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Book : (Political Science)
Book Name – Indian Political Thought (OP Gauba)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. Modern Indian Political Thought
2. General Introduction
3. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Significance of Freedom
3.3. Role of Colonialism
3.4. Rationale of Social Reform
3.5. Conclusion
4. Dadabhai Naoroji
4.1. Introduction
4.2. Naoroji’s Critique of Imperialism
4.3. The Drain Theory
4.4. Conclusion
5. Mahadev Govind Ranade
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Ranade’s Economic Philosophy
5.3. Ranade’s Concept of Freedom
5.4. Methods of Social Reform
5.5. Conclusion
6. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
6.1. Introduction
6.2. Gokhale’s View on Ends and Means
6.3. Concept of Freedom
6.4. Idea of Nationalism
6.5. Conclusion
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The Liberal Stream
Chapter – 6
Modern Indian Political Thought
In the history of Indian political thought, the developments of ancient thought are followed by those of modern thought, while the medieval period shows comparatively limited innovation in political ideas.
During the medieval period, two major streams of political thought can be identified.
The first stream consists of Hindu thinkers who continued the ancient tradition of political thought.
Their works mainly involved interpretation and commentary on earlier doctrines of ancient political philosophy.
Important works of this tradition include:
Kamandak’s Nitisar
Somadeva Suri’s Nitivakyamrita
Chandeshwar’s Rajniti Ratnakar
Shukra’s Nitisar.
The second stream consists of Islamic political thinkers who developed ideas about kingship and governance for the guidance of medieval rulers.
Important thinkers of this tradition include:
Ziauddin Barani (1283–1359) – a political thinker of the Delhi Sultanate, especially during the reign of Alauddin Khalji.
Sheikh Abul Fazl (1551–1602) – a courtier, historian, and close associate of the Mughal emperor Akbar.
The emergence of modern Indian political thought is closely linked with the Indian Renaissance of the early nineteenth century.
The Indian Renaissance represented an intellectual awakening among enlightened Indians, who became concerned about the ignorance and social stagnation prevailing in Indian society.
This awakening was inspired by two main influences:
the rediscovery of India’s glorious cultural heritage
the impact of Western ideas and education.
The influence of Western thought acted as the occasion for national awakening, while the admiration for India’s cultural legacy served as the main motivating cause.
Reformers of the Indian Renaissance believed that Hindu society had degenerated due to the rigid caste system.
Earlier reform movements had already challenged social inequality.
Gautama Buddha (fifth century B.C.) had established an egalitarian religious community outside the framework of Hinduism.
Similarly, the Sikh Gurus (15th–18th centuries) promoted a society based on equality and social justice.
Some individuals also sought relief from social discrimination by converting to Islam or Christianity.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati (1824–1883) was a unique social reformer who attempted to reform Hindu society from within.
He urged Hindus to rebuild their society without the rigid caste hierarchy.
Several other reformers also criticized the caste system, though their efforts were not as comprehensive as those of Swami Dayanand.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833) strongly criticized the caste system, but his primary focus was on reforming Hindu religious practices and eliminating social evils.
Swami Vivekanand (1863–1902) also opposed the caste system, but he mainly emphasized service to humanity as the path to social progress.
In contrast, Swami Dayanand combined multiple objectives in his reform movement, including:
reform of the Hindu faith
eradication of harmful social practices
service to humanity
structural reform of Hindu society by reducing caste rigidity.
The study of modern Indian political thought can be organized into several major intellectual streams, although these streams often overlap.
Important streams of modern Indian political thought include:
Liberal stream
Idealist stream
Humanist thought
Islamic political thought
Socialist stream
Feminist stream
Critics of the caste system.
The political ideas of Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) and Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) are so extensive and influential that they cannot be confined to a single stream of thought.
Therefore, their political philosophies are generally studied independently within modern Indian political thought.
General Introduction
The Liberal stream of modern Indian political thought was largely inspired by the principles of British liberalism.
