This essay was presented at the Essay Competition-cum-Young Scholars Seminar on Concept of Swaraj, held under auspeicies of Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), at Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya (University), Jabalpur, Feb 25-28, 1997.

Concept of Swaraj © Anup Mukherjee

Swaraje Namah : Salutation to the self ruling splendour - Atharva Veda

The impelling urge for freedom is innate in human thought process. The idea of freedom and liberty has guided and inspired countless human struggles and the history of human civilisation is replete with resplendent examples of human endeavour where personalities, communities and nationalities have sacrificed everything for achieving their freedom.

The struggle for liberty has been the most conspicuous feature of history of civilisations. The concept of Swaraj is manifestation of the involuntary commitment of human society to be free and independent. It conceptualises an unrestrained environment for self development and self actualisation which inspires creativity and spontaneous pursuit for self realisation among all members of society and also take the nation on a higher level of existence. French revolution (1789), Russian Revolution (1917), and American war of independence, were all struggle for freedom of human spirit. They were struggle for freedom from hunger, from oppression and from authoritarianism.

When India attained independence, Jawaharlal Nehru in his inaugural address said - “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny… At the stroke of the midnight hour… India well awake to life and freedom. A moment comes which comes rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation long suppressed, find utterance“. Swaraj is the emancipation of the individual and the nation in social political and economic sphere.

Swaraj and Political Struggle

Swaraj literally means self (Swa) government/rule (Raj). Politically Swaraj is a substitution for ‘Home Rule’, ‘Political Autonomy’, ‘Political Independence’, and ‘Sovereignty’ of nation.

Human civilisations over the globe, at some moment of history has faced humiliation of invasion, subjugation and loss of independence. In modern times the worst form of conquest took shape in the form of colonial engineered by imperialist ambitions of handful of nations. The tyranny of imperialism was unprecedented. Racial intolerance, forced conversions, political harassment, gagging of press, spoliation of country, plunder of village, deceit and extortion, international slave trade, and economic exploitation became the characteristic feature of imperialist adventure. In India vile scheming and tyrannical individuals like Lytton, Clive, and Gen Dyre epitomised the high watermark of imperialism.

Subjugation and suppression has a natural reaction in revolt, rebellion and revolutions, The sense of deprivation from legitimate political governance over oneself alongwith an anomic desperation accentuated by tyranny of conqueror whips up a volatile situation where subjugation is equated to servility and struggle for independence becomes a matter of national honour. There is widespread discontent and intense political struggle demanding political autonomy from the subjugator. The revolt of 1857 in India could be seen in this perspective. It took time for the proliferation of political consciousness and the sense of nationalism to spread among the masses. With emergence of Mahatma Gandhi the freedom movement under his national leadership characterising mass political action was a struggle for Swaraj.

Swaraj and independent nationhood

When political ideals have been achieved, when nations become free; when democracy becomes the order of the day, as it is in India; the question arises - What now? What relevance Swaraj has for a sovereign democratic republic? This essay attempts to answer these questions and explore the concept of Swaraj in its various manifestations and thereby delineate its relevance in contemporary times, particularly in Indian context.

Swaraj is a conprehensive concept. Its relevance exists in the wider context of human freedom and welfare. According to Aurobindo, Swaraj is more than mere political freedom - it is freedom of individual and the community. It is spiritual freedom and social freedom. To him Swaraj is possible by self help, intellectual conviction and the unity of hearts that spring from love; Swaraj is the direct revelation of God to the people and the idea of self must be replaced by idea of nation if Swaraj is to be attained.

When polity is evaluated in the perspective of Swaraj, many issues which are ignored in ordinary life are thrown up which are vital for the individual well being and collective welfare. It is here, that Swaraj is linked to the standards of political virtue, sagacity and statesmanship of leaders, social morality, individual rectitude, community ethics, national character, goals of the polity and institutional arrangement for achieving those objectives, nature of administration, efficiency index of the polity, welfare ratio in terms of planned allocation and actual achievement, quality of welfare, standard of life of the masses, the progressiveness of the social structure, development of economy and employment generation, success in poverty alleviation, and ultimately the extent of achievement of the ideals of national emancipation (ie. democracy, equality, social justice and secularism).

The relation of Swaraj with welfare and democracy can be depicted by the following theoretical construct.

Welfare     ^     |     |     |     |	Paternalism	Swaraj
	Despotism	Anarchy
————————————–> Democracy

Only in a polity which combines democracy and welfare, can Swaraj ensue. And in Swaraj can there be empowerment of all and collective welfare of society.

