Gandhi and AnarchySankaran Nair, C. (Chettur), Sir
History
Gandhi and Anarchy
Sankaran Nair, C. (Chettur), Sir
Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948 -- Political and social views; India -- Politics and government -- 1919-1947
1. Real Home Rule is Self Rule or control;
2. The way to it is Passive Resistance; that is soul force or love
force.
In my opinion, we have used the term "Swaraj" without understanding its
real significance. I have endeavoured to explain it as I understand it,
and my conscience testifies that _my life henceforth is dedicated to
its attainment_.
Such is the real Gandhi. Railways, lawyers, courts, doctors, education
on Western lines, machinery of every kind or manufacturing industries,
parliamentary government should disappear. He is singularly ill informed
on every one of the questions he has discussed. 'Soul force' alone
should be relied upon. No resistance should be offered to violence. No
resistance should be offered to robbery and the robbers are to be left
to cut one another's throats. No resistance to be offered to murderers
or to those who might want to enslave you. Briefly, no protection is to
be given by laws and their administrators to person and property.
There is no harm perhaps as long as such fantastic visionaries restrict
the application of these principles to themselves, to their own persons
or properties. But it becomes a serious matter when their general
application is sought for.
These are the sentiments he expressed in 1908, and it was with these
sentiments that he came to India. As it is well to be definite and
clear, I will quote from a letter addressed by him in 1909 to a friend
in India:--
"Bombay, Calcutta and the other chief cities of India are the real
plague spots".
"If British rule were replaced tomorrow by Indian rule based on modern
methods, India would be no better, except that she would be able then
to retain some of the money that is drained away to England; but then
India would only become a second or fifth nation of Europe or America".
"Medical science is the concentrated essence of black magic. Quackery
is infinitely preferable to what passes for high medical skill".
"Hospitals are the instruments that the devil has been using for his
own purpose, in order to keep his hold on his kingdom. They perpetuate
vice, misery and degradation and real slavery".
"India's salvation consists in unlearning what she has learnt during
the past fifty years. The railways, telegraphs, hospitals, lawyers,
doctors, and such like have all to go, and so called upper classes have
to learn to live consciously and religiously and deliberately the
simple peasant life, knowing it to be a life giving true happiness".
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account