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COURSE MANUAL

Gandhi: Life, Ideas, and Debates

ELECTIVE COURSE

Course Instructor: Dr. Ravi K. Mishra .

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INFORMATION ON GANDHI: LIFE, IDEAS, AND DEBATES OFFERED BY O.P.

JINDAL GLOBAL UNIVERSITY

The information provided herein is by the Course Coordinator. The following information contains

the official record of the details of the course.

Part I

Course Title: Gandhi: Life, Ideas, and Debates

Course Duration: One Semester

No. of Credit Units: Four (4)

Level: Open to Students of All Schools

Medium of Instruction: English

Pre-requisites: Nil

Pre-cursors: Nil

Equivalent Courses: Nil

Exclusive Courses: Nil

The above information shall form part of the University database and may be uploaded to

the KOHA Library system and catalogued and may be distributed amongst other students.

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Part II

A. COURSE DESCRIPTION

Course Description:

Gandhi occupies a central position in the history of modern India. In terms of the enormous impact

he had on the course of history, both of India and of the world, and the enlightened path that he

showed to humanity, Gandhi certainly deserves to be counted among the few figures in human

history whose appeal and influence are both profound and timeless.

Apart from his unflinching faith in Ahimsa, what distinguishes Gandhi from other great

personalities of the modern world is the fact that he was a deeply religious man who argued that

there can be no politics without religion in the sense of morality. Not only in his life but also in his

death, Gandhi displayed his firm faith in providence when he refused to allow personal security

despite a bomb attack and intelligence reports about other imminent attempts on his life, and paid

the price by sacrificing his life to an assassin’s bullets, dying with the name of Ram on his lips.

The life and achievements of Gandhi, indisputably great as they were, did not, however, go without

criticism from various quarters during his lifetime and since his death. The British and their

collaborators like Muhammad Ali Jinnah portrayed him as a wily politician; Ambedkar and his

followers dubbed him a conservative Hindu leader who was out to do injustice to the depressed

classes; orthodox and conservative Hindus resented Gandhi’s attempt to reform Hinduism,

especially his movement against untouchability, and threw bombs and stones on him; the

Communists described him as a leader of the bourgeoisie and the principal barrier to revolution;

Muslim fundamentalists and the Muslim League portrayed him as opposed to the interests of

Muslims, while Godse and his accomplices killed him for being soft on Muslims. However, in

these crosscurrents of criticisms and castigations, Gandhi stood firm. His walk at Noakhali was an

exemplar of moral and political statesmanship of the highest order.

B. COURSE AIMS

This course deals with the life and ideas of Gandhi at length, while focusing on the more important

aspects. It seeks to provide a holistic analysis of those aspects and tries to situate Gandhi in a

historical perspective. The course aims to foster an understanding of the following:

Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj

Gandhi’s political vision and strategy

Gandhi’s relationship with religion

Gandhi’s understanding of Varnashrama

Gandhi’s relations with other important leaders

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Gandhi’s position on the Partition of India

C. COURSE INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Intended Learning Outcomes Teaching and Learning

Activities

Assessment

Tasks/Activities

By the end of the course

students should be able to:

1. Analytically and critically describe and explain the various topics covered in class.

2. Clearly and coherently communicate in written form their positions on various debates surrounding the life and ideas of Gandhi.

3. Critically apply lessons learned on the life of Gandhi.

30 %

30%

A list of selected readings

will be provided for each

week.

Students will be given

guidance on their reading

and research through

lectures and tutorials.

Students will, by

responding to questions

and performing exercises,

develop their analytical and

critical capabilities.

Students’ ability to describe

and explain the main topics

covered in the syllabus will

be tested by the following

three modes of assessments:

1. End-of-term Take Home Assignment – 40% of marks

2. Mid-term Take Home Assignment – 40 %

3. Class Participation – 20 %

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40%

D. GRADING OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

To pass this course, students must obtain a minimum of 50% in each of the coursework and the

examination elements of the assessment. Coursework for this purpose means those ways in which

students are assessed otherwise than by the end of session examination. End of semester exam will

be in the form of a take-home assignment. Mid-term assessments (other than final examinations)

will carry 60% of the marks. The format for the mid-term assessments will be determined

individually by each instructor and communicated in detail in class.

