Swaraj in a year!

August 1, 2023

In 1920, Hindu-Muslim unity was strong in India. Mohandas Gandhi had cultivated it since the end of World War One. The first national day of fasting on April 6, 1919, had produced large gatherings of Hindus and Muslims, some publicly drinking from the same cups as a demonstration of brotherhood.

On August 1, Gandhi launched the “Swaraj in a year” non-cooperation campaign. Swaraj, you may remember, means self-rule. I appreciate the double meaning; self-rule on a national level clearly meant that India wished to rule itself, and Gandhi wished for individuals to rule themselves. Three noteworthy things happened this day: two intentionally, one coincidentally.

First, August 1 was observed as a hartal, which I generally describe as a one-day general strike, plus fasting. Gandhi cautioned that essential workers, or those without permission from their workplace, shouldn’t abstain from work that day. He asked that it be devoted to prayer and fasting, and in every village, town, and city, a public meeting of residents should be held, in order to pass resolutions in support of their cause.

Second, Bal Tilak, one of the influential figures of the Indian independence movement, died at the age of 64. He had appreciated and encouraged Gandhi’s work in South Africa, and led a successful struggle to undo the 1905 British partition of Bengal. In doing so, he had popularized boycotts of foreign goods and promoted swadeshi, the purchase and use of Indian-made products. Tilak’s death created a minor power vacuum in the upper echelons of national leadership, and Gandhi’s campaign positioned him to fill it.

Third, Gandhi returned the medals he’d earned for his service as a stretch-bearer for the British Empire. It was quite the reversal for someone who had had faith in the British for decades. Just two years earlier, in the waning days of World War One, Gandhi had been actively recruiting men for the army, “trying to raise a battalion of Gujaratis.” Three major disappointments since then, especially the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh, had broken his faith in the conscience of the British. The returning of medals and titles was an opening move in his four-stage plan for swaraj.

Swaraj wouldn’t actually come within a year, and 18 months later, it would end badly. But it was still an experiment worth trying. Other experiments worth trying can be found within the 30-day Gandhi challenge. Registration is now open for the next challenge, which begins August 15.

Can you think of an incident that caused you to irrevocably lose faith in a person or institution?