1905–1947 Indian movement for domestic cloth production
Popular 1930s poster depicting Gandhi using acharkha to spin cotton and weave cloth, captioned "Concentrate on Charkha and Swadeshi"
TheSwadeshi movement was aself-sufficiency movement that was part of theIndian independence movement and contributed to the development ofIndian nationalism.[1] After the British government's decision for thepartition of Bengal was made public in December 1903, there was a lot of growing discontentment among the Indians. In response the Swadeshi movement was formally started fromTown Hall atCalcutta on 7 August 1905 to curbforeign goods by relying on domestic production.[2]Mahatma Gandhi described it as the soul ofswaraj (self-rule). The movement took its vast size and shape after rich Indians donated money and land dedicated toKhadi and Gramodyog societies which startedcloth production in every household. It also included other village industries so as to make village self-sufficient and self-reliant.[3] TheIndian National Congress used this movement as arsenal for its freedom struggle and ultimately on 15 August 1947, a hand-spun Khadi tricolorAshoka Chakra Indian flag was unfurled at Princess Park nearIndia Gate,New Delhi byJawaharlal Nehru.[4]
Thegovernment's decision topartition Bengal was made in December 1903. The official reason was that Bengal, with a population of 78 million, was too large to be administered; the real reason, however, was that it was the centre of the revolt, and British officials could not control the protests, which they thought would spread throughout India.[5] ReappointedGeorge Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Viceroy of India (1899–1905), in August 1904, he presided over the1905 partition of Bengal.
In 'Lion and the Tiger : The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600–1947', Denis Judd wrote: "Curzon had hoped... to bind India permanently to the Raj. Ironically, his partition of Bengal, and the bitter controversy that followed, did much to revitalize Congress. Curzon, typically, had dismissed the Congress in 1900 as ‘tottering to its fall’. But he left India with Congress more active and effective than at any time in its history."[6]
Bengal was divided by religion: the western half would be primarilyHindu, and the eastern half would be primarilyMuslim. This divide-and-conquer strategy sparked the Swadeshi movement. The Britishreunited Bengal in 1911 and shifted their capital to New Delhi. The Swadeshi movement took on a new meaning after the reunification of Bengal.
Swadeshi is a conjunction (sandhi) of twoSanskrit words:swa ("self" or "own") anddesh ("country").Swadeshi is an adjective that means "of one's own country".[7]
The Swadeshi Movement was a cornerstone of India’s struggle for independence, emphasising self-reliance, indigenous production, and economic resistance to British colonial rule. It evolved through multiple phases across different historical contexts, each marked by distinct strategies, leaders, and national goals. Each stage reflects how the idea of Swadeshi has transformed—from a boycott movement into a broader vision of national self-reliance and economic sovereignty.
Second Swadeshi Movement (1918–1947): The movement gained further momentum in 1918 whenMahatma Gandhi introduced the Patti Charkha in Mumbai, presenting it as a new symbol and tool of the Swadeshi movement and took a pledge to boycott foreign goods by burning 150,000 English cloths at Elpinstone Mill Compound, Parel, Mumbai on 31 July 1921.[15] Mahatma Gandhi organisedKhadi spinning centres all over the country and branded Khadi spinners as freedom fighters.[16] Indians started ditching British goods for Indian products, even though they were costlier. The impact was strong with British seeing 20% fall in its product sales.
Third Swadeshi Movement (1947–1991): Indian Government underNehruvian Socialism and successive Prime Ministers focused on import substitution, public sector expansion, and protectionist policies to promote Indian self-reliance leading to the establishment of heavy industries, scientific institutions, and a planned economy aimed at economic sovereignty.[17]
Fourth Swadeshi Movement (1991–Present): Initiated by P.MP.V. Narasimha Rao with Finance Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh shifted to liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation—encouraging Indian businesses to become globally competitive which impacted a marked new Swadeshi phase where Indian entrepreneurs likeInfosys,Wipro, andTata emerged as global players while opening the economy.[18] Since 2014, led by PMNarendra Modi through campaigns likeMake in India,Atmanirbhar Bharat, andVocal for Local[19] emphasised manufacturing within India, reducing foreign dependence, and promoting indigenous startups andMSMEs which revitalised public discourse around economic nationalism and Swadeshi values through digital platforms and policy reforms.[20][21]
The intellectual roots of the Swadeshi movement can be traced to the economic critiques ofDadabhai Naoroji, particularly his early work Poverty of India, published in 1876. In this publication, Naoroji introduced the concept of the“Drain Theory”, arguing that British colonial rule led to the systematic extraction of wealth from India. His analysis provided a foundation for the economic nationalism that would later fuel Swadeshi sentiment. Naoroji expanded upon these arguments in his influential book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901). His election to theBritish House of Commons from (1892-1895) as aLiberal Party (UK)Member of Parliament forFinsbury Central marked a significant moment in Indian political history, as he brought these economic grievances directly to the attention of British lawmakers. Naoroji’s work played a pivotal role in shaping early nationalist thought, contributing to the ideological basis for the Swadeshi movement, which emerged in the early 20th century as a campaign to boycott British goods and promote indigenous industry.[22][23]
Mahatma Gandhi's promotion of Swadeshi in later years, promoting self-reliance and boycotting foreign goods, boosted Indian-made cloth sales to 62% by 1936 and 76% by 1945. His charkha initiative sought to make the locals self-reliant in spinning yarn, challenging British economic control to fight colonial structure.[24]
Swadeshi movement forms the backdrop of the novelGhare Baire (The Home and the World), published in 1916, byRabindranath Tagore. The novel, besides many other complex themes, shows the pitfalls of fervent nationalism. The 1984 filmGhare Baire (The Home and the World) bySatyajit Ray is based on the novel.
