Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hind Swaraj, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Passive Resistance and Indian Independence
Modern Civilization and Colonialism
The Personal and the Political
Indian Nationhood and Identity
Summary
Analysis
The reader asks the editor what he thinks about the call for Indian home-rule. The editor replies that this question involves all three of his goals as a newspaper editor: to express, change, and critique popular sentiment. He explains that the Indian National Congress formed out of a desire for home-rule, but the reader points out that a group of London activists who call themselves the Young India Party view the Congress as a puppet for the British. The editor replies that the Congress’s founders, both Indian and English, dedicated their lives to the cause of home-rule. But the reader angrily replies that this is irrelevant—especially the part about Englishmen.
Literate Indians would have been generally familiar with the debate around home-rule (Swaraj) in 1909, which is why Gandhi can jump straight in. While the reader tries to fight and discredit the moderates who disagree with him, the editor (who represents Gandhi) focuses on uniting the dissenting sides by helping the reader see the moderates’ important contributions to the struggle for independence. Just like Gandhi emphasizes his own debt to earlier thinkers in the Foreword, he wants his readers to see that the Independence Movement is an inclusive movement fighting to create an equally inclusive India. Most importantly, he wants them to see that not all Englishmen are automatic enemies to the independence struggle, and not all Indians are its automatic allies. Gandhi’s comment on the role of newspapers shows how he thinks certain English institutions can still play an important role in Indian society—although he later argues that newspapers will eventually become obsolete in India. Finally, Gandhi specifically addresses the views of the Young India Party because one of its members, an activist named Madan Lal Dhingra, had just assassinated a prominent English official a few months before in London. In fact, the Young India Party turned out to be a short-lived and loosely organized group rather than a real political party, and its members are now more closely associated with India House (the residence where most of them lived).
Themes
The editor suggests that the reader may lack the patience and maturity necessary to properly rule himself as an individual. In fact, he argues, Indians should respect the Congress’s founders. These include the influential scholar and statesman Dadabhai Naoroji, who seriously advanced the idea of home-rule (Swaraj), even though he was working for the English government. Persuaded, the reader asks about Professor Gokhale, who thinks that Indians can learn from British politics. But the editor also thinks that Gokhale is a respectable authority. This doesn’t mean people should blindly agree with everything he says, but they should be able to respect his dedication and wisdom even when they disagree.
Gandhi begins with a discussion of the reader’s personal qualities in order to foreshadow his idea that individuals have to first achieve control over themselves (self-rule, or Swaraj) in order to effectively fight in the independence struggle and achieve home-rule (which is also called Swaraj) for India. Most importantly, he thinks activists need to tolerate disagreement and work together despite their differences in order to achieve any meaningful change. This is why Gandhi emphasizes the importance of respecting authority but never blindly following it: the independence movement should guide itself by truth and a common goal, not an absolute commitment to a charismatic leader or specific set of beliefs.
Themes
The reader doesn’t understand why the editor defends some English writers and statesmen, like A. O. Hume and Sir William Wedderburn. But the editor points out that not all Englishmen are inherently evil. Many, like these two men, are on India’s side. And Indians should accept their help. The reader doesn’t understand and admits that he’s already prejudiced against the editor’s views, but the editor knows that it’s his duty to convince the reader.
Here, Gandhi is careful to separate the English people from the English government. By wrongly viewing the struggle for independence as a fight against the English people, Indians not only alienate possible allies, but also play into the harmful us-versus-them politics that the English government has used to divide Indians and prevent them from working together. Instead, Gandhi thinks that people should decide for themselves which side they are on—anyone can fight for or against independence, whether they’re Indian or English.
Themes
The reader asks how the Congress created the foundation for home-rule. The editor explains that the Congress brought all different kinds of Indians together and developed the idea of a truly unified, independent, self-governing Indian nation. The home-rule movement is an attempt to fulfill the Congress’s vision.
Again, Gandhi envisions India as a nation founded on inclusiveness and diversity. While many Indians seek sovereignty for their particular religious, linguistic, or ethnic group, Gandhi thinks that the nation should be a completely separate and independent source of identity. This would help Indians work together rather than fight over resources.
Themes
Get the entire Hind Swaraj LitChart as a printable PDF.
