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

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Showing posts from December, 2009

Hind Swaraj tri-lingual being released this week...

Source: http://dilipmkpatel.blogspot.com/2009/12/sample-gandhis-ambidexterity.html Posted On Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 03:51:57 AM Two pages from tri-lingual “Hind Swaraj” that is being released on January 30. On top is Gandhi’s writing with his right hand whereas on bottom is the scribble that he made with left hand Gandhi often cribbed about his bad handwriting. This was perhaps because he did not take his handwriting with left hand seriously. Sample it for yourself. Photographs of his scribbles, both with right and left hands, are printed alongside. You may decide it for yourself which one is better. Navjivan Press, while coming out with Gandhi’s celebrated book “Hind Swaraj” or “Indian Home Rule” in three languages to mark the centenary of the book’s publication, would make Gandhi’s ambidexterity public. The book is being released on January 30, Gandhi’s 61st death anniversary, at Navjivan Press off Ashram Road. Incidentally, Navjivan’s copyright monopoly on ...

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.