This stream supported a social order that provides maximum opportunities for individuals to develop their potential.
It emphasized the importance of individual freedom and self-determination as the foundation of social progress.
Liberal thinkers in India realized that Indian society was far removed from the liberal ideal.
They criticized the traditional social structure of India for limiting the freedom and autonomy of individuals.
According to these thinkers, the relationship between the individual and society in the Indian tradition was not based on rational principles.
Society was given primacy over the individual, and individuals were placed in a subordinate position.
Indian liberals believed that this subordination of the individual to society contributed to the decline of India’s great civilization.
They argued that India could not regain its freedom or greatness unless its social structure was reorganized on rational and liberal foundations.
According to the liberal view, the roots of India’s long period of subjugation and slavery lay within its own social system.
Therefore, social reform and reconstruction were necessary to liberate India from this internal weakness.
Indian liberals compared the required transformation of Indian society to the Reformation movement in Europe, which brought major changes in religion and social life.
They advocated a comprehensive restructuring of Indian society to ensure maximum freedom and opportunity for individuals.
Many liberal thinkers viewed the advent of British rule in India as an opportunity for social transformation.
They regarded the British as representatives of modernity and progressive ideas.
They believed that British rule could serve as an instrument of modernization in India.
Indian liberals therefore sought the support of the British government to eliminate:
superstitions
evil social practices
ignorance
poverty in Indian society.
They hoped to achieve social reconstruction and reform by appealing to the sense of justice of British rulers.
Important thinkers associated with the liberal stream of modern Indian political thought include:
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Dadabhai Naoroji
Mahadev Govind Ranade
Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
Liberalism
Liberalism is a political principle that regards liberty or freedom of the individual as the primary goal of public policy.
In this context, liberty means liberation from restraints imposed by tradition-bound society or authoritarian political authority.
Liberalism originated in the Western world in the late seventeenth century.
It developed as a response to the feudal privileges of the land-owning aristocracy.
The objective was to remove feudal restrictions and create favourable conditions for the emerging entrepreneurial and commercial classes.
This transformation aimed to promote economic development, social progress, and individual initiative.
The main principles of liberalism include the following ideas:
Human beings are rational creatures with great potential to contribute to social progress as well as their own welfare.
The state is an artificial institution, created primarily to protect the natural rights of its citizens.
The state should work for the common good, which represents a balance or reconciliation between the diverse interests of individuals and social groups.
Individuals are entitled to a range of civil liberties, including:
freedom of thought and expression
freedom of association
freedom of movement
equality before the law.
Any restriction on individual freedom should be imposed only to ensure equal freedom and rights for others in society.
No individual should be bound by obligations without his or her own consent and without consideration of mutual benefit.
The state has the responsibility to enforce contracts and agreements made between individuals.
However, if a contract is concluded under coercion or violates the dignity of an individual, the state should intervene to protect the public interest and ensure justice.
Reformation
Reformation refers to a religious movement of sixteenth-century Europe, led by Martin Luther (1483-1546), German theologian, which culminated in the rise of Protestantism. Luther challenged the practice of granting indulgences (exemption from punishment for sins), often in return for financial and other favours received by the Church authorities. He saw this practice as an evidence of corruption of the Roman Church involving the misuse of its authority. In order to erode the absolute authority of papacy, Luther ruled out the necessity of priests for establishing communication between individual and God. In due course, the message of Protestantism gained a vast following throughout Europe, resulting in cultural transformation of its society.
Modernization
Modernization refers to a process whereby a traditional society is transformed into a modern society. Traditional societies are largely identified as small-scale, rural, agricultural economies with rigid social structures, dominated by superstitions. On the contrary, modern societies are largely identified as large-scale, urban, industrial economies with flexible social structures, dominated by a rational outlook, and designed to attain a higher efficiency to fulfil social needs. Western societies are largely regarded to be the prototype of modern societies.