Gandhi’s Doctrine of Trusteeship

Dr.U.P.Singh
Govt.S.V.N.College Teonthar, Dist-Rewa (M.P.)
E-Mail- singhupendra.p@gmail.com
Mob- 9893109852

Abstract

Trusteeship is Gandhi’s unique concept between labour and capital though both are
contradictory to each other. Trusteeship principle advocated by Gandhiji provides a means of
changing the present capitalist order of society into an egalitarian one. It is in many ways
different from the concept from socialism as Gandhiji did not believe in using force either by the
individual or by the state.

Trusteeship is freedom of ownership, of property in the hands of community and the state
but as a trustee of the citizens. Instead of providing “equal opportunity”, it believes in generating
wealth with efficiency where the index of measurement is not wealth accumulation but wealth
distribution in the society. Its means are non-violent and therefore does not believe in forceful
methods adopted whereby the class conflicts are reduced. Gandhiji envisaged an egalitarian
society free from exploitation of man by man. It believes in class collaboration. Desire to acquire
wealth and power is at the root of all individual, social, economical and political conflicts. The
freedom, the choice the Swaraj must come from one’s own self. Gandhiji therefore gave
emphasis on change of mind and on material forces of production. The mind is the origin of
intellectual (competence) which mange material forces as well as attitude, social behavior etc.,
which determine whether to use the power of possession for good or evil, to exploit or to serve
those who do not possess, to be compassionate or cruel, to accumulate for personal gain or to use
for the betterment of society. Once the right attitude to the use of possession of material-
economic power is established, the ownership becomes a matter of secondary importance.
It was also an endeavor by the Gandhiji to bring people with ‘wealth’ to the nationalist
movement. Gandhi theorized the model which gradually became one of the powerful conceptual
inputs in meaningfully comprehending the labour-capital interface in transitional societies. These
elements are at parlance as corporate social responsibility in the Gandhian notion of trusteeship.
It is therefore a powerful tool for the capital-labour dynamics which is not intellectually
challenging and is also innovative.
Key words: Corporate Social Responsibility, , Mahatma Gandhi, Trusteeship, Capital, Labour,
Swaraj.