Kerala Plus Two Gandhian Studies (DHSE) key terms

Gandhi's method of resisting injustice through truth-force, using non-violent means such as non-cooperation, civil disobedience and fasting, and aiming to convert the opponent rather than defeat or humiliate them.

The principle of abstaining from harm in thought, word and deed. Gandhi treated it as a positive force of compassion and courage, not mere passivity, and linked it inseparably with truth.

For Gandhi, the ultimate reality and moral law governing existence. He equated God with truth, held that truth is approached through experiment and self-purification, and made it the foundation of all his public work.

The English rendering of ahimsa, understood by Gandhi as the deliberate refusal to injure others while actively resisting wrong through persuasion, suffering and service.

The open, peaceful breaking of an unjust law or administrative order, with willingness to accept the legal penalty, used to expose the injustice and appeal to the conscience of the ruler and public.

The organised withdrawal of cooperation from an unjust system, including boycotts of courts, schools, titles and foreign cloth, adopted by Gandhi in the 1920-22 movement to weaken colonial administration without violence.

The 1930 march from Sabarmati to Dandi where Gandhi and followers made salt in defiance of the British salt tax, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement and drawing mass participation across India.

Self-rule. Gandhi used it not only for political independence but for self-governance of individuals and village communities, including moral self-control and freedom from dependence on foreign goods and habits.

A synonym for self-rule used in Gandhi's writings, emphasising rule over oneself and one's community rather than merely the transfer of power to Indian elites.

The welfare and upliftment of all, a term Gandhi coined for his vision of a society where the good of every person, especially the poorest, is the measure of progress.

The upliftment of the last and least, the idea that social planning and service should begin with the poorest and weakest member of society rather than with the average or the elite.

Gandhi's economic doctrine that wealth should be held and used as a trust for the community. Owners retain limited personal use and manage surplus for social benefit without violent expropriation.

The principle that everyone should earn their living by bodily labour, and that those living on others' labour or on unearned wealth violate a moral obligation to society.

The vow of limiting one's possessions to genuine needs and holding surplus for others, rooted in Gandhi's reading of the yamas and used to restrain consumerism and accumulation.

Hand-spun and hand-woven cloth. Gandhi made it a symbol of economic self-reliance, boycott of foreign cloth, dignified rural employment and the discipline of daily spinning.

Gandhi's list of concrete social tasks, such as communal unity, khadi, village sanitation, removal of untouchability and basic education, meant to build grassroots capacity and sustain satyagraha.

The term 'children of God' popularised by Gandhi for Dalits, used in his campaign against untouchability through temple entry, well access, education and the Harijan Sevak Sangh.

An organisation founded in 1932 by Gandhi's associates to work for the removal of untouchability and the welfare of Dalits through education, sanitation, economic uplift and social reform.

Gandhi's scheme of basic education linking learning with productive handicraft and citizenship, designed to make schooling self-supporting, practical and connected to village life.

Village self-rule: Gandhi's ideal of autonomous village republics managing their own affairs, resources and justice, with minimal dependence on distant state power.

A system of elected local self-government at village, block and district levels. Indian reformers and Gandhians promoted it as an institutional expression of decentralised village democracy.

A 1950 economic plan prepared by Gandhian associates, notably Shriman Narayan Agarwal, proposing agriculture, cottage industries and decentralised production as an alternative to heavy industrial planning.

The land-gift campaign launched in 1951 by Vinoba Bhave, who walked across India asking landowners to donate land for distribution to the landless, later extended as Gramdan.

A voluntary village-level gift in which landowners surrender individual ownership so that the village community holds land collectively, developed by Vinoba Bhave as an extension of Bhoodan.

Gandhi's leading disciple, social reformer and founder of the Bhoodan movement, who promoted Sarvodaya, selfless service and a non-partisan spiritual approach to social change.

Gandhi's 1917 campaign in Bihar supporting indigo cultivators against exploitative planter contracts, widely regarded as his first successful satyagraha in India.

Gandhi's 1918 intervention in a dispute between mill workers and owners, where he used a hunger strike to press for arbitration and a fair wage settlement.

Voluntary self-suffering or disciplined austerity undertaken for a moral cause. Gandhi treated it as the moral force behind satyagraha, purifying the resister and converting the opponent.

A deliberate, public commitment to a moral discipline such as truth, non-violence, celibacy, non-possession or fearlessness, which Gandhi regarded as giving stability to character.

The inner discipline of prayer, fasting, simplicity and self-examination that Gandhi considered necessary for anyone undertaking satyagraha, so that action flows from a clear conscience.

A voluntary refusal of food used by Gandhi as a moral appeal and method of self-purification, directed at converting opponents or atoning for social wrongdoing rather than coercing them.

Injury or violence in thought, word or deed. Gandhi analysed himsa carefully, holding that unavoidable harm in daily life should be minimised and never used deliberately for gain.

Gandhi's 1909 book presenting a dialogue on civilisation, criticising industrial modernity, parliamentary politics and colonial dependence while arguing for self-rule based on moral restraint.

Gandhi's community at Sabarmati, founded in 1915, where residents practised vows, spinning, sanitation, inter-faith prayer and equality, serving as a training ground for satyagrahis.

The 1942 mass movement launched after Gandhi's call for an orderly British withdrawal, marked by widespread protest and repression and reflecting his insistence on peaceful mass action.

Talks held in London in the early 1930s between British authorities and Indian representatives. Gandhi attended the second session and pressed for constitutional safeguards and Dalit representation.

The 1932 agreement between Gandhi and Dalit leader B. R. Ambedkar replacing separate electorates for Dalits with reserved seats in joint electorates, following Gandhi's fast.

Kerala's Gandhian social reform current, associated with workers promoting khadi, Harijan welfare, village industries and land reform through organisations influenced by the Gandhian tradition.

Voluntary bodies such as khadi and village industries boards, Harijan welfare associations and Sarvodaya centres that carried Gandhian constructive work into Kerala's social life and local development.

The process of settling disputes through dialogue, mediation and mutual accommodation rather than coercion. Gandhian approaches stress listening, trust-building and addressing underlying grievances.

A 'peace army' of trained volunteers proposed by Gandhi and later developed by Vinoba Bhave to intervene non-violently in communal riots and local conflicts, offering protection without weapons.

Development that meets present needs without destroying the ecological and social basis for future generations. Gandhian thought stresses limits on wants, local resources and harmony with nature.

Technology chosen for local resources, skills and needs rather than maximum output, a Gandhian preference favouring small-scale, labour-intensive and repairable tools suited to village conditions.

A measure of the land and resources needed to support a person's or society's consumption. Gandhian economics implicitly limits this by urging simple living and restrained wants.

The practical study of how Gandhian methods inform contemporary work in education, health, rural development, peace-building and governance, taught through field projects and case analysis.

Fair treatment and equal opportunity for all, especially the marginalised. Gandhi pursued it through removal of untouchability, women's participation, village uplift and equitable economic arrangements.