The Genesis
Swadeshi
The overall experiment
was towards building a non-violent society. The Freedom was the most immediate
Swadeshi. The concept of Swadeshi as explained by Gandhi, the author of
this entire non-violent struggle, is employment of unemployed or semi-employed
people by encouraging village industries.
The use of machinery is, of course, welcome with caution and proper planning
so that it can be useful to the masses rather than helping a few who can
monopolise the industry. One is made aware of the violence involved in
supporting unnecessary industries, which deprive millions of people of
their livelihood and face disease and death.
Besides, the use of industrial products which cause a lot of violence
due to mishaps, chemicals and materials which involve harm to other creatures,
makes the consumer responsible for this violence. The consumer therefore,
has the responsibility of choosing the materials which he uses, with great
prudence.
October 10/11, 1924. talking to Ramachandran,a student of Shantiniketan
" What I object to is the craze for machinery, not machinery as such.
The craze is for what they call labour-saving machinery. Men go on ‘saving
labour’ till thousands are without work and thrown on the streets
to die of starvation. I want to save time and labour, not for a fraction
of mankind, but for all. I want the concentration of wealth, not in the
hands of a few, but in the hands of all. Today machinery helps a few to
ride on the backs of millions. The impetus behind it is not philanthropy
to save labour, but greed."
The aim of 'swadeshi' as such, is a call to the consumer to be aware of
the violence he is causing by supporting those industries that result
in poverty, harm to workers and to humans and other creatures."
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