Harijan Vol. 1: 1933 - 1956: Part 1 - 19

By Dr. Hemantkumar Shah

Harijan Vol. 1: 1933 - 1956: Part 1 - 19

By Dr. Hemantkumar Shah

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Specifications

Print Length

8292 pages

Language

English

Publisher

Navajivan Trust

Publication date

1 January 2013

Description

“Harijan was Bapu’s voice. It was the mirror of his soul…. For himself it was an exercise and discipline in non-violent thinking and truthful expression.” So wrote Pyarelal in the issue of February 22, 1948 after the death of Mahatma Gandhi. Yes, it was really the voice of Gandhi. He is a revealed person in Harijan, and therefore, we know him better through this magazine. Harijan – man of God – was the name chosen by Mahatma Gandhi for the people of the lowerst social category who suffered the most under the age-old Hindu caste system. In Hindu practice they were called untouchables. It is therefore, the magazine concentrates on many socio – economic concerns of the prevalent Indian society. This drive for the emancipation of the disadvantaged classes was very much part of the constructive programme Mahatma Gandhi launched along with the independence movement it was actually aimed at mainstreaming of the oppressed classes in the freedom struggle. Hence, according to Gandhi, political freedom of India was to be accompanied by socio-economic freedom of all Indians, particularly the freedom of the downtrodden of the society. As perceived by Mahatma Gandhi, freedom belongs to the individual, not society. He emphasized on the pages of Harijan that freedom is the most important value in human life and should be pursued at any cost. He, therefore, articulated India’s freedom as freedom of Indians. Gandhi explicitly explained through the pages of Harijan how an individual should also seek a free society to pursue his or her goals of individual and social emancipation. Harijan, founded by Mahatma Gandhi himself, was also `A Journal of Applied Gandhism’, as descried by Prof. Joan Bondurant. Initiated in 1993, it was suspended in 1940 and suppressed in 1942 by the Britishers it started its publication once again in 1946 and continued till 1956. It has remained witness to most of the events leading to India’s independence in 1947. It was Gandhi’s magazine and he used it to reach the masses. Through this carefully nurtured journal, he and his editors and writers strived with dexterity to clearly explain their stand on national and international issues. Harijan was first published under the auspices of The Servants of Untouchables Society, and aptly published in its first issue of February 11, 1933 a free rendering by Rabindranath Tagore of Satyendranath Datta’s Bengali poem `Scavenger.’ The crusade against the scourge of untouchability continued till the end of its publication in 1956. To break the vicious circle of socio-economic poverty and political marginalization of one of the most backward Hindu communities; for mainstreaming them in the larger society and to consolidate the movement against the Britishers and social suppressors, Harijan published various articles, news and reports of activities of organizations working for betterment of the depressed castes from all corners of India. These write ups prompt us to read between the lines of the magazine. This mission of championing the cause of the marginalized sections of society continued with the fight for freedom for India. Thus Harijan became a symbol of freedom for all in true socio-political, economic and spiritual sense of the term.


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