Gandhian Perspectives on Economics and Ethics

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I FEEL privileged to have this opportunity to peruse through Professor B. Sambasiva Prasad's recently finalized thesis, Gandhian Perspective on Economics and Ethics, an analytical document resulting from his two year (2017-18) Senior Research Fellowship for studying "Gandhian Economics" under the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR).

I have known Professor Prasad since 2010, when Professor K. Ramakrishna Rao introduced me to the GITAM School of Gandhian Studies, set up at his initiative, under the GITAM University, Visakhapatnam. Professor Prasad, working as Professor of Philosophy at Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi, after superannuation from there, at Professor K.R. Rao's invitation, joined as Director, GITAM Centre for Gandhian Studies in 2010. He was also the Executive Editor of the scholarly 6-monthly GITAM Journal of Gandhian Studies from its inception in 2012 and directed the seminars and other similar activities related to Gandhian subjects, under the leadership of Professor K.R. Rao. He has had a continuing deep interest in Gandhian thought and studies from student days. In the GITAM Journal of Gandhian Studies (vol. 6, nos 1-2, 2017) itself, had appeared his (5-page) article titled "Ethics: The Basis of Gandhian Economic Order", showing his long-term interest in the subject he worked on for his Fellowship.

This book initiates with a very apt quote by Martin Luther King Jr. "If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. ..." The document itself starts with "Preface", followed by "Introduction" full of scholarly information, linked to the study of the subject. Gandhi learnt his "economics" from John Ruskin's Unto This Last and other multifarious sources as a part of actual experiences of life. Hence, to him truth and non-violence remained the fundamental principles of economics also. He was not like a typical academician. J.C. Kumarappa's Economy of Permanence rightly classified "Gandhian economics" as "economy of service" (among the five possible categories: parasitic, predatory, enterprising, gregarious and service). Professor Prasad then discusses other very relevant issues: "Why should we study Gandhian economics?", Its resource literature, objectives, methodology and influences that shaped its philosophy, Gandhian economics vs. traditional economics, Gandhian economics is holistic and its four fundamental principles, six fundamental premises and four "S" paradigm. The "Introduction" makes one realize the core values of Gandhian economics before perusing the following chapters 1 to 13 describing its varied contents and perspectives.

In Chapter 1 "Gandhi's Concept of Man", his ideal man is described as a moral man, following the purusharthas and the eleven vows and avoiding the seven deadly sins. There can be no contradiction between true "economic" progress and "moral" progress in an ideal social order.

Chapter 2 "Ethics: The Basis of Gandhian Economic Order", further concretizes Gandhi's integration of economic and moral progress. Central principle of traditional economics is "self-interest", that of Gandhian economics is "good of all", particularly of the "last man" (Gandhi's Talisman). It means "simple living and high thinking", seeking satisfaction of "needs", not "greed". It means "non-violent" economic order.

Chapters 3-5 "Swaraj (Self-rule)", "Swadeshi (Economics of Neighbourhood)" and "Bread Labour (Sarirak Shrama)" portray how pursuit of Gandhian economics remained at the core of India's freedom struggle. Gandhian concept of swaraj included not only political freedom but also economic, social and moral freedoms. It was "poor man's swaraj". Three days before his martyrdom (27 January 1948) he had cautioned that the Congress had got only "political" freedom for India; economic, social and moral freedoms were still to come; their attainment would be harder as these have to come from within. Gandhian swaraj also meant "true democracy", "the individual is the supreme consideration", "Gram Swaraj" and "Ramarajya", i.e. an ideal state.

Gandhian concept of swadeshi included his agenda of a decentralized economy, revival of rural economies, mass employment and self-sufficiency/self-reliance. The first care one owes is to one's neighbour, its reach expanding step by step till it covers the world. It led to his well-known khadi economics. "It is a doctrine of selfless service that has its roots in the purest ahimsa, i.e. love." Chapter 5: "Bread Labour" has been among the most innovative policies of Gandhian economics. "Man must earn his bread by labouring with his own hands." It implies everyone's "duty and right to work". Gandhi resourced his concept of bread labour from John Ruskin, Leo Tolstoy and the Gita. It meant the dignity of labour and thus the popularity of the charkha. To achieve this deeply socialistic nature of Gandhian economics, Gandhi had laid down clear policy directives for the owners of wealth and the society at large. These are covered under the next three chapters. Chapters 6-8 focus on "Aparigraha or Non-possession (Need-based Economy)", "Trusteeship (Social Ownership)" and "Sarvodaya (Welfare of All)".

ECONOMISTS may be classified into classical, neo-classical and modern. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and J.S. Mill (1806-73) were belonging to the school of classical economics. They developed their economics on the basis of the "principle of utility". Their principle was "greater good of the greater number". Utility is the goal of all human actions. According to the principle of utility, human being is called a rational man because he always wants to maximize utility.

Alfred Marshall (1842-1924) was the founder of neo-classical school. He followed the utilitarian approach and assumed the concept of man as a consumer, making rational calculations of utility. He held the view that human wants and desires are innumerable.

Adam Smith (1723-1790) was considered the father of modern economics. For him and his followers, economics was a science of man's efforts regarding acquisition of wealth. According to Smith, economics is concerned with the accumulation of commodities that man may enjoy. In his classical book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations (1776), Smith defined economics as a "science of wealth". This view that economics as a science of wealth was criticized by John Ruskin (1819-1900) and other economists of nineteenth century. They were of the view that economics teaches selfishness and greediness. Ruskin declared economics as "dismal and a pig science" which teaches selfishness.

Smith's definition of economics gives primary importance to wealth and secondary importance to human being. According to this, the main objective of human activities is to earn more and more wealth. To put it in other words, man earns for his self-interest, and social interest is kept aside.

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was not an economist in the technical sense of the term. He was not an economist in the sense like that of Adam Smith, Alfred Marshall, Karl Marx and J.M. Keynes. He was primarily an actionist - a karma-yogi. He himself declared:

I am not built for academic writings. Action is my domain. What I understood according to my lights to be my duty and what comes my way I do.

-Harijan, 3-3-1946, p. 28

Gandhi had neither studied economics as a subject in the curriculum nor had he the opportunity of reading standard books on modern economics. However, he had developed his economic ideas out of his encounters with surroundings and situations of his life. His life is his book. He had experimented upon his life's experiences and generated his economic ideals and practised them in his life.

Gandhi had the occasion to read Ruskin's Unto This Last in South Africa. This book exercised a profound influence on his life and his economic ideas. Kenneth Rivett considers Ruskin as Gandhi's "main economic teacher" (Rivett 1959: 8). The Bible also shaped Gandhi's thoughts on social and economic matters. Gandhi considered Jesus Christ as the first economist of his times (see the explanation on p. 7). During "Quit India" movement, while in detention, Gandhi had found some time to read Karl Marx's Das Capital (1867). Gandhi's acquaintance with economic literature is not full. However, he wrote extensively on diverse economic problems facing India, specially about unemployment and underemployment, and the need to organize khadi and village industries to provide work for idle hands. Although Gandhi was not acquainted with modern economic terminology, his ideas revealed a pragmatic and rational approach to different economic problems confronting developing countries. The language that Gandhi used to express his economic ideas was not that of the specialists. It was "the language of the marketplace which the common man understands" (Kripalani 1991/2005: 373).