Charkha stood for self-help

An economist’s take on Gandhi’s vision: I.G. Patel’s posthumous lecture prescribes Gandhian touch for economy. Express News Service: Saturday , November 19, 2005

New Delhi, November 18: Giving the economy a Gandhian touch to ensure overall well-being. This is what the late Dr I.G. Patel, renowned economist and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) prescribes for an ideal India. Dr Patel was to deliver this year’s Lakdawala Memorial Lecture organised by the Institute of Social Sciences and the Planning Commission on September 1. The lecture, which was postponed after Patel died on July 17, was read out today at a gathering of academicians at the Indian Institute of Social Sciences. Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan chaired the meeting.

According to Dr Patel, ‘‘Gandhiji did not perhaps outline his economic vision in the language of economics. But he had a clear vision of an economic system which encompassed every aspect of Indian society. We can ignore his vision only at our peril.’’ On charkha, Dr Patel says,‘‘It would be a travesty to reduce it to wearing khadi. The charkha stood for self-help, dignity of labour, decentralisation of economic activity, narrowing of the gap between cities and villages, and above all, for ending enslavement of ordinary people without property or skills, who had only their hand physical labour to sell as a means of meagre livelihood.’’

He says Gandhiji was against capitalism if the means of production was concentrated in a few hands. ‘‘He wanted everyone to own his means of production — a concept much wider than the current notion of empowerment through education and the like. He was against socialism as it concentrated all means of production in the hands of the state, which led to the enslavement of everyone. If everyone could have access to machinery, he was for it. Where large-scale production was inescapable as in the case of steel, he was for public ownership,’’ he says.

‘‘Decentralisation of production may not be easy. But something needs to be done to prevent the relentless march to urban slums. With today’s technology and with rural electrification and technical training, it should be possible to carry jobs where people live and not vice versa,’’ says Patel.