Mahatma Gandhi's Constructive Programme Analysis

Mahatma Gandhi believed in a system of non-violence, or ahimsa, that “could change and heal situations of conflict and human nature itself” (xxxi). He believed that there was a need for “radical transformations in human lives, relationships, and organizations… and the interconnectedness of these” (xxvi). Gandhi “recognized the need to create a social environment in which this sort of disciplined personal life and consequent transformed personal relationships could flourish,” (xxvii) which sparked the idea of ashram communities where people shared a vision of “authentic human life and the disciplines which enabled it” (xxvii). Furthermore, Gandhi pushed for the civil disobedience of “people unwilling to conform to the laws of the legislature”

Many of these aspects are outlined in Gandhi’s plan for non-violence in everyday life. The Constructive Programme calls for “complete independence by truthful and non-violent means” (164). The first step towards this goal is communal agreement, in which everyone must “cultivate personal friendship with persons representing faiths other than his own. He should have the same regard for the other faiths as he has for his own” (165, 166). Gandhi believed that “power resides in the people, and it is entrusted for the time being to those whom they may choose as their representatives” (166). As long as there is unity between castes, religions, and gender within a society, there will be effectiveness. “Parliaments have no power or even existence independently of the people” (166). Hand-in-hand with communal unity is the removal of untouchability, which “is part of the task of building the edifice of swaraj,” (167) or self-rule, and economic equality, which is “the master-key to non-violent independence” (176). The success of the community depends on the help of its neighbors; therefore, all must be treated as equal contributors. In order for individuals to remain non-violent and make the most effective contributions, it is key that men and women do not labor “under the curse of intoxicants and narcotics” (167). Prohibition, health, and hygiene must be exercised at all times, for “A healthy mind in a healthy body is self-evident truth” (174). “If we were in possession of healthy minds, we would shed all violence” (174). In addition, khadi, or hand-spun cloth, “must be taken with