Q1. What does Gandhi mean by self-rule? Why does Gandhi insist that there is a need to bridge the gap between the elite and the masses to bring about self-rule?
Key Points:
- Swaraj means comprehensive self-rule: individual, political, economic, and social.
- Individual Swaraj (self-mastery) is foundational for collective self-governance.
- Political Swaraj is true people's rule, not just transfer of foreign power.
- Economic Swaraj emphasizes village self-sufficiency and decentralized production.
Answer: Gandhi's concept of self-rule, or Swaraj, transcends mere political independence from foreign rule, embodying a multi-dimensional and holistic vision for individual and societal liberation. As articulated in *Hind Swaraj* (1909), it fundamentally means 'self-rule' in the truest sense, starting with the individual's mastery over their own desires and passions. This individual Swaraj is the bedrock upon which larger collective self-rule can be built. At the political level, Swaraj implies a syste...