Gandhi- A Spiritual Economist

Abstract

As an economist Mahatma Gandhi was different from the main stream tradition due to his emphasis on ethical aspect to promote economic development as well as a rejection of materialism. Inspired by American writer Henry David Thoreau throughout his life Gandhi was in search to find the ways by which poverty, backwardness and other socio, economic problems could be solved. Here is an attempt made in this paper to present the economic thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and analyze the relevance of these concepts in the present era. In this process this study analyzes the spiritual economic thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi for a post modern construction of India and examines his views on Swadeshi, decentralization of economics and self sufficient village economy as a means to attain and achieve the economic self sufficiency of the nation. Through his thoughts, actions, movement and life style he advocated that economic activities can never be justified without ethics and non-violence. The economic aim of Gandhi was Sarvodaya, self sufficient village economy, preservation of ecology and full employment which were quite different than conventional economic.