Sharma : Did your interest in socialism start in jail or before?
Chavan : I must say positively that my interest in socialism started in jail in 1932. I did not know much about it before that. I was just in a younger patriotic mood. Of course, the Satya shodhak movement had given the call for social and economic equality, and against exploitation of the middle intellectual classes, professionals, and others. I mean those ideas were there. But socialism as such that there is a scientific way of bringing about the transformation in social life, this positive concept reached my consciousness in jail only.
Sharma : Did your re-examination of Gandhiji's philogophy also start in jail?
Chavan : In a way, yes. I can't say that I had studied Gandhiji philosophically before. Gandhiji, for instance, for us was a national leader . He for us symbolized independence movement. Gandhiji stood for us emotinally a man who stood for the poor people, a saintly person. all these ideas were there, I do not think I had studied Gandhiji's philosophy. I tried to read it and understand it from Acharya Bhagwat, who gave us series of lectures on Gandhism.
There were certain positive aspects. Particularly one aspect, that appealed to me then, which I think has its influence on me even now, is purity of means. That was a positive contribution of Gandhiji towards philosophical thought. I read Gndhiji's 'Atma Charitra' fo the first time there. It had an impect. You see, Gandhiji's impact was not mere rejection of Gandhiji but acceptance of Gandhij as the national leder. But these new ideas were no alternative to each other. Possibily they went along also in certain direction.
Sharma : But methods were also quite impotant; methods of Marx did not quite agree with Gandhian methods?
Chavan : Yes, but I do not think that there is any thing wrong in class struggle. I think, the interpretation of history that socialism gives is conflict of interests. People in power try to protect the interest of their class. This theory is basically sound. Even now I believe that happens. It is sound, but one has to be careful. Therefore, your cannot give all powers to the state. I do not believe in the dictatorship of the proletariat or any other dictatorship. But there is a point in this. History reveals that the ruling classess tried to protect the interests of their own class or people. so one has to be very watchful about this. Not that I wanted class struggle, but class struggle was inherent in the social life which existed all the time.