WHAT CONGRESS AND GANDHI HAVE DONE TO THE UNTOUCHABLES : GANDHISM 279
offering this sacrifice steals it. By giving up this sacrifice we became traitors to the country, and banged the door in the face of the Goddess of Fortune.”
Anyone who has read Mr. Gandhi’s booklet on Hind Swaraj (Indian Home Rule) will know that Mr. Gandhi is against modern civilization. The book was first published in
- But there has been no change in his ideology. Writing in 1921 Mr. Gandhi said [1] :
“The booklet is a severe condemnation of ‘modern civilization.’ It was written in 1908. My conviction is deeper today than ever. I feel that, if India would discard ‘Modern civilization’ she can only gain by doing so.” In Mr. Gandhi’s view [2] :
“Western civilization is the creation of satan.”
The second ideal of Mr. Gandhi is the elimination of class-war and even class struggle in the relationship between employers and employees and between landlords and tenants. Mr. Gandhi’s views on the relationship between employers and employees were, set forth by him in an article on the subject which appeared in the Nava-Jivan of the 8th June
1921 from which the following is an extract :
“Two paths are open before India, either to introduce the Western principle of ‘Might is right’ or to uphold the Eastern principle that truth alone conquers, that truth knows no mishap, that the strong and the weak have alike a right to secure justice. The choice is to begin with the labouring class. Should the labourers obtain an increment in their wages by violence ? Even if that be possible, they cannot resort to anything like violence, howsoever legitimate may be their claims. To use violence for securing rights may seem an easy path, but it proves to be thorny in the long run. Those who live by sword die also by sword. The swimmer often dies by drowning. Look at Europe. No one seems to be happy there, for not one is contented. The labourer does not trust the capitalist and the capitalist has no faith in the labourer. Both have a sort of vigour and strength but even the bulls have it. They fight to the very bitter end. All motion is not progress. We have got no reason to believe, that the people of Europe are progressing. Their possession of wealth does not argue the possession of any moral or spiritual qualities.
Young India, 26th January 1921.
Dharma Manthan, p. 65.