Gandhi’s Constructive Programme: An Appraisal

Abstract

Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India, knitted the Indian community
into a strong political force to liberate India from British bondage.
Grounded in India’s rich culture and heritage, Gandhi’s philosophies
delineated the social, political, economic, moral and spiritual aspects of
personal and social transformation. His mission was to reconstruct India
through truth, love, tolerance, non-violence, freedom and peace. Even
after 72 years of Indian independence, Gandhian thoughts remain essentially
significant in the contemporary social milieu where the whole world strives
hard to deal with phenomena of unequal growth and economic processes,
modernisation and its consequences, structural and economic inequalities,
social injustice, corruption, marginalisation, exclusion racial discrimination
and enormous social problems. Gandhi’s development and empowerment
strategies were far ahead of his time. The constructive programme, an
example of such kind, was based on a philosophical and moral approach
put into a pragmatic framework spanning across different target populations.
The constructive programme was an integrative public work to make India
attain Poorna Swaraj (complete independence), self-reliance, self-sufficiency,
equality and sustainability.