Indian Home Rule

INDIAN HOME RULE is Mohandas K. Gandhi's 1922 English translation of his 1909 original written in his native language. Presenting his theses as dialogue between a common Indian and Gandhi, himself-the "Reader" and the "Editor" of the text-the author is able to anticipate the many arguments against what must have seemed a radical-perhaps illusionary-approach to regaining control of a country. Gandhi's points, however, are quite reasonable. One by one, he takes the Reader's challenges. The Editor explains patiently the grip England came to have over time and how it came to be. In a sense, he suggests that India begin a process of reversing that trend. Civilization as usually defined must revert to the old Indian ways, bringing civilized interactions between individuals. English laws, railroads, mechanical production have enslaved and divided the people. The trappings of civilization have Anglicized the nation and made it dependent. That dependence must be broken. Most intriguing, as it remains today, is his philosophy of nonviolence. It is his "soul force" as opposed to the "brute force" commonly considered the means for change. "I felt that violence was no remedy for India's ills, and that her civilization required the use of a different and higher weapon for self-protection."It is this (now-proven) idea that has made Mohandas K. Gandhi a symbol for India's and other nations' peaceful and successful movements for change.