How John Ruskin influenced Mahatma Gandhi?

In 1904,Mahatma Gandhi had a memorable encounter with Unto the Last, a book authored by John Ruskin. The book created a lasting impact on Gandhi on the basis of which he was able to chart out his political philosophy and actions.

John Ruskin’s ideology consisted of three fundamental tenets. First, the good of an individual is contained in the good of all, a principle that Gandhiji knew. Second, the work of a lawyer and a barber is equally dignified as long as they adhere to ethical ways of living. This is the thing that Gandhi dimly realized.  Third, a labour involving physical labour, that is, the life of a tiller and a handicraftsman is a life worth living. Gandhiji never have had realized the significance of manual work before 1904 in such unambiguous manner.

The amalgamation of John Ruskin’s teachings inspired Gandhi to devise his own political philosophy of ‘Sarvodaya’.The expanded meaning of sarvodaya is ‘equal upliftment of all’. Man’s ultimate aim, in Gandhi’s view, was the realization of God. In pursuit of this objective, a man needs to see God in his creation and be with it. The importance of physical labour is evident in Gandhi’s principle of ‘nai talim’ wherein he underscored that education is incomplete without the equal emphasis on intellectual development and manual work.

Gandhi’s ‘sarvodaya’ is more relevant in the twenty-first century across the world. The concept of ‘inclusive growth’ is strongly rooted in the ‘sarvodaya’ principle. The real growth of a nation lies in the inclusive development of all sections of the society, not in the blind prosperity of a select few. Although ‘sarvodaya’ was a social ideology in fundamental form, it transformed itself into an urgent political doctrine after India gained independence.  Acharya Vinoba Bhave, socialist Jai Prakash Narayan and Dada Dharmadhikari were the torch-bearers of ‘sarvodaya’ and carried forward the ideals of Gandhi after his demise in 1948.