslim community.
• Mahatma Gandhi, despite being a Hindu, held eclectic values and respected all religions as different paths to the supreme truth. He took pride in India's ancient heritage but was also aware of the stark differences in contemporary society.
• Gandhi believed that India's decline was due to its people's imitation of Western ways and an emphasis on material comforts over spiritual growth. He felt that Indian society had adopted a flawed value system, abandoning its pure roots.
• He lamented that India, once famous for its spiritual wisdom and a birthplace of religions, was becoming "irreligious." Gandhi criticized the rise of religious superstition, which he felt replaced fundamental morality and caused cruelty and rivalry among different groups.
• Gandhi was critical of the country's intelligentsia, particularly lawyers, whom he felt were not fully dedicated to national progress. He noted that many lawyers limited their political involvement to their free time, engaging in leisure activities like tennis and billiards.
• He expressed doubt that lawyers would significantly advance the cause of swaraj(self-rule) and wished for more committed public workers among them. Gandhi believed that modern civilization and social groups did not contribute positively to Indian society.
• Gandhi observed a general decline in values within Indian society with concern. He wrote about the prevalence of fraud, hypocrisy, inequality. The gap between the rich and poor was evident even at social gatherings, where he noticed the lavish spending of the rich at the expense of the poor.
• He criticized the tendency of the rich to show off their enjoyment rather than genuinely experiencing it, similarly in mourning. The extravagant behavior of the rich also pressured the poorer sections to imitate them, leading to debt.
• Gandhi noted that the poor contributed what they could for the national cause, while the rich expected to gain everything through speeches and resolutions. He viewed the elite as poor role models for social or political reform.
• He found the religious leaders to be no better than the social elite, trapped in ignorance and superstition. Gandhi criticized them for their lack of integrity and the superficiality of their non-violence, which often extended only to avoiding harm to insects and animals without genuine concern for their suffering.

Gandhi's Observations on Religious Practices and Social Condition in India

• In Southern India, particularly in Madras (Chennai), Gandhi observed a decline in the essence of religion, despite the outward forms being maintained. He noted that Harijans(now referred to as Dalits) faced severe indignities there.
• He pointed out a more pronounced division between Brahmins and non-Brahmins in this region. Sarcastically, he remarked on the paradox of the region's abundant use of sacred ash, sandalwood paste, vermilion powder, along with the numerous temples and their maintenance, despite the social divisions.
• Gandhi observed a growing estrangement from religion among the educated, leading to cynicism, while ignorance prevailed among the orthodox.
• During the Kumbh Mela in Hardwar in 1915, Gandhi saw a reflection of India's social decay. He noted the pilgrims' absent-mindedness, hypocrisy, slovenliness overshadowing their piety. He was particularly struck by the opportunism of some sadhus and the bizarre act of grafting a fifth foot onto a cow to deceive the gullible.
• Gandhi's disgust at the Kumbh Mela was evident as he criticized the hypocrisy of those who revered Hardwar and the Ganga yet disrespected its sanctity by dirtying the area. This experience significantly influenced his decisions about his future actions and residence.
• Gandhi noticed a similar gap between religious ideals and practices during his visit to Hindu pilgrimage sites like Mathura, Govardhan, Vrindavan in 1929. Instead of the expected healthy cattle and pure milk, he found malnourished cattle and a troubling situation where Brahmins had fallen from their roles as religious custodians to beggars. In Vrindavan, he was particularly affected by the plight of widows, especially those from Bengal, who were paid meager sums for their religious recitations.
• During the Buddha Jayanti celebrations in Kolkata in 1925, Gandhi criticized the state of all Indian religions, including Buddhism, which he deemed decadent. He expressed hope for a future where religions would be free from fraud, hypocrisy, degradation, with only truth and love recognized as the essence of religion.
• He also highlighted the immorality and dishonesty of some societal leaders, particularly criticizing the practice of young girls being married off to older widowers under the guise of social service, which catered more to the men’s baser instincts.
• Gandhi raised concerns about violence, untruth, corruption within the Congress party, including allegations of bogus membership leading to embezzlement of funds. This, he felt, reflected the broader state of the nation, indicating serious issues within the country’s foremost political party.