Hind Swaraj

What it is

Hind Swaraj (Indian Home Rule) is a book Gandhi wrote in Gujarati in 1909 while travelling by ship from London to South Africa. It takes the form of a dialogue between a 'Reader' and an 'Editor' (Gandhi himself). He later translated it into English himself.

Why it matters

The book set out Gandhi's core ideas: that true home rule means self-rule, that passive resistance is more powerful than violence, and that India must reject Western industrial civilisation rather than simply replace British rulers with Indian ones. It was banned by the British government in India as seditious, showing how dangerous the authorities found his ideas.

Look closer

• Why might Gandhi have chosen a dialogue instead of a straightforward essay?
• What does the ban tell you about how colonial authorities viewed Gandhi's ideas?
• How does Gandhi define freedom differently from simply removing the British?