[R]eal Swaraj will come, not by the acquisition of authority by a few, but by the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist authority when it is abused. In other words, Swaraj is to be attained by educating the masses to a sense of their capacity to regulate and control authority. ~ Gandhi, Young… read more
Tag Archives: swaraj
Independence: Daily Metta
“Your difficulty is not numerical inferiority but the feeling of helplessness that has seized you and the habit of depending on others.” ~ Gandhi, Mahatma 7.255 Gandhi was accused of using the term swaraj for India’s “freedom” because of its very deep spiritual significance. His response was, so to speak, “guilty as charged.” He had… read more
Person Power: Daily Metta
“Swaraj of a people means the sum total of the swaraj of individuals.” ~ Gandhi, Harijan, March 25, 1939, p. 64 “Person power” is a term coined by the Metta Center for Nonviolence to describe the vision of swaraj, or self-rule, that Gandhi propounded. Large masses of people do make an impact and can uproot… read more
“Nonviolence above all”–Daily Metta
November 29: “Nonviolence has brought us near to swaraj as never before. We dare not exchange it even for swaraj. For swaraj thus got will be no true swaraj.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, vol. 6, p. 41) Swaraj is the Sanskrit term for independence and freedom, as applied at all levels, from the personal to the global.… read more
“Our Humanity vs. Our Machines”–Daily Metta
October 11: “In this [vision] there is no room for machines that would displace human labour and that would concentrate power in a few hands.” –Gandhi (Harijan, July 28, 1946) It’s hard to understand the concept of Gandhian Economics (one of his most brilliant contributions) without the fundamental principle that upholds it: human beings need… read more
“Brave enough to love each other”–Daily Metta
October 8: “Before they dare to think of swaraj they must be brave enough to love one another.” –Gandhi (Young India, September 29, 1924) While love is, in itself, a kind of freedom, what does a love of a nation or a larger social order look like when there is no love between those living… read more
“Another meeting?”–Daily Metta
September 28: “History gives not a single example of Swaraj won by holding meetings.” –Gandhi (Day to Day with Gandhi, vol. 4, p. 166) Wow, even Gandhi did not love endless meetings. Not surprising actually–he emphasized that the only way to win Independence was through action; through, in his words, “blood and sweat.” He was… read more
“Lessons on disappointment”–Daily Metta
September 26: “There is no word ‘disappointment’ in my dictionary.” –Gandhi (Day to Day with Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 4) “Swaraj in one year!” This was the cry that Gandhi used to ignite non-cooperation in 1921; however, Independence did not take place that year, nor for another 26, to be precise! Someone came to Gandhi and… read more
“The Sound of Music”–Daily Metta
September 13: “There can be no Swaraj where there is no harmony, no music.” –Gandhi (Young India, April 15, 1926) If you were around Gandhi, you would experience music: from hymns at prayer meetings to the rhythmic sounds of spinning wheels. His appreciation for music, however went beyond our traditional understandings of instruments and rhythms;… read more
“A glance at Gandhi on Marxism”–Daily Metta
August 19: “If you believe in true communism, you would have to give up violence.” –Gandhi (Mahadevbhai ni Diary, vol. 19) Both men of the 20th century, Gandhi and Marx sought the well-being of the world, and the Socialists and Gandhi worked together for various efforts, including the effort to prevent partition. But there were… read more
