Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule, 1909 by M.K. Gandhi

Posts

Showing posts from April, 2009

Conference on Understanding the Economic Crisis from the Hind Swaraj perspective

Samanvaya is happy to partner with SIDH, Mussorie and CEH, IIIT-Hyderabad in organizing a Conference to understand the current global(ized) economic crisis from the perspective of a 100 year old Testament. The event titled, ' Understanding the Modern Economic Crisis from the perspective of Hind Swaraj and Exploring Alternative Spaces for a Sustainable World Order' will be hosted by SIDH, Mussoorie between the 13th to 17th May 2009 at their beautiful Bodhigram Campus in Kempty. The event will bring together academics, activists, scholars, thinkers and people from various fields who are asking serious questions on the current crisis. Sri. Samdhong Rimpoche , the Prime Minster for the Tibetan Government in exile and Sri. Ravindra Sharma of Kala Ashram, Adilabad will participate apart from many others. Do write if you are interested to participate for more details.

Introduction to this Blog...

Hind Swaraj was written by Gandhiji in 1909 as a small booklet. He himself says that he just had to write it, that he could not hold it back. It was written on a ship on his way from London to South Africa almost at one go. In fact, he would not change much in it. It is also the only work perhaps that he wrote originally in Gujarati and later himself translated to English. In his opinion whatever he did in the next 39 years was only execute what he had written in Hind Swaraj. He always held it to be his manifesto, if there was one.

This small book even today elicits strong responses from people across the globe. It remains as one of the strongest critics of modernity written and a very good starting point for anyone who wants to challenge modernity or aspires to understand the roots of it and / or is seeking a solution from within. His powerful proposal of soul force in this book is equally significant and perhaps is the major source of discomfort for his own colleagues in the Indian National Congress in later days.

Many serious followers of Gandhiji even today hold this book as the beginning for understanding Gandhiji and his actions. Quite a few (including myself) think that some of the contemporary issues that challenge us today need to be addressed / viewed from the Hind Swaraj framework for a possible change.

This blog has been started as a web place for a discussion on Hind Swaraj. The book itself is available for a full download online, click here.