22. Why Do I Believe in Socialism ?

WHEN ONE TALKS of his faith in socialism, I think, it is better to define what one means by that term. Basically, socialism is a socio-economic doctrine. It was evolved and propagated to build up an economic system to avoid the ills of a capitalistic structure viz. concentration of economic power in the hands of a few and the accompanying exploitation of labour by capital. Broadly speaking, socialism implies making the interest of the individual subservient to the common good of the society. It puts more faith in human values, human dignity and welfare than in mere economic growth. Thus socialism aims at achieving a synthesis between the economics based on social justice and the economics of growth. But socialism also implies a more fundamental and revolutionary change within the society itself. A socialistic society has to be at once modern, rational, egalitarian and humane. It has to be progressive and forward-looking, free from the fetters of rigid customs, beliefs and rituals. The artificial barriers of religion, caste and creed can have no place in the integrated life of a socialist society. To many, this may sound utopian. But it is not so. Sustained and purposive direction of State policy, spread of education and rational thought, and efforts to promote human values should succeed in taking us towards this goal.

Having defined my conception of socialism, I think the question `why I believe in Socialism' is easier to answer. As I try to re­capitulate the development of my political thinking, it takes me to my childhood. I was born in a peasant family in a typical Indian village. Ever since my childhood I saw the poverty and the sufferings of the people, their ignorance, privations and exploitation by big landlords and money-lenders. My early asso­ciation with the peasant movement brought me face to face with the insurmountable difficulties of the toiling masses in rural areas. I was fortunate to have had a formal education and this gave me a capacity to think rationally of the problems of land hunger, poverty and illiteracy. The amazing spectacle of islands of prosperity and luxury in the midst of an ocean of poverty and misery-of millions made a tremendous impact on me and moulded my thinking from the very early days of my political life. Even during the struggle for independence, the basic problem of the content of freedom troubled me. In the beginning, it was only a vague and elusive emotion which stirred me to the very depths. As years went by, I did considerable reading and my young mind found a great appeal in the doctrine of Marxism.