GANDHIAN SWARAJ : A CONTINUOUS PROCESS

Gandhi was a political social activist rather than a philosopher or thinker. But the level of morality and purity in his politics was so high that it took politics to the spiritual and philosophical level.The same thing can be said for his political and social thoughts. The question of Swaraj was not just a political question for him, nor did Swaraj mean for him only the expulsion of the British from India, but for him Swaraj also meant political self-rule along with liberalism and self-control. Therefore his Swaraj is not only political but also spiritual because politics was a spiritual ( religious) work for him . Swaraj was not freedom from individuals but freedom from ideas. Swaraj was not the rule of one's own people but one's own rule over oneself, self control over body and soul. From this point of view, Locke, Mill and Rousseau are seen together in his Swarajist thoughts. From this point of view, Gandhian Swaraj goes beyond the concept of political sef rule and freedom. His Swaraj is as important a question in an independent country as in a colony or slave country. Therefore, for Gandhi, Swaraj is a continuous process and a desired goal .