Ethical Nationalism without Enmity: Comparative Lessons from North Indian Patriot Movements and Gandhian Sarvodaya

Abstract

The paper reviews how ethical nationalism in India evolved by considering a moral trajectory of resistance starting with North Indian traditions of patriotic resistance as early as 1000 to 1857 CE up to Mahatma Gandhi Sarvodaya philosophy. It claims that the Indian nationalism has traditionally been not based on exclusionary hostility, but it is founded on an ethic of duty, restraint and compassion. The loyalty to the community as expressed through dharma-yuddha, moral courage, and defence of the weak and Bhakti ethics through the uprising of 1857 manifested a form of early opposition to the authority of the English colonialists in India, early opposition that was expressed by loyalty towards community instead of hatred towards other people. Gandhi later applied this tradition to other areas and made patriotism a principle of moral service based upon Satya (truth), Ahimsa (nonviolence), Swaraj (self-rule) arbitration and trusteeship. His Sarvodaya turned nationalism into seva (service) with welfare of everyone in mind, social unity, decentralization and moral self-control as values than political control. It is possible to state that the comparative analysis shows that pre-modern patriotism was used to protect identity with the help of honour, whereas Gandhi transformed it into a universal ethics of non-enmity, reconciliation, and global justice. Amidst the modern times era of populism, polarisation, and online animosity, this research is advanced as a pro-forma paradigm of plural democracies, which is called ethical nationalism. It concludes this by finding that Gandhian Sarvodaya provides a practical system of civic education, inclusive governance and peace-building, and that nationalism is a moral border as opposed to a law.