13.8 The Cult of Chakara ~ KHOJ

Gandhi saw in industrialization a hidden evil that tied men into a vicious web of materialistic world. The promise of science, technology and prosperity were illusion that threatened our nation and even the souls of our men. Running blindly after westernization made our youth lose their identity. Wearing English dress, learning in English medium school, working in industries controlled by British, masked as modern and liberal and which Indians were proud of, were only created for the profit of our oppressor [1]. This 'modern' attitude was advertised by British because it bred an industry, like the Manchester clothes, that were controlled by British. In this culture both consumer and worker become slave to machines of those big industries in Britain; a culture that promote suspicion, hatred, racism and exploitation [2]. It was draining India's wealth, and spoiling indigenous industries. It was making us poor. Gandhi was right in a way. We see the same attitude even today that makes a women who dress in traditional fashion be named 'bahenji', or someone who is poor in English as illiterate. We also see it in our obsession for fairness. The thought that 'Western' equal 'Modern' in itself show lack of intelligence. Thinking that a women in burka as not intelligent is equally shameful as calling a women in bikini a slut. Gandhi thus called for renunciation of everything western, and complete non-cooperation with the Government. He urged people to follow simple lifestyle and use of indigenous products, the symbol of it being the ‘chakara’, or the spinning wheel. That would help Indians become self sufficient. Gandhi thus started the Chakara agitation inviting all Indians to spin the wheel. This extreme view, however, was criticized by Rabindranath Tagore, one of Gandhi’s greatest admirers and one who gave Gandhi the title ‘mahatma’.

Tagore started the reorganization of Indian villages long before Gandhi returned from Africa. He was educating the villagers, and promoting agriculture, cotton and village industries [3]. Tagore did want to get rid of the British Raj, and was an adherent follower of non-violence. When he found that the young patriotic minds were leaning towards violence, and especially after Khudiram and his friends killed innocent European women, he distanced himself from the movement. Some called him a betrayer, but that did not change his mind as he was against ‘blind nationalism’ [4]. To him renunciation of everything western was stupid. Tagore was also right because saying everything Western is bad is as ridiculous as saying everything western is good. They were both extreme thoughts. While to Gandhi poverty was a virtue, for Tagore it was a problem that we needed to get rid of. ‘Chakara’ to Tagore, was not a symbol of progress, but of poverty and everything that was wrong with India. Western science should merge with eastern spirituality to create a complete society that is without the self-created borders.

Nationality, to Tagore, was the root cause of our problems, not industries. Nationalism threatens humanity as it promotes exploitation of one country by another. Colonization is rooted in the idea of nationalism [4]. Progress of one country threatens another instead of helping it grow, thus promoting hatred and war. The two World Wars were enough proof to support Tagore's thought. Hitler, ISIS, and other extremists groups are born out of this idea. Non-cooperation movement was doing exactly that by creating hatred for everything Western. Poor were forced to buy Khadi clothes that were more expensive and students were told to boycott English medium schools thus hampering their education. Tagore was against the hypocrisy of the nationalist who wanted to get rid of British oppression, but themselves oppressed the poor and untouchables. In the eyes of Tagore “what India most needed was constructive work coming from within herself” [4]; where the mind is without fear, head is held high, knowledge is free and world was not broken into fragments. Indian customs like caste system binds a person to a specific duty chosen by one’s ancestor. It helps in gaining labor, but kills the free mind, binding one to repeat the same job over and over again for ages without question. Such mind always needs a ruler or a saint to tell them what to do, and hence such minds can never be free. Tagore saw the same ignorance in the blind followers of Gandhi who follow him like rats without questioning. Tagore said “…lest I should be a party to the raising of the charkha to a higher place than is its due, thereby distracting attention from other more important factors in our task of all-round reconstruction” [5].

