Question

The following is a statement delivered by Mahatma Gandhi. Identify the publication in which it was published "Khadar does not seek to destroy all machinery but it does regulate its use and check its weedy growth" :

• A. Young India
• B. Indian Opinion
• C. Harijan
• D. Navjivan

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Young India

Mahatma Gandhi's Vision on Khadi and Machinery

Young India: The Platform

• Young India was an English weekly journal published by Mahatma Gandhi from 1919 to 1931.

• It served as a crucial platform for Gandhi to disseminate his unique philosophy and ideas on Swaraj (self-rule), Ahimsa (non-violence), Khadi, social reform, and his critique of British colonial policies.

• Gandhi also wrote extensively in Navajivan (a Gujarati weekly) and later in Harijan (English, Hindi, and Gujarati editions), which he started after discontinuing Young India in 1932.

Khadi: Symbol of Self-Reliance and Resistance

• The statement "Khadar does not seek to destroy all machinery but it does regulate its use and check its weedy growth" encapsulates Gandhi's nuanced perspective on industrialization and his advocacy for Khadi.

• Khadi, or hand-spun and hand-woven cloth, was more than just a fabric for Gandhi; it was a potent symbol of India's economic independence, self-sufficiency, and a powerful tool for the national movement.

• It directly challenged the British economic exploitation that turned India into a market for imported factory-made goods while destroying indigenous cottage industries.

• The promotion of Khadi aimed to provide employment to the vast rural population, particularly in villages, thereby alleviating poverty and promoting a decentralized, self-reliant economy.

Gandhi's Perspective on Machinery

• Gandhi was not inherently anti-machinery. His opposition was primarily towards the uncontrolled and exploitative use of machinery that led to mass unemployment, centralization of wealth, and human alienation.

• The phrase "weedy growth" refers to the unchecked proliferation of large-scale industrial machinery, particularly that which displaces human labor without serving broader societal welfare.

• He believed that machinery should serve humanity as a tool to lighten toil, not as a master that enslaves it or concentrates wealth in a few hands.

• Gandhi advocated for appropriate technology that would empower individuals and communities, rather than dispossess them. He often cited the sewing machine as an example of beneficial machinery that aided individuals without causing widespread unemployment.

• His vision was to regulate the use of machinery to ensure it supported village industries and promoted equitable distribution of resources, rather than fostering exploitative capitalism.

Historical Context and Significance

• The emphasis on Khadi was a cornerstone of Gandhi's Constructive Programme and played a vital role during the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22), where boycotting foreign cloth and promoting Khadi became a central form of protest.

• This philosophy was a direct counter to the de-industrialization policies of the British, which had systematically destroyed India's traditional textile industry to promote British manufactured goods.

• Gandhi's economic ideas, often termed "Sarvodaya" (welfare of all), prioritized decentralized production, self-sufficiency, and the dignity of labor, making Khadi a practical manifestation of these principles.