How Relevant is the Gandhian Political Economy for Today’s India?

Karmakar, Asim K. and Jana, Sebak Kumar (2023): How Relevant is the Gandhian Political Economy for Today’s India? Published in: Artha Beekshan , Vol. 32, No. 4 (March 2024): pp. 64-76.

Abstract

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), known as ‘Mahatma’, meaning ‘great-souled’ as people called him, was born on 2nd October 1869 at Porbandar in India. He was the first to warn the then-Indian leaders, policymakers, and his followers in the late 1940s about the dangers of high inequality in income and wealth distribution prevalent between the rich and the poor in India. This shows his power of visionary gleams and his awareness of the political economy. Gandhi’s vision of non-violence, ahimsa, and right action was based on the idea of the total spiritual interconnectedness and divinity of life as a whole. He was also the first to create three principles of sustainable development: Sarvodaya, Swadeshi, and Satyagraha, aptly relevant to today’s India. His idea of creating of economically self-sufficient local economy is now at the closest proximity to 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' which he tried to launch many years back. It is in this context we try to explore the relevance of Gandhian political economy for today’s India.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Political economy, Platform capitalism, Sarvodaya, Satyagraha, Sustainable development
• Subjects: B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B3 - History of Economic Thought: Individuals

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