In 1982 the movieGandhi byRichard Attenborough, Indians vow on the bonfire of English cloths to wearswadeshi khadi after Gandhi's speech at Elphinstone Fort, Mumbai.
On 7 August 2015,Prime MinisterNarendra Modi commemorated the first annual National Handloom Day in India to promote indigenoushandloom andkhadi products. The date was chosen because on 7 August 1905, the Swadeshi movement was proclaimed to avoid foreign goods and use only Indian-made products.[26]
In 2019 the movieManikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (film) byKangana Ranaut on the Queen, who fought valiantly against English in 1857, extensively used khadi (hand spun fabrics) made of cotton, brocade and paithani to mark thespirit of swadeshi. Prior to becoming the Queen, the historical figure learned how to made the fabric.[27]
In July 2020Tooter is a new social media platform that was launched which is a cross-over betweenFacebook andTwitter. The social media platform has now garnered attention for calling itself theSwadeshi Andolan 2.0.[28]
On 18 August 2020 IT ministerRavi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday announcedSwadeshi Microprocessor Challenge with award money of Rs 4.3 crore to key challenges after ban on Chinese investments.[29]
On 17 July 2021 at the 18th Investiture Ceremony of theBorder Security Force (BSF), Home MinisterAmit Shah said that theDefence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other agencies are working on an anti-droneswadeshi technology to deal with this danger of "Smuggling of drugs, arms, and explosives by drones has become a major challenge".[30]
On 25 July 2021 Prime MinisterNarendra Modi addressed the nation through the 79th episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ encouraging the people to buy Indian arts and crafts and attributed the increase in sales of khadi to its Indian patrons. "To buy khadi is to serve the people and the country #myhandloommypride should be used when you buy and post it online." He also reminded the celebration of National Handloom Day on 7 August "When theSwadeshi movement was launched years ago, many of our artisans were associated with it."[31]
On 28 July 2021 Bangalore based GoCoop, India's first online marketplace for artisans and weavers is hostingGo Swadeshi, an exhibition showcasing handcrafted weaves from 30,000+ artisans, 12,000+ woman showcasing their largest collection of handmade textiles from India with over 70,000 products across sarees, apparel, accessories, home furnishings and fabrics. In 2015, GoCoop was the winner of India's first National Award for Handlooms marketing (eCommerce) 2015.[32]
^Anjan, Tara; Rattan, Saldi (2016).Satguru Ram Singh and the Kuka Movement. New Delhi: Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.ISBN9788123022581.
^McLeod, W. H.; French, Louis (2014).Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 261.ISBN9781442236011.
^Kaur, Manmohan (1985).Women in India's freedom struggle. Sterling. p. 76.
^Clarke, Peter (2004).Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Oxon: Routledge. p. 425.ISBN9781134499700.
Bandyopadhyay, Sekhar.From Plassey to Partition – A History of Modern India (2004) pp 248–62
Das, M. N.India Under Morley and Minto: Politics Behind Revolution, Revolution, and Reform (1964)
Gonsalves, Peter.Clothing for Liberation, A Communication Analysis of Gandhi's Swadeshi Revolution, SAGE, (2010)
Gonsalves, Peter.Khadi: Gandhi's Mega Symbol of Subversion, SAGE, (2012)
Trivedi, Lisa. "Clothing Gandhi's Nation: Homespun and Modern India", Indiana University Press, (2007)
Trivedi, Lisa N. (February 2004). "Visually Mapping the 'Nation': Swadeshi Politics in Nationalist India, 1920-1930".The Journal of Asian Studies.62 (1). Association for Asian Studies:11–41.doi:10.2307/3096134.JSTOR3096134.
The dictionary definition ofswadeshi movement at Wiktionary
