Revisiting Gandhi's economic vision: towards inclusiveness and empowerment for the nation

Abstract

Gandhi was one of the thinkers who gave both an idealistic and practical touch to the process of development for the nation. Gandhi aspired for a society in which there is no conflict, competition, or exploitation. This broader understanding of Gandhi can be revisited with the support of the ideas of Basava, an iconoclast who was the torchbearer of the social movement of the twelfth-century Karnataka against the hierarchical society. By focusing on the comparative analysis of the ideas of Gandhi and Basava, the paper attempts to explore the possibilities of inclusiveness and empowerment of every common person in their respective egalitarian economic vision.