• Dr Ashu Pasricha
• Vineet Sachdeva

Villages are the soul of India. Mahatma Gandhi had commented that if the villages perish, India would perish too. So, destiny of India lies in villages. And, about fifty per cent of the 5.76 lakh villages of the country are situated in different terrain characterized by poor socioeconomic conditions. Gandhi's greatest contribution to the social thought of this century is perhaps his insistence on decentralization of the means of production (i.e. say economic power). There are many who are ready to give thoughtful consideration to his theory because it is the only way out of the problem of unemployment in this country. They argue that it is desirable to go in for decentralization because huge capital accumulation is needed to industrialize the country through large-scale industries. They also contend that because large scale industrialization presupposes the existence of foreign markets which this country cannot have, decentralization is the only cherishable goal. In other words large-scale industrialization will be preferable in case the problems of capital formation and foreign market are solved. Now this line of reasoning constitutes a danger to the whole theory of decentralization as put forward by Gandhi. It would be wrong to presume that Gandhi propounded his theory only to suit Indian conditions. On the other hand, Gandhi's theory of decentralization was the result of his keen and almost prophetic insight into the numerous political, social and cultural ills which the age of large-scale industrialization has brought in its wake. This is what Bertrand Russell has to say as regards Gandhi's concept of decentralization: "In those parts of the world in which industrialism is still young, the possibility of avoiding the horrors we have experienced still exists. India, for example is traditionally a land of village communities. It would be a tragedy if this traditional way of life with all its evils were to be suddenly and violently exchanged for the greater evils of industrialism and they would apply to people whose standard of living is already pitifully low..... " Therefore, one has only to understand the magnitude of those "horrors" of which Russell speaks, before one can truly appreciate Gandhi's idea of decentralization. The term “decentralization” implies not only the devolution of powers, but also a process in which responsibilities and duties are transferred by a higher or central authority to 2 the institutions or organizations at the lower levels, thereby providing to the latter adequate incentive for autonomous functioning. Decentralization has spatial aspect i.e. when the activities of wide organization are spread over a wide geographical space, then planning and control of the widely dispersed activities may be done better not from central headquarter but away from it. The decentralized units’ function better because of autonomy given to them and central control is reduced. Large-scale industrialism is at the base of the centralization of political power in few hands. It is in the very nature of large-scale industries to centralize economic power in the hands of a few individuals. Under capitalism this power comes to be concentrated in the hands of individual capitalists and under socialism it is arrogated by managers, technocrats and bureaucrats. Thus, the centralization of power in the State negates the very conception of democracy. This is why Gandhi did not favour the so-called democracy in the West. In his view, Western democracy was only formal. In reality it was totalitarian in so far as only a few could enjoy the political power in this system. Apart from the political consequences, there are the evil effects of industrialization on the personality of man. Industrialism starts by snapping the navel chord of man which binds him with soil and corrosive and all-enveloping shadow of giant machineries. As a result, he is reduced to a mere cog in the wheel. Since industrialization is based on the division of labour, it limits man's self- expression. The famous illustration of Adam Smith that a pin has to pass through ninety hands before it is completely manufactured only reaffirms the above charge. Hence the work loses its variety, initiative and colour. No doubt such a division increases the productivity. But it obstructs the full foliation of man's natural skill. Gandhi said that "A big country with a teaming population with an ancient rural tradition which has hitherto answered its purpose, need not, must not copy the western model. What is good for one nation situated in one condition is not necessarily good enough for another differently situated". So, he advocated nonviolent culture and civilization which could only be built on selfreliant and selfcontained villages. His earnest desire was to see rural millions as the formidable partners of India's polity and economy. He took life as one entity and his concern were to develop life as an integrated concept, simple but richer in quality in all spheres concerning economic, social, political and moral development. 3 Gandhi was of the firm view that if we wanted Swaraj to be built on nonviolence, we would have to give the villages their proper place. Similarly, he pointed out that we could not build nonviolence only on a factory civilization, but it could be built on selfcontained villages as rural economy did eschew exploitation altogether and exploitation was the essence of violence. The postulates of Swadeshi, Khadi, Trusteeship, Breadlabour (truth and nonviolence being constant value parameters), nonexploitation, nonpossession and equality were also rooted in the structure of our society, the religious and social faiths of people. In order to build up a List and equitable social order the development of villages is a necessity. Gandhi's view about village was neither narrow nor he intended to preach for keeping intact the old village devoid of sanitation having old rotten houses, etc. Rather, he visualized villages as productivity centres, applying adaptable technologies and having skillful workers and excellent environment.

Gandhi's vision reality democratic decentralisation

"GANDHI’S VISION AND REALITY ON DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALISATION", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 5, page no.673-681, May-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1905W48.pdf

"GANDHI’S VISION AND REALITY ON DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALISATION", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 5, page no. pp673-681, May-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1905W48.pdf