Revisiting Gandhian Trusteeship
Gandhi’s concept of Trusteeship was a noteworthy Indian rethinking on the responsibility of business in society as well as the welfare of commoners
Modern capitalism and hyper globalisation have resulted in inequality, political fundamentalism, xenophobia and climate crisis. The obstinate market stratification has divided people into two levels of existence – the underprivileged and the affluent. The situation is causing inconsistency, hostility and violence. The relentless capitalistic economic model and hot pursuit for profit at any cost have become the purveyor of the unsustainable model of economic growth. It is against this background that we need to revisit the ethos and philosophy of Gandhian economic and social model. The Gandhian economic model is not pure economics in factual sense of the term; it is a conflation of many heterogeneous ideas. Gandhi was critical of the engrafted nature of capitalism and its asymmetrical nature of development. His economics is not value-free but instead is based on metaphysical normative axioms. He profoundly asked, does economic progress in modern society clash with egalitarian or sustainable progress?
According to Gandhi, the juxtaposition of a developed capitalist system is incompatible with full employment and this generates many types of uncertainty and instability. Gandhi insisted that multiplying one's wants in unreflective fashion merely makes a person subject to an incessant sequence of desires. Those who are part of a mad rush to multiply wants, thinking that this will add to their real substance, are misguided. He wrote in 1909: 'Contentment is happiness. Who has ever known any happiness other than this? Every other kind of happiness is but a mirage. The nearer we approach it, the further it recedes.'
Flowing from the notion of economic justice or equality, Gandhi deduced the theory of trusteeship. Trusteeship as an economic model cultivates responsibility and is an ethical model that seeks to amalgamate entrepreneurship and ethical conduct in a single economic thread, connecting business to social. Gandhi belied that all wealth and recourses are "held in trust" for all of society. He viewed property as meaningful only if it benefits all humanity. Gandhi's concept of "Trusteeship" was a noteworthy Indian rethinking on the responsibility of business in society.
The concept of Trusteeship is evidence of business ethics which preordained a commitment of business in development. Gandhi described trusteeship as 'India's gift to the world'. It is also the pronunciation of Gandhi's undiluted faith in human righteousness. Trusteeship was therefore not 'otherworldly' affair, but a human-driven undertaking that could be attained if people stay true to their ethical pledge to society, to which they belonged. It is a testimony of business responsibility which meant an engagement of business in development.
Undoubtedly, the concept of Trusteeship flows from the ideals of aparigraha and ahimsa. Aparigraha is the ethical ideal of non-possession; of the renunciation of ownership; of liberation from the subtle as well as the coarse bonds that possessions forge for one. In the Bhagavad Gita, Gandhi also found an equilibrium linking two innermost principles of Indian philosophy: nivrtti (contemplative renunciation) and pravrtti (active living). In the Gita, Gandhi observed an amalgamation of inner contemplation (nivrtti) and social action (pravrtti), which formed the style of "contemplative action" that became his signature approach to life.
Gandhi summarised this ethical and social philosophy of the Gita as anasaktiyoga, or the path of non-attachment. To help him live the doctrine of anasaktiyoga, Gandhi practised the principle of aparigraha (non-possession), which appears in an authoritative text written by Patanjali called the Yoga Sutras. Thus, Gandhi encouraged minimal property accumulation to maximise fairness and economic efficiency, and he also sought to nurture the individual conscience by asking whether something was "in fact, needed".
This is clear from Gandhi's own writings: "I have therefore ventured to place before India the ancient law of self-sacrifice. For satyagraha and its offshoots, non-cooperation and civil resistance, are nothing but new names for the law of suffering." Trusteeship is an insightful hypothetical construct intended to institute an egalitarian society translated by redistribution appeal to the propertied class.
Gandhi appreciated the elemental doctrine of conventional liberalism but aimed at redefining its contour to cater to the socio-economic and political circumstances. This was an attempt at the creative articulation of a relationship between the haves and the have-nots. Therefore, Trusteeship is a convincing doctrine and it has fundamentals of Corporate Social Responsibility because the belief that the wealthy have a consciousness (whether institutionalised or not) remains critical in Corporate Social Responsibility.
The Gandhian model is a certain means to build a sustainable model for the future.
(Dr Roopinder Oberoi is associated with the Department of Political Science, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. The views expressed are strictly personal)
