Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj versus the Megacity: An Unresolved National Conflict
N. Singh · ·3 min read
Translated from the original Hindi · मूल हिंदी लेख पढ़ें
In 1946, the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, wrote:
“India does not reside in its few cities, but in its seven lakh villages. If the villages perish, India will perish. It will no longer remain India. Its very mission in the world will also be lost.”
What was Gandhiji’s dream?
He wanted every village in India to become a ‘Self-reliant Republic’. The village should have its own food system, its own cottage industries, its own panchayat (village council), its own education, and its own justice. The village should not have to look towards cities or foreign corporations for its basic needs.
But what did we do after independence?
We printed Gandhi’s spectacles and spinning wheel on currency notes and government posters, but tossed his ideas straight into the dustbin! We assumed that erecting colossal cities of glass and concrete like London, New York, and Shanghai was what true development meant.
The Hell of Uncontrolled Urbanisation and the Ruin of Villages
In the eleventh chapter of their book ‘Ujadti Kheti, Ujadte Gaon’ (Devastated Farming, Ruined Villages), co-authors N. Singh and Vimla Singh examine this historic clash between Gandhian village philosophy and the modern development model.
What state are our so-called ‘smart cities’ in today?
- In metropolises like Delhi and Mumbai, the air is so toxic that breathing is akin to smoking cigarettes.
- The Yamuna and Mithi rivers have been turned into filthy drains.
- Ground water for drinking has plummeted to the depths, and towering mountains of garbage stand on every side.
On the other hand, the village that once had fresh air, pure water, and verdant land has been rendered destitute, starved of schemes and budgets.
Raw materials from the village go to the city for a pittance, while city-made soap, oil, plastic, and packaged poison are sold in the village at exorbitant prices. In this way, the wealth of the village is being continuously sucked away and accumulated in the cities.
A Bitter Truth from the Book
“Gandhiji was not opposed to machines; he was opposed to a system that allows machines to dominate human beings and snatches work away from crores of hands for the profit of a mere handful of people. Today, when the world is grappling with global warming, climate crisis, and mental depression, the entire world is once again reminded of Gandhi’s very gram swaraj (village self-rule). If India is truly to be saved, we must turn the direction of development away from the cities and back towards the villages.”
— ‘Ujadti Kheti, Ujadte Gaon’ (Chapter 11)
What Is the Real Solution?
- Genuine Implementation of ‘Vocal for Local’: Primary and secondary processing of everything produced in the village must take place in the village itself. Oil expellers, flour mills, khadi (handspun cloth), handicrafts, and cottage industries should be given tax-free and interest-free incentives.
- True Panchayati Autonomy: Gram panchayats should not be turned into mere agencies for filling MGNREGA muster rolls; they must be granted complete administrative authority over their water, forests, land, and local markets.
- Eco-friendly Organic Farming: The indiscriminate subsidies on chemical fertilisers must be eliminated, and indigenous cow-based natural farming along with the conservation of native seeds should be made a national mission.
A Question Worth Pondering (The Book’s Message)
Is there any worth to a progress where those living in the city cannot find clean air and water, and those living in the village cannot find food and livelihood? To reflect upon this eternal question of Gandhi, do read the eleventh chapter of the book ‘Ujadti Kheti, Ujadte Gaon’.
Gandhiji’s gram swaraj was not backwardness; it was a philosophy of environment, balance, self-reliance, and human dignity that the entire world needs most today.