Indian Home Rules Gandhiji

Author(s): Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Gandhiji
Publisher: Yann Forget

Page 68

HIND SWARAJ OR INDIAN HOME RULE
11. Like every other Indian, he will know that this is a time for repentance, expiation and
mourning;
12. Like every other Indian, he will know that to blame the English is useless, that they came
because of us, and remain also for the same reason, and that they will either go or change their nature only when we reform ourselves;
13. Like others, he will understand that at a time of mourning, there can be no indulgence, and
that, whilst we are in a fallen state, to be in gaol or in banishment is much the best:
14. Like others, he will know that it is superstition to imagine it necessary that we should
guard against being imprisoned in order that we may deal with the people;
15. Like others, he will know that action is much better than speech; that it is our duty to say
exactly what we think and face the consequences and that it will be only then that we shall be able to impress anybody with our speech;
16. Like others, he will understand that we shall become free only through suffering;
17. Like others, he will understand that deportation for life to the Andamans is not enough
expiation for the sin of encouraging European civilization:
18. Like others, he will know that no nation has risen without suffering; that, even in physical
warfare, the true test is suffering and not the killing of others, much more so in the warfare of passive resistance;
19. Like others, he will know that it is an idle excuse to say that we shall do a thing when the
others also do it: that we should do what we know to be right, and that others will do it when they see the way; that when I fancy a particular delicacy, I do not wait till others taste it: that to make a national effort and to suffer are in the nature of delicacies, and that to suffer under pressure is no suffering."
READER: This is a large order. When will all carry it out?
EDITOR: You make a mistake. You and I have nothing to do with the others. Let each do his duty. If I do my duty, that is, serve myself, I shall be able to serve others. Before I leave you, I will rake the liberty of repeating:
1. Real home-rule is self-rule or self-control.
2. The way to it is passive resistance: that is soul-force or love-force.
3. In order to exert this force, Swadeshi in every sense is necessary.
4. What we want to do should be done, not because we object to the English or because we
want to retaliate but because it is our duty to do so. Thus, supposing that the English remove the salt-tax, restore our money, give the highest posts to Indians, withdraw the English troops, we shall certainly not use their machine-made goods, nor use the English language, nor many of their industries. It is worth noting that these things are, in their nature, harmful; hence we do not want them. I bear no enmity towards the English but I do towards their civilization.