Maia Ramnath - Decolonizing Anarchism.pdf - Libcom

172 I Ramnath
In 1949 Lotvala (by then described as "a retired anarchist,
of the Libertarian Socialist Institute, Bombay") concluded,
based on conversations he had with Kumarappa's
brother, that Gandhi's basic positions could be summed
up as "1) India being an agricultural country, priority
should be given to rural development. 2) Decentralisation.
3) Man should be non-economic. 4) State being a class
organisation to be replaced by voluntary cooperative
associations." Lotvala and Kumarappa "agreed that these
were 'predominantly Anarchistic ideas'; and added,
'Fundamentally, Anarchist position is humanistic and so
man has been made herein the centre of all rational and
moral values. Gandhism is very near to it."' I" (As historian
Benjamin Zachariah also points out, recommending a
grain of salt, Lotvala illustrates the possibility for "selective
and creative readings" ofGandhi.)lS
Nirmal Bose, another sympathizer, defended Gandhi
from accusations by the Hindu chauvinist wing of the INC
that excluded socialists and Gandhians in the article "Is
Gandhi a Nationalist?":
The Nationalists want to build a state that supports
industries and culture ofIndia. But Gandhi
does not discriminate among humanity that way
by class or nation. For him, humanity is one. In
this respect, his sympathies are more with the
Socialists than the Nationalists.
But Gandhi is not a Communist . ... Gandhi is
in fact a philosophical anarchist. But as a practical
idealist, he aims at building up little village states, as