Swadeshi Vocal for Local
Swadeshi Vocal for Local
Middle Stage
A teacher enters the classroom and greets the students.
Teacher: Good morning! Children, every year on fifteenth August, we celebrate Independence Day. On the seventy-ninth Independence Day, in his address to the nation, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi emphasized Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan as one of the key drivers for achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat. He cited India's advances in defense, technology, energy, space, and manufacturing. Highlighting Operation Sindoor, he said that the strategic autonomy and indigenous capabilities are important to decisively tackling threats, making self-reliance the bedrock of national strength, dignity, and the journey to a developed India by twenty forty-seven. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also urged citizens and shopkeepers to champion India-made goods under the "Vocal for Local" initiative, stressing that Swadeshi should stem from pride and strength and not as a compulsion.
Teacher: In his address, he used the word 'Swadeshi'.
Students: (in chorus) Yes, Madam!
Teacher: Do you know what Swadeshi means?
Students: Yes, Madam, Yes Madam (raising their hands)
Teacher: Wonderful! I can see everyone is eager to share. Sathya, would you like to tell us what Swadeshi means to you?
Sathya: The word 'Swadeshi', would mean "of one's own country". In simple words, it means using goods, products, and resources that are made locally. It is about producing and using things made within our country.
Teacher: Okay, let me tell you about it. Our Prime Minister encouraged the citizens to make a decisive shift towards adoption or use of Swadeshi products. He emphasized that this shift would help resolve problems related to delays in receiving imported goods or commodities and, most importantly, promote self-reliance.
Teacher: Let me share with you about Swadeshi Movement that took place during freedom struggle.
The Swadeshi Movement was declared on eighth August, nineteen oh five at the Calcutta Town Hall, in Bengal. The Swadeshi Movement was a crucial campaign in the Indian independence struggle that advocated for the use of Indian-made goods and boycott of British products. Initiated in response to British policies, it aimed to promote self-reliance and economic independence. Bal Gangadhar Tilak encouraged Swadeshi Movement after the British government decided the partition of Bengal. He organized processions, fairs, and speeches stressing the need for patriotism, discipline, physical strength, etc.. He organized Ganapati Utsav and Shivaji Utsav to unite people and foster national pride against British rule.
Efforts and persuasion by Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal inculcated a sense of self-confidence among the people. They led mass mobilization through boycotts of British goods, promotion of Indian products, and powerful speeches advocating for Swaraj (self-rule), national education, and self-reliance, effectively turning the movement into a mass national struggle against British rule.
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Gandhiji also applied this Swadeshi ideal in the field of education. He strongly believed that our education has to be Swadeshi by rooting it with the culture and traditions of our country. He said,
"Swadeshi is the only doctrine consistent with the law of humanity and love."
Mahatma Gandhi in his address in nineteen sixteen to the Missionary Conference at Madras, Gandhi ji described Swadeshi as 'that spirit in us which restricts us to the use and service of our immediate surroundings to the exclusion of the more remote'. Further, Mahatma Gandhi transformed the Swadeshi Movement from an economic boycott of British goods into a profound movement for spiritual and social self-reliance, making it the "soul of swaraj" (self-rule). Gandhi described swadeshi as 'law of laws' ingrained in the basic nature of human being.
Teacher: Give one example of a Swadeshi product you use at home.
Students: (different voices) Indian spices, Hand fans, Coir products, Handloom bags, Ayurvedic soap ...
Teacher: Wonderful! That's the spirit of Swadeshi! Let us all remember that being self-reliant makes our nation stronger. We need to talk about it to make people aware of using products made in our country.
Laxmi: Madam, I heard about Atmanirbhar Bharat on TV once. Could you please tell us more about Atmanirbhar Bharat?
Teacher: Yes, Laxmi. Atmanirbhar Bharat means Self-reliant India. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan or Self-reliant India Campaign (launched in the year twenty twenty) envisions a new India aiming to achieve self-sufficiency, make our country and citizens independent and self-reliant in every way. The foundation of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan relies on five pillars-Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography, and Demand.