EXAMINATIONS

The course has a final examination in the form of a take-home assignment based on the reading

assigned to each topic by the course instructor. It will carry 40% of the marks.

ATTENDANCE

All students are required to have a minimum of 75% attendance. Any student falling short of 75%

will not be permitted to take the final end of term examination (except in exceptional

circumstances). Class attendance will also be graded as a part of class participation which carries

20% of the marks.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Serious consequences will ensue for any student involved in plagiarism. All submissions must be

original. Any idea, sentence or paragraph that is taken from any published material must be

credited with the original source and should be duly referenced.

Non-compliance with the university’s policy on plagiarism will be severely dealt with and the

student involved will be awarded a “F” grade.

Please note the grades and their values below

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Percentage

of Marks

Grade Grade Value Grade Definitions

80 and

above

O 8 Sound knowledge of the subject matter, excellent

organizational capacity, ability to synthesize ideas,

rules and principles, critically analyse existing

materials and originality in thinking and

presentation.

75 to 79 A+ 7.5 Sound knowledge of the subject matter, thorough

understanding of issues; ability to synthesize ideas,

rules and principles and critical and analytical

ability.

70 to 74 A 7 Good understanding of the subject matter, ability to

identify issues and provide balanced solutions to

problems and good critical and analytical skills.

65 to 69 A- 6 Adequate knowledge of the subject matter to go to

the next level of study and reasonable critical and

analytical skills.

60 to 64 B+ 5 Descent Knowledge of the subject matter but average

critical and analytical skills.

55 to 59 B 4 Limited knowledge of the subject matter and

irrelevant use of materials and, poor critical and

analytical skills.

50 to 54 B- 5 Poor comprehension of the subject matter; poor

critical and analytical skills and marginal use of the

relevant materials. Will require repeating the course.

Below 50 F 0 None of the Above

E. METHOD OF CONDUCTING A CLASS

The class format will combine lecture and discussion, with a primary focus on the latter. Students

are expected to prepare for and participate in class discussion on a regular basis. Students are

expected to review the delineated course materials in advance of each class and to raise questions

and present their thoughts on the material during the course of class discussions.

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Part III

A. KEYWORD SYLLABUS

Gandhi; Religion; Hinduism; Islam; Christianity; Christian Missionaries; Varnashrama; Nehru;

Patel; Hindi; Hindustani; Capitalists; Trusteeship; Constitution; Women; Partition; Tagore; Bose;

Political Strategy

Part IV

A. LECTURE PROGRAMME

This syllabus should be viewed as a general guide. The syllabus may be revised during the course

of the semester. Students will be informed of the changes made.

The following programme is intended to be only indicative and is subject to variation as and when

circumstances may render it necessary:

Teaching

Week(s)

Lecture Topic

1 Introduction

2 & 3 Hind Swaraj

4 Gandhian Political Strategy and Methods

5 Gandhi and Hinduism

6 Gandhi and Christianity

7 Gandhi and Islam

8 Gandhi and Varnashrama

9 Gandhi and Capitalists: The Idea of Trusteeship

10 Gandhi and Constitution

11 Gandhi and Women

12 Gandhi and Partition

13 Gandhi and Tagore

14 Gandhi and Bose

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B. EXPANDED LECTURE OUTLINES

Week One:

Introduction

The introductory class will consist of a session on Gandhi in general. It will provide an overview

of his life and ideas, actions and achievements, debates and failures. It will prepare the students

for an intensive study of the man who had arguably the greatest impact on the history of the

modern world and whose legacy continues to inspire a large number of people around the world,

notwithstanding radical attacks on him.

Readings:

1. Ramchandra Guha, “Epilogue”, Gandhi: the years that changed the world (1914-1948)

Weeks Two and Three:

Hind Swaraj

Hind Swaraj is clearly the most important text written by Gandhi. In fact, it can be described as

Gandhi’s foundational text which contains in some form or the other all his views, ideas and

opinions which he would articulate and work upon in the remaining four decades of his life. As

late as 1945, in a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, he affirmed his faith in the Hind Swaraj. Hind

Swaraj is also important as one of the earliest and the most powerful critiques of modernity and

of Western civilization as a whole. It represents India’s civilizational challenge to the dominance

of the Western civilization. This unit shall therefore take up a critical study of Hind Swaraj.