Gandhi replied to Tagore assuring him that there is nothing to fear. Gandhi also had a lot of respect for Tagore, and often asked him for advise. He used to call Tagore Gurudev'. He was not trying to build a China Wall between East and West, but instead protesting against forceful co-operation rather than “voluntary co-operation based on mutual trust and respect” [6]. Gandhi disagreed with Rabindranath about the student’s education, according to him “training by itself adds not an inch to one’s moral height and that character-building is independent of literary training. I am firmly of opinion that the Government schools have unmanned us, rendered us helpless and Godless” [6]. Non-cooperation with bad is as important as co-operation with good. Gandhi went on to say “I am certain that it does not require ages for Hindus to discard the error of untouchability, for Hindus and Mussulmans to shed enmity and accept heart friendship as an eternal factor of national life, for all to adopt the charkha as the only universal means of attaining India’s economic salvation and finally for all to believe that India’s freedom lies only through non-violence, and no other method” [6].

Tagore was still not convinced, so when Gandhi said, “Everyone must spin. Let Tagore spin like the others. Let him burn his foreign clothes; that is his duty today. God will take care of the morrow”, Tagore was quick to reply “The charka does not require anyone to think; one simply turns the wheel of the antiquated invention endlessly, using the minimum of judgment and stamina” [4]. Tagore wondered why a person with skill to do better things would waste his talent in spinning a chakara. Tagore’s feelings were ahead of his time. They were thoughts of a philosopher not of mass. He was not a man who could unite the millions of poor and illiterate Indians whose minds were yet to be free. It was Gandhi who had the charisma to do it. Even though Tagore and Gandhi had difference of opinion, they also had immense respect for one another. A progressive society needs different opinions, and at the same time respect the difference. That is something not just our politicians, but we as a society needs to learn; especially India that has so much diversity.

After the withdrawal of non-cooperation movement Gandhi was arrested, followed by disagreements within Congress. When Gandhi was released on February 1924 due to poor health, it seemed like Congress was going to split again. C.R.Das and Motilal Nehru wanted to end boycott and enter legislative councils to expose the government. However, people like Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad and C. Radhagopalacharyi opposed it. Gandhi was also against it, but made a pact with C.R.Das and Motilal to end the split. The latter group entered legislative councils as Swarajists. The freedom movement however, seemed to have lost track. There were few separate incidents like the rebel of Koya tribes in Andhra led by Ramachandra Raju in 1922-24, revolt by Akalis in Punjab, Satyagrahis defending the honour of National Flag in Nagur in 1923 []. But there was no signd of British retreat [8]. Gandhi told Tagore in 1930 “I am furiously thinking day and night but I do not see light coming out of the surrounding darkness" [7].

References

[1] http://www.smith.edu/philosophy/docs/garfield_swaraj.pdf

[2] http://www.swaraj.org/tapan.htm

[3] http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/558/8/11_chapter2.pdf

[4] http://mukto-mona.net/Articles/mohammad_quayum/Tagore_Nationalism.pdf

[5] Rabindranath T., The English writings of Rabindranath Tagore Vol3, A Miscellany/Rabindranath Tagore, Sahitya Academy, 1996 // The Cult of the Chakara, Modern Review, 1925

[6] Selected letters of Gandhi // Poet and the Chakara, Young India, 1925

[7] Roy K., Mazumdar M. K., A Gandhi-Tagore Chronicle, Visva Bharati Kolkata, Second Edition, 2008
[8] Chandra B., Mukherjee M., Mukherjee A., Mahajan S., and Panikkar K.N., Struggle for independence, Penguin Books, 1989

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CONTENTS

JOURNEY OF SURVIVORS: The History of the Sub-continent

CHAPTER 1: VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

PRE-HISTORIC [30,000-5000BC]

CHAPTER 2: THE FLINTSTONES

ANCIENT [5000BC-300 CE]

CHAPTER 3: THE LEGEND OF INDUS [5000-2000BC]

3.1 THE GREAT FIND

3.2 THE MYSTERY UNVEALED

CHAPTER 4: THE VEDIC PEOPLE [2000-1000BC]

4.1YAMA