Gandhian Philosophy

Subject: Social Work
Class: M.A. S.R.D.

Semester: I semester
Topic: Gandhian Social Work
Key words: Constructive Programs, Sarvoday, Antyoday

Name
Prof. Sanjay
Department of Social Work

Mahatama Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith
Varanasi – 221002
Email: [email protected]
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Students shall be able to understand Gandhian philosophy and Gandhian approach
to social work
§ Gandhian approach to social work emanates from the social and cultural traditions
of India and is not borrowed one either from the text books or from any other
country.
§ It is developed out of his intimate associations with the teaming millions, personal
experiences and a deep understanding of human behavior.
§ Gandhi ji’s ethical system developed out of his lifelong “experiments with truth”
§ Cooperation over consumption
§ Interdependence over individualism
§ Compassion for others over pursuit of self-interest
§ Social Justice over Individual achievements
§ Service to others- SARVODAYA
§ Justice for all- SATYAGRAHA
Gandhi ji’s thought on social development rests on the foundation of:

§ Truthfulness
§ Love for all
§ Harmonious relations, and
§ Service to others
§ Unity of all things or the principle of harmonious nature of the universe:
Gandhi believed that all of life as creation was interdependent and could best be characterized by
its harmonic quality. He rejected the view of women and men as necessarily caught up in a
competitive environment. When conflict occurred, Gandhi assumed it to be an aberration;
nonviolence and cooperation were the norm for the universe. From this perspective Gandhi viewed
women and men as only part of the universe, not its center. This ethical view pushes us beyond
thinking of the world as a social system, a foundation concept in much of social work education.
Gandhi preferred that we think of the world in holistic terms, with no center or boundaries. All life is
equal and to be respected; no part is greater than the whole. Each individual has an investment in
maintaining and serving others because mankind is one.
From this perspective the ethics of a profession should not be limited to a narrow domain. Social
work should not restrict itself to just the human social environment but should concern itself with
broader environmental issues as well.
§ Ahimsa:
Blending Hindu, Jainist, Buddhist, and Christian thought, Gandhi practiced the
concept of ahimsa or nonviolence. Ahimsa is not just the absence of violence or non
harming but a condition of mental purification and positive acts through body,
speech, and mind. Ahimsa means viewing people as good and kind- hearted, each
with inner resources to seek love and understanding of others.
Gandhian position postulates that social workers should maintain a close, personal,
non- exploitative, and non-manipulative relationship with clients. It is a disciplined
relationship, not a managed relationship. It is a truthful relationship characterized
by absolute honesty and nonviolence and one to be monitored carefully through
both supervision and self-evaluation practices. There can be no compromise on is-
sues that, at times, do not command truthfulness from the worker, such as
discussing with clients mental or physical states. Nor could a
practitioner ethically withhold information from clients for their “own good.” Agency
record keeping would be designed to protect confidentiality carefully but would
remain fully accessible to the client.
Satyagraha
§ Gandhi was best known for his nonviolent social action philosophy, which he
called satyagraha. Literally, satyagraha means holding onto the truth. Because no
one is capable of knowing the absolute Truth, this approach begins with respect
for one’s adversary and a commitment to the co-creation of truth. Gandhi believed
that an opponent has the right to be informed of all intentions and future actions of
the satyagraha effort to allow for dialogue and response.
§ Satyagraha is a dialectical process in which the satyagrahi (the practitioner of
satyagraha) seeks a greater degree of unity among participants. A satyagrahi
withstands another person’s violence without retaliation to demonstrate moral
courage. Acts of moral courage, Gandhi believed, would serve to convert the
opponent to the rightness of a desired social change.
§ Moral courage has not been a frequent topic of study in social work
education, nor does it carry any explicit statement in the NASW Code
of Ethics. It rarely surfaces as an admission criterion to social work or
as an objective in a practicum contract. Yet the concept would appear
to be a rich area of study for social work researchers, particularly in
assessing motivation and ethical commitments.
§ Likewise, nonviolence as a theoretical concept is not widely
discussed or deeply explored by social workers. On the other hand,
violence, especially domestic violence, is a common topic of research
and study in the profession. Gandhian thought would appear to have
much to contribute toward a richer theoretical understanding of the
violence–nonviolence construct.
Sarvodaya
§ Although the principle of ahimsa clearly delin-eates a path for self-realization
through service and social justice, Gandhi further elaborated on this principle
through sarvodaya or “welfare of all.” In developing this principle, he drew heavily
from John Ruskin’s book- Unto The Last.
§ .Sarvodaya also means assistance first to the neediest of the needy. Thus, service to
others has a general imperative and a specific ethical obligation to serve first those
in greatest need.
§ As an ethical principle, sarvodaya could enrich social work.
§ Although the NASW Code of Ethics variously gives guidance on the promotion of
the general welfare of society, prevention of discrimination, and the assurance that
all persons have access to the resources.
§ Gandhi was troubled by large institutions that distanced themselves from the
people. In particular, he believed that large corporate industrial institutions and
centralized governments were unable to address the spiritual and social
development needs of populations, especially rural populations.
§ In response to corporate approaches that tended toward social control, Gandhi
offered locally controlled forms of social organization.
§ Swadeshi was used by Gandhi to describe a person’s ethical responsibility to the
immediate local environment and community. All personal expressions of service
and social action were expected to have an immediacy about them and in so doing
would lead to larger responses. The famous phrase “think globally, act locally”
captures the essence of this principle.
§ According to Gandhian thought, the small, locally based social services agency
can be viewed as the most response mechanism through which to serve the
immediate and individualized needs of clients. The expansion of large corporate
welfare approaches should be reviewed cautiously.
§ Values of efficiency and productivity are secondary to values of human worth and
dignity.
§ Once Gandhi established his philosophy of self- realization through service and action, he began to
identify principles that would assist a person in fulfilling this social purpose. One of the foremost of
these principles is material simplicity. The concept advocates moderation in consumption: living a full
life without taking unnecessary material things such as excess food, shelter, clothing, and so forth.
§ In operationalizing the principle of material simplicity, Gandhi included some corollary principles:
nonattachment, non-stealing, and trusteeship.
§ Gandhi incorporated the Eastern tradition of non-attachment to material goods and personal de-
sires.
§ To Gandhi, stealing meant that if one uses more than what one needs,
§ In viewing all wealth as belonging to all peoples, Gandhi offered trusteeship as the solution for
those who had already accumulated more than they needed.
§ Gandhi has been referred to as a practical idealist, a heuristic social practitioner
with high ethical standards founded on his practice wisdom and spiritual
philosophy. Gandhi’s experiments with truth show him to have been scientifically
curious and, like social work practitioners, concerned with a self-evaluation of
practice. Gandhi’s practice was also similar to social work by his inclusion of
concerns for racial, gender, and class justice; the empowerment of people; the
overcoming of poverty; and the development of a culture that promotes healthy
human development.
§ Gandhi’s commitment and dedication to service and justice make him an
exceptional role model for the profession.
§ Discuss the concept of Sarvoday
§ Discuss the concept of Satyagraha
§ Discuss those Gandhian values which is closer to social work values
THANK YOU

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Subject: Social Work

Class: M.A. S.R.D.

Topic: Gandhian Social Work

Key words: Constructive Programs, Sarvoday, Antyoday

Department of Social Work

experiences and a deep understanding of human behavior.

Gandhi ji’s thought on social development rests on the foundation of:

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