Philosophical Background

Swaraj entails power to the masses and conscious responsibility towards others. Bal Gangadhar Tilak termed Swaraj as the natural consequence of diligent performance of duty. ‘While the KArma Yogi strives for Swaraj, the Jnana Yogi yearns for it’. He gave the clarion call ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’. Through Swaraj freedom fosters creativity, empowerment brings forth responsibility, and enlightened consciousness inspires individuals to achieve higher ideals and propels them to ‘karma’ in right earnestness.

During India’s freedom struggle millions of individuals sacrificed their present for future generations and Gandhian vision and idealism inspired the nation to follow certain values and activised the masses into action and thrilled the nation with hope. These cherished ideals were - ‘ahimsa’ (non violence), ’satyagraha’ (sticking to truth), ‘anasakti yoga’ (selfless action), ’sarvodaya’ (upliftment of all), passive resistence, non possession, toletance, humility and humanism, communal harmony, equality among individuals and fearlessness in ‘karma’. These were the components of Swaraj in Mahatma Gandhi’s conceptualisation. Swaraj for him meant independence from alien control, economic independence, moral and social independence, dharma, self control, control over proximate environment (through fulfilment of basic needs) and existence of peace and security.

For him Swaraj is not freedom from all restraint but it is complete disciplined rule from within. It is the freedom to err and the power to correct them. Thus self rule and self control leads to cration of disciplined society. It also means a society whose ideology includes social upliftment, religious harmony, educated people, self reliant villages and towns and a positive approach towards mental and moral development. Purna Swaraj was not isolated independence, but healthy, positive and dignified independence. The sense of duty and enlightened use of power makes the state an embodiment of equality and justice. Swaraj for Gandhiji is a state embracing ethics and morals, and Ramrajya (Just state) is its highest manifestation.

Challenges of Present Times

In our times, when the nation faces insurgency, regionalism, caste and communal violence, social violence on women and weaker sections, corruption at all levels, politics-crime nexus, unbriddled greed for money and the increasing gulf between rich and poor, the ideological undercurrent that has kept the polity dynamic and united are the principles of honesty, truth and non violence which inspired our freedom fighters and still remains the unshakable bedrock and moral force in sustaining our Swaraj.

Swaraj and Polity

In our political landscape of prismatic heterogenety, Swaraj underlines the strength of the polity - it saves the state from softness and the vulnerability of ‘matsya-nyay’. It provides the framework for making independent, tough, reasoned and sensible decisions. While the tangible objectives of such decisions are provision of ‘roti (food), kapda (cloth), makan (home), and rozgar (employment)’, the intangible environmental touchstones by which such decisions are taken are equally important. These have been beautifully outlined in the preamble to the Indian constitution viz. the state shall secure to all its citizens -

JUSTICE: Social, economic and political
LIBERTY: of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
EQUALITY: of status and of opportunity and to promote among them all,
FRATERNITY: assuring the dignity of individual and unity and integrity of the nation.

Equally important in the democratic framework of Swaraj is citizens’ participation in decision making concretised through democratic decentralisation of power structures which have manifested in the form of constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions and Local Self Governments by the 73rd and 74th amendments. In the villages, the little republics of Gandhiji’s conception, a ‘gram raj’ as envisioned by Vinoba is being ushered - dispersing power to the people as well as making them responsible in managing their affairs.

Here Swaraj is related to the vital issue of bridging the gap between public utility services and the public. In this sense Swaraj means access to basic services. The new left advocates collective control based on community action, fostering the forces of decentralisation and democratic action in the process of governance, by widening and deepening public involvement in decision making process, by making them part of government structure at grass roots. Empowerment in this manner is reflected by the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

In contrast the approach of the new right is privatisation and introduction of market mechanism in public services, which means competition in service delivery, public service pluralisation, elimination of monopolist provider, consumer sovereignty and an enabling role for the government.

An alternate solution is the cooperative movement based on voluntary and self reliant community action, It has been highly successful in India and aims primarily at development of people through their collective initiative. It can be extended to public utilities also. While this approach is shorn of ideological bias, it can also concretise ‘Sarvodaya’ in a better way.

Issues of Rights and Justice

An important component of Swaraj is existence of rights and sound system of justice. Denial of Rights and Justice agitates people and leads to dissent and revolt. Tilak writes, “When a struggle ensues between the fitness of people for the rights of Swaraj and the miserliness of authorities in granting those rights, and when the authorities begin to act wildly, being intoxicated with the pride of military power, then the deplorable bombs are naturally constrained to intervene in order that the attention of authorities may be attracted to the intoxication which obstructs real progress.” Thus, freedom of expression, articulation of different views and guarantees of civil, political and human rights are very important so that the executive does not infringe upon the lives of the individuals. The Indian constitution guarantees fundamental rights which forms the core of the basic structure of the constitution and cannot be tampered with. Related to this is the need for existence of cheap and quick system of justice. Justice should be easily accessible and the grievance redressal machinery should be efficient. This would give citizens a sense of security and a sense of dignity.

