Recently i came across an article which gave a description of ' swadeshi pledge ' and this is what it said...
" With god as my witness, I solemnly declare that from today i shall confine myself, for my personal requirements, to the use of cloth manufactured in India from Indian cotton, silk and wool and i shall altogether abstain from using foreign cloth and i shall destroy all foreign cloth in my possession "
Well, considering the age which we are living and the belief system of vasudhaiva kutumbakam concept which some of us have, the above pledge sounded a bit materialistic and selfish. This triggered me to read and understand more about the larger meaning of swadeshi . Once again one of our greatest visionaries M.K. Gandhi has some very interesting interpretations , which is more relevant now than ever.
- Swadeshi is not about rejecting anything foreign just because its foreign .
- Swadeshiness has enough room for the foreign goods to come here, which cannot or need not be manufactured in India and which are of benefit to the people. But to use foreign article and rejecting those which are manufactured in India is an unnecessary indulgence.
- Swadeshi is not a cult of hatred people nor it discriminates between India and the rest of the world.
- Swadeshi duty is to support, guide and serve local craftsmen and their produce.
- Swadeshi idea needs to be implemented in our nations economic and industrial life instead of borrowed idea from abroad.
- Swadeshi is not a boycott movement of revenge. As boycott means punishing the wrongdoer which leads to unwanted anger.
- Swadeshiness can be practiced by organisations and individuals.
- Swadeshi principle is to be duty bound to help the needy.
- Swadeshi is a constructive revolution in mind and boycotting is temporary.
- Swadeshist will live with minimal needs.
- Swadeshiness is a process which strengthens as it progresses.
- Swadeshiness is independent of religion, class and culture
- Swadeshiness offers an opportunity to sacrifice the unwanted and allows you to self-examine.
- Swadeshi concept can lead us to self-reliant and self-respecting nation.
- Swadeshiness is for the determined and not for the lazy.
- Swadeshi provides work to all faculties.
We now know that the world has become small and the disparity has become big. The earlier we adopt to the principles of swadeshi in our individual life, the better we become as a nation . I cannot insist you enough on buying less but locally, pay marginally more but heartily.
This brings me to an another relevant question . What are the tax rates on rural produce under Goods and Swadeshi tax ? :)