Readings:

1. Hind Swaraj, M.K. Gandhi

Week Four:

Gandhian Political Strategy and Methods

It is often forgotten that Gandhi was a master politician who crafted a strategy to defeat what is

correctly described as the mightiest empire in the history of the world upon which the sun never

set. It was very substantially the political movement led by Gandhi that led to the departure of

the British from India and to the disintegration of the Empire. This unit would try to discuss in

detail how Gandhian political strategy was a superb response to the colonial state created by the

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British in India which relied on co-option, collaboration and consent of large sections of Indian

people as much as on the use of military might.

Readings:

1. Bipan Chandra, “The Long Term Strategy of the National Movement”, India’s Struggle

for Independence: 1857-1947

2. Bhagwan Josh, “Introduction”, Struggle for Hegemony in India: The Colonial State, the

Left and the National Movement (Volume II, 1934-1941)

3. Selections from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (primary reading)

Week Five:

Gandhi and Hinduism

Gandhi’s relationship with religion was a highly complex one. It is a well-known fact that he

engaged with Islam, Christianity as well as other religions and sought to learn from them.

However, he regarded himself as a Sanatani Hindu and worked all his life for the reform and

regeneration of Hinduism. Therefore, his conception of Hinduism in itself as well as in its

relationship with other religions like Islam and Christianity becomes important. This unit would

explore Gandhi’s relationship with Hinduism in a critical framework.

1. Margaret Chatterjee, “Gandhi’s Religious Thought and Indian Traditions”, Gandhi’s

Religious Thought

2. Selections from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (primary reading)

Week Six:

Gandhi and Christianity

The fact that Gandhi held a lifelong debate with Christian missionaries on the nature of religion

and on the issue of conversion is not known widely outside the community of historians and

other social scientists. This debate revolves around Gandhi’s belief in the equality of all religions

which informed his relations with all other religious communities and also provided a template

for his religio-cultural politics. The attempt in this unit would be to study in detail Gandhi’s

engagement with Christian missionaries, especially on the subject of conversion.

1. James D. Hunt, “The South Africa General Mission”, Gandhi and the Nonconformists:

Encounters in South Africa

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2. James D. Hunt, “The Nonconformist Legacy”, Gandhi and the Nonconformists:

Encounters in South Africa

3. Selections from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (primary reading)

Week Seven:

Gandhi and Islam

Gandhi’s approach to Islam as a religion and to the Indian Muslims as a community has arguably

been highly controversial ever since his involvement in the Khilafat movement. Whereas

hardline Muslim critics of Gandhi accused him of being only a Hindu leader, the Hindu

nationalists have criticized him for pandering to Muslims. His critics have often seen the rise of

Muslim separatism in India leading to the partition as a logical consequence of Gandhi’s

engagement with Islam. This unit would seek to critically examine Gandhi’s approach to pan-

Islamism and study the origins and outcomes of his ideas and actions vis-à-vis the Muslims of

India.

1. B.R. Nanda, “Gandhi and Pan-Islamism”, In Search of Gandhi (OUP, 2011)

2. Selections from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (primary reading)

Week Eight:

Gandhi and Varnashrama

Gandhi’s response to the inequalities within the Hindu society was highly nuanced and kept

changing over time. His avowed faith in Varnashrama as he defined it was one of the most

distinctive features of his conception of Hinduism. Whereas the orthodox Hindus attacked him

for what they regarded as a dilution of religiously mandated hierarchy, others have castigated

him for being a conservative Hindu. This unit attempts to examine Gandhi’s views on

Varnashrama and Jati while situating them in their proper historical context. It further argues

that notwithstanding Gandhi’s theoretical defence of Varnashrama he was instrumental in

introducing wide-ranging reforms in Hinduism.

1. Anil Nauriya, Gandhi’s Little-Known Critique of Varna, Economic and Political Weekly,

Volume 41, No. 19, p. 1835-38

2. Selections from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (primary reading)

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Week Nine:

Gandhi and Capitalists: The Idea of Trusteeship

It is a well-known fact that many Indian capitalists enjoyed a good relationship with Gandhi.