Swaraj, Federalism and Autonomy

In the last decades India witnessed an unprecedented turbulence with regional aspirations running wild and secessionist movements, insurgency, political anarchy and social confusion becoming a reality of life. The fact that these dissident movements whether in Kashmir, Punjab, Assam or Nagaland were fuelled by foreign countries in form of political and strategic support makes it a case of criminal conspiracy and not legitimate rights. But the reality that people were dissatisfied with the state of affairs and there was widespread support for militants in these regions in initial phases, points an alarming finger to structural imbalance and nascentness of our democracy; that there were no avenues or institutional arrangements for articulating grievances peacefully is a poor reflection on our long established democratic tradition. Also, the way the anger and frustrations of people were hijacked by terrorists and criminals, makes a shameful addition on the foundation of Gandhian Swaraj - the one based on self sacrifice, self restraint and non violence.

In view of demands for regional autonomy, including issues like separate states for Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bodoland etc, the federal arrangement needs to be throughly reviewed. Fiscal autonoomy at regional levels would be a natural concomitant to Panchayati Raj system. This would entail devolution of power, better coordination of administration and greater thrust to development.

Components of Swaraj (A Synopsis)	Objectives
Participation 1. Through democracy 2. In government structures 3. In decision making 4. Community Action 5. Harmonious society and co existence	Cooperation
Empowerment 1. Through education 2. Employment 3. Economic Upliftment 4. Improved standard of life 5. Decentralisation of structures	Sarvodaya
Rights 1. Political Rights 2. Civil Rights 3. Human Rights 4. Freedom of speech 5. Freedom of conscience 6. Right to information	Confidence and Pride in Nation
Justice 1. Social Justice 2. Access to justice 3. Quick redressal of grievances 4. Welfare of weaker sections 5. Removal of poverty	Egalitarianism
Decentralisation 1. Devolution of power 2. Fiscal autonomy 3. Regional Planning 4. Result Orientation 5. Procedural Simplification 6. Sustainable development	Better Management of Resources

Role of Culture and Technology

The technological advancement particularly in field of satellite television can be a window to the world. But it can also lead to disastrous consequences by projecting a culture which depicts depraved and corrupt western values in an attractive market driven package. While the earlier generations got westernised by imbibing progressive values like humanitarianism, equalitarianism, secularism and got influenced by marvels of modern science and technology, admired western institutions and absorbed the knowledge of great philosophers and educationists, the new generation is being exposed to depraved culture and immoral values. About the influence of westernisation, Peter Drucker has commented that while Japan “Consciously based the new westernised behaviour on traditional Japanese values and culture… the reformers of India and China by contrast felt that they had to change their countries’ cultures. The only result have been frustration, friction and confusion". It rests on the enlightened citizenry to show the right direction and disseminate our values and culture, otherwise immoral values would lead to creation of degenerate minds, incorrigible habits, crime, corruption and irresponsible flagrant way of life, thus undermining Swaraj. Here Gandhiji’s observation is pertinent, that a state snjoys Swaraj if it can boast of a large number of good citizens ‘who observe the rule of morality’.

Swaraj and Globalisation

Seen in larger perspective the issues that come up are, that in the post cold war era, how does globalisation of market and internationalisation of economy affect Swaraj. How does a nation stand firm when faced with economic power of transnational corporations. How does Swaraj reconcile with open ended market principles, and what kind of economic choices can a nation exercise particularly when its economy gets scrutinised by international organisations like World Bank, IMF, WTO and various multilateral aid and donor agencies. While these are challenges in the economic sphere, the pluralists on the political side declare that if political theory is to be philosophically true, scientifically sound, morally righteous and practically convenient, it must recognise personality of a corporation as a real and spontaneous entity. The state is thus a federation, an interlocking union of groups. Laski goes to the extent of saying that “politically there is no such thing as sovereignty at all".

The individual and the nation have to take up the challenge of this dual onslaught by keeping its autonomy and decision making apparatus under its firm control, otherwise a new form of servitude and subjection would take place. While in a changed international scenario inertness or conservative chauvinism would be injurious, it is also necessary to protect national interest and the interests of common citizens against transnational capital. Adam Smith conceded that free markets have a tendency to turn monopolistic or oligopolistic. Obviously government cannot abandon its interventionist role because its primary aim remains economic welfare, social justice, poverty alleviation and employment generation.

