Vivek Pinto. Gandhi's Vision and Values: The Moral Quest for Change in Indian Agriculture.
Malik, Afia
Vivek Pinto. Gandhi's Vision and Values: The Moral Quest for Change in Indian Agriculture. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1998. 176 pages. Hardbound. Indian Rs 295.00.
Gandhi's Vision and Values analyses the contemporary relevance of 'Hind Swaraj' (a polemical pamphlet Gandhi wrote in 1909) to Indian agriculture and planning. The author addresses distinct though interrelated themes which contribute to the overall understanding of the ethical and moral principles with which Gandhi experimented, initially in the thinking in 'Hind Swaraj' and then in agricultural communities, to reconstruct a harmonious, poverty-free, non-violent, and self-reliant society.
There are four chapters followed by a conclusion. Chapter 1 is on Gandhi's religiously-shaped views on agricultural development. In Chapter 2, the relationship between Gandhi's religious perspectives and agricultural issues is discussed. Chapter 3 reviews planned agricultural development in India during 1951-74, to demonstrate the failure of the current system in alleviating poverty. Chapter 4 explores the relevance of Gandhi's experiments and current alternatives. In the 'Conclusion', certain ways requiring full dedication are highlighted which would possibly affect the social transformation of agriculture and other sectors in accordance with Gandhi's vision of India.
* By Afia Malik, Research Economist, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad, except where noted otherwise.