The book “Hind Swaraj” or also known as Indian Home Rule was written by the famous freedom rights leader Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of the Indian Independence Movement, who sought out non-violent protests instead of destructive behaviors. The main theme that Gandhi was trying to express was his attitude toward the relationship of India and the British crown. Another recurring theme was his thoughts on modern civilization and mechanisms. I am glad that I read this piece of literature, for I have not only gained knowledge of the past, but have been able to see Gandhi’s perspective on the world that he lived in.
Hind Swaraj is a perspective between reader and editor. The reader is a typical indian countryman , while the editor is Gandhi himself. Gandhi’s first argument is about how home rule is self rule. This means that India is not occupied by the British but they will still govern them. Another argument that is stated is about how passive protest is the best thing to do by pushing violence out of the picture. The last important argument that is mentioned is about how India will never, in fact, be free until they fully reject the western civilization itself, not just the British. The editor then goes into depth about how modern mechanisms are good for the services they provide, but he states that it is slowly degrading civilizations. Thus meaning that western civilization is corrupt and will soon be destroyed by itself.
Gandhi impressed me the most with his persistence. He cares about his beliefs so much that he just keeps on pushing his viewpoints on the reader to show what he truly believes in. We first see his persistence with his first argument that was stated: home rule is self rule. Gandhi argues that there is no difference made when the British people leave India, when in fact they still have rule over them. After reading this argument I found myself in awe with how Gandhi described the problem at hand. He does a spectacular job explaining the sole purpose of self rule and how India cannot have self rule with British interference.
Multiple times we see Gandhi argue the importance of passive protest. Not only does he denounce violence but he says it is actually worse. We see that Gandhi used the practice of boycotting when it came to the products that were shipped over to India from the British. These items in particular were imposed with harsh taxes that the British could collect. This to me, is the best aspect of Mahatma Gandhi’s life, as well as the best perspective in his book. We then see the editor mention that if you look back through history you will see countless accounts of wars against the world, while there is almost no account of peaceful protests. Therefore, Gandhi was a trend setter as well as a great leader to an even greater cause. Gandhi’s approach to his protests was to spare as many lives as possible while still making a difference to not only his own country, but to the whole world; bringing me to the highest respects of him.
The only thing that I don’t fully agree with is the argument that Gandhi brought up towards modern civilization and machinery. Gandhi argues that machinery does more bad than good, due to the loss of jobs to machines. He says that the growth of machines continues to grow and takes away more jobs that can be earned with “honored” labor. The use of machines have continued to improve the efficiency of production, and create a more safe work environment as well. The use of machinery creates more job opportunity, bringing in skilled technicians to operate and to maintain the machines. The advancements in technology has also rapidly increased the amount of students who are choosing to go in to the technician career field. .
Hind Swaraj not only helped me gain knowledge on a piece of dark history for India, but it also helped me understand the hardships that the country went through. Gandhi provided many great explanations for his theories and used them to the furthest extent. This piece of literature leads me to the conclusion that this was a great book with an even better insight.
