When was Hind Swaraj written and by whom?
Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule was written by Mahatma Gandhi in 1909. He wrote it in Gujarati, his native language, while traveling by ship from London to South Africa.
Questions about Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why was Hind Swaraj banned by the British?
The British government in India banned the Gujarati version of Hind Swaraj in 1910, classifying it as a seditious text. Gandhi's arguments for passive resistance, refusal of trade with Britain, and rejection of Western civilization were considered threatening to colonial rule.
What is the main argument of Hind Swaraj?
Gandhi makes four central arguments: true Home Rule requires self-rule, not just British departure; passive resistance and love are more effective than violence; Indians must practice Swadeshi by refusing trade with the British; and India cannot be free until it rejects Western civilization itself.
Who are The Reader and The Editor in Hind Swaraj?
Hind Swaraj is structured as a dialogue between two characters, The Reader and The Editor. The historian S. R. Mehrotra specifically identified The Reader as Dr Pranjivan Mehta. Gandhi speaks as The Editor, responding to The Reader's common arguments about Indian independence.
What did Gandhi say about Western civilization in Hind Swaraj?
Gandhi wrote that India is being ground down not under the English heel but under that of modern civilization, and that Western civilization is such that one has only to be patient and it will be self-destroyed. His critique targeted the civilization itself, not merely the nationality of its practitioners.
How has Hind Swaraj been received by critics and scholars?
In September 1938, the philosophical magazine The Aryan Path published a symposium on Hind Swaraj featuring contributors including Frederick Soddy, G. D. H. Cole, and John Middleton Murry, whose responses ranged from enthusiasm to respectful criticism. In 2025, author Rajesh Talwar published The Mahatma's Manifesto: A Critique of Hind Swaraj, which India Today described as challenging Gandhi's principles and sparking debate among readers.