Ambedkar vs. Gandhi: Caste Annihilation, Hind Swaraj & India
Ambedkar’s Critique of the Caste System
The caste system represents inequality, oppression, and discrimination, fundamentally contradicting democratic principles. It denies individual merit, predetermining one’s role by birth. This system enriches a rigid hierarchy, often illustrated by four main categories (like the ‘broom and earthpot’ analogy signifying fixed, low-status roles). Ambedkar, through movements like the Jat-Pat Todak Mandal, sought its eradication.
Impacts of Caste and Untouchability
- Untouchability: Manifests as avoidance of interaction, akin to natural slavery.
- Lack of Brotherhood: Hinders national unity and social progress.
- Anti-Social Spirit: Weakens society as individuals focus solely on their own caste’s survival, leadership, perceived superiority, and self-interest.
- Denial of Rights: Restricts equal rights, including access to religious practices and basic human rights like water, famously challenged during the Mahad Satyagraha (a peaceful revolutionary movement) and temple entry movements (like at Veereshwar Temple, often followed by ‘purification rituals’ by upper castes).
Defense and Debunking of Caste
A common defense claims caste is based on the division of labor. However, Ambedkar argued it’s a division of laborers, locking them into roles based on supposed innate ability and heredity, stifling aspiration and efficiency. He refuted the biological arguments invoking race, eugenics, pure bloodlines, and subcastes, including restrictions on inter-dining, as having no scientific basis. Hindu society, he contended, is composed of castes, each a closed establishment.
Ambedkar’s Path to Annihilation
Ambedkar believed social reform must precede political revolution, liberating the mind and soul. To change Hindu society, the caste system must be abolished. He proposed several interconnected strategies:
- Inter-caste Marriage: To fuse bloodlines and create a feeling of oneness, making separation and alienation vanish.
- Destruction of Religious Scriptures: Arguing that inter-caste marriage or dining would be futile unless the authority of the Shastras and Vedas, which sanction caste, is destroyed. He believed people would follow these scriptures as long as they exist, preventing true equality. Change must come willingly, through a cleansed mind, not force.
He urged courage to think logically and rationally, rejecting scriptural authority. Ambedkar based his alternative vision, Navayana Buddhism, on the ideals of equality, liberty, and fraternity.
Gandhi vs. Ambedkar on Caste Reform
Gandhi responded to the plight of the lower castes, whom he termed Harijans (‘children of God’). Ambedkar, however, was disgusted by the treatment meted out by Savarna (caste) Hindus and criticized Gandhi’s approach.
Differing Approaches
- Gandhi: Wanted reform within Hinduism. He condemned untouchability as inhumane but sought justification within scriptures, aiming to validate a reformed Varna system, not abolish caste entirely. He maintained social stratification, viewing the Varna system (distinct from caste or Jati) as an ancestral calling or duty, ideally without hierarchy (‘no High Low’). He accepted one’s position in society, sometimes romanticizing the past (e.g., suggesting a scavenger’s work could be treated like a priest’s). His focus was on caste reform, not abandonment, seeing it as integral to Hindu society and a component of an imagined culture protecting India from modernity’s ills. Critics found this hypocritical, noting his own Bania (merchant) caste background.
- Ambedkar: Rejected the very notion of caste and scriptural authority. He saw inter-dining and inter-marriage as sacred acts that destroyed caste divisions. He identified the problem with religion itself and how it divides people, preventing unity. He viewed untouchability as a by-product of the caste system itself. His solutions included temple entry, inter-caste marriage, abolition of untouchability, and destruction of the Vedas.
Political Dimensions
Both M.K. Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar were socio-political reformers focused on the upliftment of lower castes. Gandhi aimed to protect Dalits from oppression and untouchability but within the existing social structure. Ambedkar saw Gandhi’s opposition to inter-caste marriage as stemming from a desire to protect caste ‘purity’ and sacred bloodlines, linked to fears of losing political power among upper castes. Gandhi sought to unite Hindus through moral and religious appeals, sometimes fearing the loss of political power if the Hindu fold fractured. His primary focus was often seen as freedom from British rule rather than the immediate abolition of untouchability, reflecting perhaps an ambivalence or lack of direct experience with lower-caste suffering. Ambedkar viewed the abolition of caste as crucial for a truly independent India, seeing political independence without social liberation as incomplete. Both leaders morally condemned untouchability.
Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj: A Critique of Modern Civilization
In Hind Swaraj (1909), Gandhi presented a sharp critique of Western modernity. He argued that India would not achieve true independence or Swaraj (self-rule, which is also home rule) merely by overthrowing the British. He blamed modern civilization itself, not just colonialism, for India’s ills.
Rejection of Western Materialism
Gandhi rejected Western civilization because it prioritized bodily welfare and material desires. He believed its focus on material goods fostered greed, enslaving the world. India, he urged, should focus on its traditional ways of life and ancient civilizational values. True life lies in behaving morally.
He identified several aspects of modern civilization as detrimental to India:
- Railways, Western-trained doctors, and lawyers: Facilitated colonial control and undermined traditional structures.
- Industrial machinery: Impoverished India, particularly through the destruction of local industries like textiles (e.g., the cotton market being taken over by British industrial power).
Gandhi argued that Indians themselves were partly responsible for the British takeover due to their greed and willingness to embrace modernization. He proposed replacing modern civilization with a ‘true civilization’ based on small, self-sufficient village communities.
The Path to True Swaraj
- Passive Resistance (Satyagraha): A decision to follow moral laws over human ones, disobeying unjust laws imposed by the government while accepting the consequences (suffering or even death).
- Self-Reliance (Swadeshi): Ending dependency on foreign goods and trade (countering self-enslavement). This included boycotting foreign goods (Swadeshi movement) and establishing a separate Indian economy.
- Spiritual Transformation: Change must come from the people (bottom-up). Individuals need to spiritually transform themselves to be worthy of and achieve Swaraj. Living morally and organizing freely allows Swaraj to manifest even before political independence.
- Rejection of Western Education: Criticized for imparting facts without a moral foundation, rendering it useless.
Gandhi’s Philosophy: Morality, Simplicity, and Non-Violence
Gandhi critiqued rationalist materialism as the foundation of modern civilization and the root cause of socio-political problems. He denied that material progress and technological advancement are the means to human happiness. True happiness, he asserted, is achieved only through spiritual growth and the refinement of inner wisdom.
Advocacy for a Different Way of Life
He advocated for:
- Simplicity
- Non-violence (Ahimsa)
- Self-discipline
These, he believed, were the keys to true freedom and self-governance (Swaraj). The British presence hindered India’s development as a self-sufficient nation. Returning to traditional practices like spinning and weaving would reduce dependency, helping Indians regain dignity and strength. His vision was not just for political independence but also for cultural and economic freedom.
Morality and Health
Hind Swaraj proposed a civilization distinct from modernity, one that does not exploit others or risk lives for self-enrichment. Gandhi connected morals to health, arguing that when individuals engage in immoral behavior, it negatively affects the health of the entire society. He saw Western civilization as having ulterior motives, often labeling native communities as ‘barbaric’ to justify exploitation and colonial rule. He believed colonialism increased irreligiousness in the country, as turning away from God meant forgetting one’s beliefs and culture. Ultimately, Gandhi viewed modern civilization as making people fundamentally unhappy.