To ensure Swaraj what is called for is better fiscal management, increase in efficiency of administration, prudent and productive government expenditure and elimination of corruption. A nation to have a vibrant policy needs sound finances; ‘Varta’, as Chanakya would testify determines whether a polity is strong or weak. Only a strong polity can ensure social stability, peace and Swaraj.

Swaraj and Foreign Policy

Politically it is very essential to maintain the nations independent position in various spheres of international relations. India has always applied an independent mind to international issues. During cold war era India pioneered the concept of non-alignment to resist any form of neo-colonialism and retain its independet foreign policy choices. In pursuance to India’s goal towards a peaceful world, Jawaharlal Nehru propounded Panchsheel - the five principles of international relation - equality among nations, peaceful coexistence, working for mutual benefit, non interference in internal affairs and mutual respect for territorial integrity. This outlook was aimed to generate consensus among nations against any kind of belligerance and to promote international cooperation. It was a philosophy of self check and self control and aimed at giving proper direction to independece as against independence turned wild and berserk. This saves the nations from unnecessary anxiety and conflict and serves the cause of peace and security.

Mahatma Gandhi’s interpretation of Swaraj as self restraint is eminently apt when applied to issue of nuclear weapons in international relations. If hostility and suspicion leads to arms race then accrual of nuclear arsenals accentuates the threat of mutually assured destruction; also partial treaties like NPT keeps the world in a perpetual mortgage to whims of certain technologically advanced nations. Swaraj conceptualises peace with equality and envisions a conflict free comity of nations.

We have nations coming together to form trade blocks like ASEAN (which have also declared itself a nuclear weapon free zone); there is the European Union which have common policies in different spheres for the member nations. These nations are cooperating and having larger gains in terms economic advantage, mutually assured security, environment of peace and gains of progress and prosperity for their citizens, and still are maintaining their sovereignty. The spirit of Swaraj reflects this ideal of peace (ahimsa) and cooperation in a spontaneous endeavour of mutual advantage alongwith self autonomy.

Paradigm Shifts

Swaraj : Paradigm Shifts
From	To
Planning	Peoples Participation
Authority	Empowerment
Power Structure	Decentralised Structures
Welfare	Self Reliance
Upliftment	Social Justice
Ethnicity	Pluralism
Economic Growth	Sustainable Development
Freedom	Democracy

In our times, with rapidly changing socio-economic conditions there has been a perceptible paradigm shift in the concept of Swaraj as outlined above. The political reality today, centers around democracy. In a democracy, Swarajmakes possible freedom and liberty in its widest latitude, and simultaneously ensures equality of individuals, promotes social values of good behaviour, greater self reliance, conscientious citizenry and generates consensus and coexistence in a plural society, making possible for citizens to achieve their moral and material needs. In Swaraj betterment is possible through self discipline in an atmosphere of freedom the higher ideals of life gets meaning. In such atmosphere protection of minorities, social justice to weaker sections and empowerment of women can become a reality.

It has been observed that insecurity breeds vice, totalitarianism breeds contempt, suppression provokes hatred and inequality leads to poverty and deprivation. For masses who are poor, ignorant and suppressed, for them Swaraj can become a reality through the beacon light of education and knowledge. This would make them aware of vices around them and show them the direction to self correction and empowerment, and also free them from exploitation. Only a society which encourages the masses towards betterment can claim the status of Swaraj.

Conclusion

it is only in Swaraj that the individual and the society find self fulfilment. When Swaraj spreads from its macro configuration to micro levels where it would be a source of hope for each person, and for millions in villages and towns the life would be one of dignity and the society free from injustice; a society

Where the mind is without fear
    and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up
    into fragments by narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms
    towards perfection
Where clear stream of reason
    has not lost its way into
  the dreary dessert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
    into ever widening thought and action… (Tagore in Gitanjali)

that day when the nation awakes to such heaven of freedom can Swaraj be realised in its pristine manifestation.

References:

1. Contemporary Indian Philosophy - Mahadevan and Saroia
2. The Writings of Gandhi - ed. Duncan
3. Unto This Last a Paraphrase - M.K. Gandhi
4. Years of Struggle - Jawaharlal Nehru
5. Gitanjali - Rabindranath Tagore
6. Nationalism and Colonialism in Modern India - Bipin Chandra
7. Reorienting Governance for Speedy Service Delivery by Arvind K. Sharma
    (Article in Indian Journal of Public Administration, July-Sep 1994)
8. Political Science - ed. Sen, Chopra & Kothari
9. Trial of Tilak - Publications Division
10. Constitution of India

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