While Socialists and other members of the Congress on the Left tended to see capitalism and

capitalists as integral parts of colonialism, Gandhi clearly had a different approach. Though a

severe critic of modernity and industrialization, Gandhi was pragmatic enough to accept the fact

that entrepreneurship was a highly specialized activity which was likely to remain largely in the

hands of those who were best suited for it. Therefore, neither accepting capitalism as it is

commonly understood nor rejecting it outright, Gandhi formulated his concept of trusteeship

which he claimed was in line with the Indian tradition. The focus of this unit would be on

understanding Gandhi’s relationship with capitalists and his concept of trusteeship.

1. B.R. Nanda, “Gandhi and the Capitalists”, In Search of Gandhi (OUP, 2011)

2. Selections from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (primary reading)

Week Ten:

Gandhi and Constitution

One of the most startling facts of modern Indian history is that the man who led the freedom

struggle had apparently very little to do with the Constitution of free India. Why was it so? Was

it because Gandhi had no conception of what the Constitution of a free India should be or

because there was a fundamental divergence between the Gandhi led freedom struggle and the

Constitution that was eventually adopted by the Constituent Assembly? This unit is intended to

engage with the above-mentioned questions.

1. Mithi Mukherjee, “An Imperial Constitution?”, India in the Shadows of Empire: A Legal

and Political History

2. S.N. Agarwal, “The Gandhian Way”, Gandhian Constitution for Free India

Week Eleven:

Gandhi and Women

Gandhi’s approach towards women, especially with regard to their participation in social and

political life and granting of equal rights to them has been analyzed through multiple

perspectives. Feminist critics of Gandhi often paint him as a conservative patriarch whose views

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on women’s liberation were not advanced enough, conveniently ignoring the fact that Gandhi’s

position in this regard has to be historically situated before it can make any sense to the

contemporary reader, a task that this unit will try to accomplish.

1. Madhu Kishwar, Gandhi on Women, Economic and Political Weekly, No. 40 & 41, Vol.

20 (Two-parts article)

2. Selections from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (primary reading)

Week Twelve:

Gandhi and Partition

The partition of India in some sense represents the biggest failure of the freedom struggle. It also

represents arguably the biggest failure of Gandhi’s political career. It is therefore important to

study Gandhi’s position regarding the Partition and his role in it, if any. This is all the more

important because Gandhi is often held responsible for the Partition because of his allegedly soft

approach towards the Muslims which his critics claim gave fodder to Muslim separatism in India

and eventually resulted in the Partition. This unit would focus on the issue of Gandhi and

Partition in a comprehensive manner.

1. Sucheta Mahajan, “Why Gandhi Accepted the Decision to Partition India”, Independence

and Partition: The Erosion of Colonial Power in India

2. Selections from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (primary reading)

Week Thirteen:

Gandhi and Tagore

Gandhi and Tagore are known to have enjoyed a close relationship from 1915 to the death of

Tagore in 1941. It was clearly a relationship marked by deep mutual respect and admiration.

However, close as they were, there existed a lot of differences between them on the questions of

nationalism, swadeshi, charkha and relationship between human actions and divine agency. This

unit attempts to study Gandhi-Tagore relationship in all its complexities bringing out both points

of convergence and departure between them.

1. Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, “Introduction”, The Mahatma and the Poet: Letters and

Debates between Gandhi and Tagore 1915-1941

2. Makarand R. Paranjape, ‘Natural Supernaturalism?’ The Tagore-Gandhi Debate on

the Bihar Earthquake, The Journal of Hindu studies, 9 July, 2011

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3. Selections from The Mahatma and the Poet: Letters and Debates between Gandhi

and Tagore 1915-1941, edited and compiled by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya (primary

reading)

Week Fourteen

Gandhi and Bose

Gandhi’s relationship with Bose represents a key aspect of Gandhi’s political vision and strategy,

especially in the wake of Bose’s re-election in the Tripuri Congress in 1939 and the subsequent

developments which led to his resignation and later expulsion from the INC. It provides a good

insight into Gandhi’s response to the rise of the Left in the Congress, since Bose had emerged,

briefly at least, as the leader of the Left in the critical period of 1938-39. The present unit would

deal at length with the question of why Gandhi and Bose fell out with each other and tries to

clear many misconceptions in this regard.

1. Bhagwan Josh, “The Divided Left: Notes on Permanent Disunity”, Struggle for

Hegemony in India: The Colonial State, the Left and the National Movement, Volume

II: 1934-41

2. Selections from A Bunch of Old Letters, ed. Jawaharlal Nehru (primary reading)