Young India and Gandhian Politics

Young India was an English-language weekly journal published from 1919 to 1931, edited by Mahatma Gandhi as a principal medium to propagate his political philosophy, socio-economic ideas, and strategies for the Indian national movement. Originally launched by members of the Home Rule League in Bombay, Gandhi took over its editorship to communicate directly with English-educated intellectuals, colonial officials, and international observers. Through this publication, Gandhi articulated the core tenets of Satyagraha, non-violent non-cooperation, Constructive Programme, and economic self-reliance. The journal served as a crucial ideological organ during the Non-Cooperation Movement and the initial phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement, establishing the framework of Gandhian politics across the Indian subcontinent.

Origin and Management

Transition to Gandhi’s Editorship

• Young India began as a weekly journal in Bombay, managed by Jamnadas Dwarkadas, Shankarlal Banker, and Umar Sobani, who were associated with Annie Besant’s Home Rule League.
• Mahatma Gandhi assumed the editorship of Young India in May 1919, shifting its office to Ahmedabad to align it with his headquarters at Sabarmati Ashram.
• The first issue under Gandhi’s direct editorial supervision was published on October 8, 1919.
• Mahadev Desai served as the primary assistant editor and secretary to Gandhi, managing daily operations, translations, and record-keeping for the journal.
• The journal was printed at the Navajivan Press in Ahmedabad, which Gandhi established to maintain complete editorial independence without commercial advertisements.

Publication Strategy and Associated Journals

• Gandhi refused to accept paid advertisements in Young India, relying entirely on subscription fees to cover printing costs.
• He simultaneously edited Navajivan, a Gujarati weekly, to reach non-English-speaking regional audiences with the same political message.
• Young India targeted urban elites, legal professionals, colonial administrators, and foreign journalists, providing an authoritative interpretation of nationalist campaigns.

Ideological Dimensions and Editorial Campaigns

Satyagraha and Non-Violent Resistance

• Gandhi used the journal to define Satyagraha (truth-force) as a moral and political method distinct from passive resistance.
• He published detailed guidelines explaining the duties of a Satyagrahi, emphasizing discipline, truth (Satya), non-violence (Ahimsa), and fearless adherence to principles.
• Following the Chauri Chaura incident in February 1922, Gandhi used Young India to explain his decision to suspend the Non-Cooperation Movement, prioritizing moral principles over immediate political gains.

The Constructive Programme

• The weekly served as the primary platform for promoting Gandhi’s Constructive Programme, which aimed at internal social regeneration alongside political struggle.
• It campaigned against untouchability, calling for equal temple entry and social dignity for marginalized communities.
• Gandhi advocated Khadi (hand-spun cloth) and the use of the Charkha (spinning wheel) as symbols of economic self-reliance, national unity, and resistance against British textile imports.
• The journal regularly published articles promoting Hindu-Muslim unity, communal harmony, prohibition of alcohol, and basic education (Nai Talim).

Critiques of British Colonial Rule

• Gandhi wrote critical editorials analyzing the drain of wealth, heavy military expenditure, and oppressive taxation policies under colonial rule.
• He used the paper to mobilize public opinion against the Rowlatt Act, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and the Khilafat wrongs.
• In March 1922, the colonial government arrested Gandhi for writing three seditious articles in Young India: “Tampering with Loyalty,” “The Puzzle and its Solution,” and “Shaking the Manes.”
• During his famous trial before Judge C.N. Broomfield, Gandhi pleaded guilty to sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, citing his conviction that non-cooperation with evil was a duty.

Suspension and Succession

Impact of Civil Disobedience

• Publication of Young India faced severe government suppression during the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1830–1831.
• When the colonial authority demanded security deposits under the Indian Press Ordinance of 1930, Gandhi refused to pay and chose to issue cyclostyled sheets instead.
• The journal ceased publication permanently in February 1932 following Gandhi’s arrest after the failure of the Second Round Table Conference.

Launch of Harijan

• In February 1933, while imprisoned in Yerwada Central Jail, Gandhi started a new weekly named Harijan (Children of God) in English, Gujarati, and Hindi.
• Harijan replaced Young India as Gandhi’s primary media platform, shifting focus toward the abolition of untouchability, rural reconstruction, and village industries.

Major Nationalist Periodicals Edited by Gandhi

| Publication | Launch Year | Language | Place of Publication | Primary Focus | | Indian Opinion | 1903 | English, Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil | Durban, South Africa | Civil rights of Indians in South Africa, passive resistance | | Navajivan | 1919 | Gujarati (later Hindi) | Ahmedabad | Mass political education, local agrarian issues, Constructive Programme | | Young India | 1919 | English | Ahmedabad | Political philosophy, Satyagraha, anti-colonial critique, economic self-reliance | | Harijan | 1933 | English, Hindi, Gujarati | Poona / Ahmedabad | Anti-untouchability campaign, village industries, social reconstruction |

Key Facts for Quick Revision

• Young India was founded as an English weekly in Bombay by members of the Home Rule League.
• Mahatma Gandhi took over editorship of Young India in May 1919 and published its first issue from Ahmedabad on October 8, 1919.
• Mahadev Desai worked as the principal secretary and associate for Young India.
• The journal was printed at the Navajivan Press in Ahmedabad without accepting commercial advertisements.
• Gandhi edited Navajivan in Gujarati alongside Young India in English.
• The publication outlined the strategy of the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922) and the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930).
• Gandhi was arrested in March 1922 for sedition under IPC Section 124A due to three articles published in Young India.
• Judge C.N. Broomfield sentenced Gandhi to six years of imprisonment during the historic 1922 trial.
• The journal promoted the Charkha and Khadi as central components of economic nationalism.
• Young India ceased publication in 1932 due to government crackdowns under press ordinances.
• Gandhi launched Harijan weekly in February 1933 as the successor publication to Young India.