 | THE CONDITIONS OF SWARAJ Swaraj in one year |  |
THE CONDITIONS OF SWARAJ
Swaraj is easy of attainment before October
next if certain simple conditions can be
fulfilled. I ventured to mention one year in
September last because I new that the conditions
were incredibly simple and I felt that the
atmosphere in the country was responsive.
Past five months' experience has confirmed
me in the opinion. I am convinced that the
country has never been so ready for establishing
Swaraj as now.
But it is necessary for us as accurately as
possible to know the conditions. One supreme
indispensable condition is the continuance of
non-violence. Rowdyism, hooliganism, looting
that we have recently witnessed are disturbing
elements. They are danger-signals. We must
be able to arrest their progress. The spirit
of democracy cannot be established in a year
in the midst of terrorism whether governmental
or popular. In some respects popular
terrorism is more antagonistic to the growth
of the democratic spirit than the governmental.
For the latter strengthens the spirit
Dyerism has evoked a yearning after
freedom as nothing else has. But internal
Dyerism, representing as it will
terrorism by a majority, will establish an
oligarchy such as will stifle the spirit
of all free discussion and conduct. Nonviolence,
therefore, as against the Government
and as between ourselves is absolutely essential
to speedy success. And we must be able
to devise means of observing it on our part in
spite of the gravest provocations.
The next condition is our ability to bring
into being the Congress organisation in terms
of the new constitution, which aims at
establishing a Congress agency in every village
with a proper electorate. It means both
money and ability to give effect to Congress
policies. What is really needed is not a large
measure of sacrifice but ability to organise
and to take simple concerted action. At
the present moment we have not even succeeded
in carrying the Congress message to every
home in the 7½ lacs of villages of India. To
do this work means at least 250 honest
workers for as many districts, who have
influence in their respective districts and who
village, no circle need wait for instructions
from head-quarters for founding their respective
organisations.
There are certain things that are applicable
to all. The most potent thing is
Swadeshi. Every home must have the spinning
wheel and every village can organise
itself in less than a month and become self-supporting
for its cloth. Just imagine what
this silent revolution means and there would
be no difficulty in sharing my belief that
Swadeshi means Swaraj and Swadharma.
Every man and woman can give some
money—be it even a pice—to the Tilak
Swaraj Fund and we need have no anxiety
about financing the movement. Every man
and woman can deny himself or herself all
luxury, all ornamentation, all intoxicants at
least for one year. And we shall have not
only money but we shall have boycotted many
foreign articles. Our civilization, our culture,
our Swaraj depend not upon multiplying our
wants—self-indulgence, but upon restricting
our wants—self-denial.
We can do nothing without Hindu-Muslim
unity and without killing the snake of untouchability.
poison that is eating into the vitals of Hindu
society. Varnashram is not a religion of
superiority and inferiority. No man of God
can consider another man as inferior to
himself. He must consider every man as his
blood-brother. It is the cardinal principle of
every religion.
If this is a religious battle, no argument is
necessary to convince the reader that self-denial
must be its supreme test. Khilafat
cannot be saved, the Punjab humility cannot
be redressed, without godliness. Godliness
means change of heart,—in political language,
changing the angle of vision. And such a
change can come in a moment. My belief is
that India is ripe for that change.
Let us then rivet our attention on:.
(1) Cultivating the spirit of non-violence.
(2) Setting up Congress organisations in
every village.
(3) Introducing the spinning wheel in
every home and manufacturing all the cloth,
required for our wants, through the village
weaver.
(4) Collecting as much money as possible.
(5) Promoting Hindu-Muslim unity and
(6) Ridding Hinduism of the curse of
untouchability and otherwise purifying ourselves
by avoiding intoxicating drinks and
drugs.
Have we honest, earnest, industrious,
patriotic workers for this very simple programme?
If we have, Swaraj will be established
in India before next October.
| THE CONDITIONS OF SWARAJ Swaraj in one year | |