ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 ‘Gandhi: a satyagrahi’, is a narrative of the next ten years from 1903 to 1914 which we term as his ‘satyagrahi phase’. During this phase he actively tries to conceptually unravel the cause, and find durable solutions to the problems that the earlier phase had posed. This is a narrative of a phase in his life when activism and finding concrete solutions turn into necessities. The awareness events of this period describe the problematic of consciously relating to local processes and structures of social change and continuity where his role went beyond that of a professional. It is in this phase that he recognizes the enduring significance of voluntary involvement in social activities to influence process of change and continuity; this in turn makes him what can be termed an ‘intrepid itinerant social worker’. His focus remains on three issues: the problematic of personal and the social being distinct but mutual; the necessity of detachment and ashrams; and the issue of renunciation. During this period, Gandhi experiments with some of his seminal ideas -– brahmacharya, satya, ahimsa, satyagraha, swaraj, and sardovaya – and in the process, starts acquiring a distinct world view; a satyarthi evolves into a satyagrahi i.e. from a conscious individual-in-society to a thoroughly aware self-in-society.
