Shri Guruji Golwalkar's Views on the Hollowness of Communism

Among the grave failures of democracy in our country is the growing menace of Communism, which is an acknowledged enemy of the democratic constitution. In an effort not to lag behind the Communists in their economic appeal to the masses, our leaders are adopting the very language and programs of the Communists themselves, thereby making Communism all the more respectable. If the leaders believe that by such cleverness they will take the wind out of the Communists' sails, it is a grave error on their part. They feel that economic development is the sole defense against Communism.

The constant dinning into the ears of the people of assurances of a 'higher standard of living'—thus raising their expectations at a time when they cannot possibly be fulfilled—is to foster a sense of failure and pave the way for discontent and anarchy among the general populace. We nowhere hear a call to higher sentiments such as patriotism, character, and wisdom, nor is any emphasis laid anywhere on cultural, intellectual, and moral development. It is precisely in such weak and frustrated minds that the seeds of Communism take root. This has been the biggest psychological factor in the growth of Communism.

Man does not live by bread alone; he must also have convictions for which he can live and die. Without these, life becomes devoid of direction and meaning. Therefore, any attempt from any quarter to uproot our ancient life-giving faith is an invitation to a great calamity for our national life, because it is this very faith that has sustained our existence and produced the finest flowers of human culture. Nourishing genuine and emotional devotion alone can elevate the people above the lure of the vile ideology of Communism. Then there are others who believe that as long as economic inequality persists, the growth of Communism is inevitable; but the reality is that economic inequality is not the true cause of the mutual hatred upon which Communists thrive. The concept of the dignity of labor has not been properly internalized by the mind of our society. For instance, a rickshaw-puller who earns three or four rupees a day is addressed casually as 'Hey, you!', while a clerk receiving a monthly salary of sixty rupees is addressed as 'Babuji'. It is this inequality of attitude, pervading all walks of our life, that breeds hatred.

In our country, the crisis of Communism has become real from another direction as well—through the present policy of our government, which has declared socialism as its goal. This socialism contains all the elements of Communism, differing only in the means used to achieve them.

There is a difference between the society of China and Russia and our society. Perhaps the people of Russia and China were alert and active, which is why they were suppressed by bullets. Here, our people are humble hero-worshippers. What need is there for bullets for such submissive people? For the ballot box is sufficient. If the leader says, “Vote for socialism,” the people will vote for socialism. If tomorrow they discover that by voting for socialism their freedom has vanished and that as individuals they have been reduced to mere inanimate cogs in a machine, they will accept it as the decree of fate.

Ultimately, as we have seen, socialism (just like Communism in its fundamental form, for Russia too calls itself a socialist state) was born as a reaction steeped in the doctrine of class struggle, and it failed to benefit even Russia. As a theory, it exploded long ago, and now it has exploded in practice as well. Nowadays, our leaders are attempting to cover up the fatal flaw of socialism—namely, the erasure of the individual as a living entity—by coining slogans like ‘democratic socialism’, ‘socialist democracy’, and the like. In reality, the two concepts of democracy and socialism are mutually contradictory. Socialism cannot be democratic, and democracy cannot be socialist. As we have discussed, individual liberty is the primary article of faith in democracy, whereas it is the very first victim of socialism. In a democracy, the dignity of the individual is accorded a high place, whereas in socialism he is merely a tooth on a wheel, a mere inanimate screw in that terrible machine we call the State. Therefore, we must shape the path of our life solely on the basis of truth—tested on the touchstone of logic, experience, and history—discovered by our ancient rishis (seers).

– Vichar Navneet, Shri Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar (Shri Guruji)

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