Mayank Chhaya speaks about Mahatma Gandhi and his concept of trusteeship | SAM Conversation
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00:00Welcome to my chair reports. Today is the 155th birth anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi.
00:08I can do any number of things to mark it, but I'm choosing to do two things.
00:14One is, of course, rather trivial, such as wearing this Khadi shirt that I bought from the Gandhi ashram in Ahmedabad for 700 rupees, which is less than $10.
00:27It also has the iconic Charkha or spinning wheel monogram on it.
00:33But the second is rather more serious, and it's to do with Gandhi's profound but controversial idea of trusteeship, where he talks about wealth being in trust of people, not necessarily those who control it.
00:51And I would like to read two short passages from his slim volume titled Trusteeship.
00:59Supposing I have come by a fair amount of wealth, either by way of legacy or by means of trade and industry, I must know that all that wealth does not belong to me.
01:12What belongs to me is the right to an honorable livelihood, no better than that enjoyed by millions of others.
01:22The rest of my wealth belongs to the community and must be used for the welfare of the community.
01:29In the same vein, he writes, the rich should ponder well as to what is their duty today.
01:36They who employ mercenaries to guard their wealth may find those very guardians turning on them.
01:45The money classes have to learn how to fight either with arms or the weapon of nonviolence.
01:56For those who wish to follow the latter, the best and most effective mantra is, which means enjoy thy wealth by renouncing it.
02:13Expanding it means earn your millions by all means, but understand that your wealth is not yours.
02:21It belongs to the people.
02:23Take what you require for your legitimate needs and use the remainder for society.
02:30This truth has hitherto not been acted upon, but if the money classes do not even act on it in these times of stress,
02:40they will remain the slaves of their riches and passions and consequently of those who overpower them.
02:50I see coming the day of the rule of the poor, whether that rule be through force of arms or of nonviolence.
02:59Let it be remembered that physical force is transitory, even as the body is transitory,
03:06but the power of the spirit is permanent, even as the spirit is everlasting.