Revisiting Gandhi in Current Pandemic Situation

The present pandemic situation has raised various questions for the world community. These questions are related to socio-economic and psychosomatic diseases. The present pandemic situation has exposed the entire global development model and the lifestyle adopted by various countries. India is a developing country where a large number of population lives under below poverty line. According to the 2011 census, 69 per cent Indian population lives in villages where most of the population is engaged in agriculture. The International Labour Union, in its 2016 report, mentioned that around 82 per cent of India's population is employed in the unorganized sector. Another significant effect of the current pandemic can be seen on human health as well as human psychology. The uncertainty of jobs and fear for a better future has made Indians emotionally and psychologically weak. Our day-to-day lifestyle has also been affected by a global pandemic. It has forced us to rethink our daily lifestyle. Globalization attracted Indians towards western culture, but the current pandemic has exposed the drawbacks of western culture and has forced us to return to our own culture. Therefore, the current pandemic has affected a large number of the Indian population in different ways. This paper will highlight those questions that have been emerged because of the current COVID-19 pandemic and try to find the appropriate solution to those questions through Gandhi's view on development and human lifestyle. The contemporary pandemic situation has forced social thinkers and economic experts to rethink those questions that have been raised because of the pandemic situation. This paper will address these questions only in the Indian context and will also inquire how Gandhian way of lifestyle can be the guiding principle for the future of India.