Reassessing Gandhian Hind Swaraj: the influence of the industrial revolution on nature, resources, and society

Abstract

This paper examines Mahatma Gandhi's Hind Swaraj as a significant philosophical document that goes beyond its political narrative to tackle essential inquiries regarding the impact of colonialism and its adverse effects on the environment and various causes that lead to the exploitation of natural resources. Mr M. K. Gandhi's Hind Swaraj (1909) offers a compelling ecocritical perspective on the detrimental aspects of Western modernity and industrial society. The book critiques materialism, machinery, and city life while advocating for self-sufficient villages and self-restraint, offering a basis for evaluating environmental degradation well before the contemporary ecological movement. Gandhi's core ecocritical stance is his harsh depiction of contemporary Western society as "Satanic." He claims that this civilisation relies on an "endless expansion of desires," a belief that necessarily encourages overconsumption and environmental damage. For Gandhiji, machinery represents the main symbol of the major flaw in modern civilization. It estranges people from their manual work, displaces countless employees, and consolidates riches among a select few. From an ecocritical perspective, this can be interpreted as a system that values profit and mass production more than human welfare and ecological harmony, perceiving nature solely as a resource for exploitation