MAHATMA GANDHI AND HIS PHILOSOPHY

The present study is an attempt to comprehend Gandhi’s philosophy and his entire life sprawling in a variety of popular movements through decades. The contexts have been so arranged that the holistic nature of the Gandhian thought becomes self-explanatory. The book presents life, parentage and childhood of Gandhi to explain the impact of factors in the formative phase of his childhood. These sources are valuable and they conclusively shaped his public life in the later years. It explores the efforts of establishing Ashrams, which were the training institutes to prepare Satyagrahis. It not only reveals Gandhi as an organiser but also as a great experimenter of his novel ideas. It also explains his worldview of society and presents a penetrating analysis of future human society in the East and the West. The ‘Sarvodya Samaj’ of Gandhi has been put in a theoretical perspective. Trusteeship doctrine along with Swadeshi has also been analysed. His variegated political philosophy has been examined in national and international contexts. Secularism, a vexed question of Indian politics and as a philosophy has been explained in terms of its practices by the Mahatma. It further elucidates how can a secularist be religious in the Gandhian way. The book investigates Gandhian concept of ‘Gram Swaraj’ and how Panchayati institutions can be revitalised without pernicious impact of caste and crude power. It also evaluates the Gandhian credo of truth, non-violence, Sarvodaya, Satyagrah and Gram Swarajya in the overall context of multiple challenges of the millennium. It further includes the analysis of contemporary trends of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation in the light of trusteeship and Swadeshi doctrines alongwith their dynamism and relevance for the world society. Contents 1. Gandhian Philosophy: A Conceptual Study of Fundamental Principles, Origins and Influences 2. Gandhian Ashrams: Laboratories for Experiments with Truth and Non-violence 3. The Social Philosophy of Gandhi 4. The Economic Philosophy of Gandhi 5. The Political Philosophy of Gandhi 6. Gandhi and Secularism 7. The Concept of Village Swarajya in Gandhian Thought 8. The World View of Gandhi and Challenges of the New Millennium
CONTENTS
1. Gandhian Philosophy: A Conceptual Study of Fundamental Principles, Origins and Influences

2. Gandhian Ashrams: Laboratories for Experiments with Truth and Non-violence
3. The Social Philosophy of Gandhi
4. The Economic Philosophy of Gandhi
5. The Political Philosophy of Gandhi
6. Gandhi and Secularism
7. The Concept of Village Swarajya in Gandhian Thought
8. The World View of Gandhi and Challenges of the New Millennium