India’s goal

To the outer view Indian nationalism may appear to be no more than a demand for a change in the form of Government, or at best, for the amenities of an independent existence, but that is, after all, the secondary part of India’s aim. The philosophy of her nationalism consists of a double goal, firstly the defence of her own civilisation and secondly the fulfillment of her mission in the world. It was this high ideal that inspired Indian Nationalism at its very birth; it is this ideal which, with the depth of a religious faith, sustains the movement in its latest phase. India does not want to be swamped by occidentalism which on its economic side is almost synonymous with plutocracy and in the philosophical aspect, is a quick march towards materialism. This spirit of the West — which one must differentiate from the admirable results of her science and art — had been stealing on India in the past few years, and Indian nationalism, no longer inert, wants to safeguard against its invasion.