True Meaning of Swadeshi

Q. Can a man serve his immediate neighbours and yet serve the whole of humanity? What is the true meaning of Swadeshi?

A. I believe in the truth implicitly that a man can serve his neighbours and humanity at the same time, the condition being that the service of the neighbours is no way selfish or exclusive, i.e., does not in any way involve the exploitation of any other human being. The neighbours will then understand the spirit in which service is given. They will also know that they will be expected to give their services to their neighbours. Thus considered, it would be spread like the proverbial snowball gathering strength in geometrical progression encircling the whole earth.

It follows that Swadeshi is that the spirit which dictates man to serve his next-door neighbour to the exclusion of any other. The condition that I have already mentioned is that the neighbours thus served has, in his turn, to serve his own neighbour. In this sense, Swadeshi is never exclusive. It recognizes the scientific limitation of human capability for service.

Harijan: Mar. 23, 1947.