Evolution of Liberalism in India

Priyamvada Yadav
B.A. L.L.B (Self-financed)

Introduction

In politics, liberty entitles every person its social and political freedoms.1 Liberty however is
different from freedom, freedom is primarily, if not exclusively, the ability to do as one wills and
what one has the power to do whereas liberty concerns the absence of arbitrary restraints and
takes into account the rights of all involved. As such, the exercise of liberty is subject to
capability and limited by the rights of others.2
Plato once put in, The most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery arises out of the most
extreme liberty, and the modern concept of political liberty is inspired from the Greek concepts
of freedom and slavery, where Greeks believed that to be free was not to have a master but to be
independent from a master.
One of the ideologies of liberty, liberalism got introduced in the late 17th century in the Europe.
The philosophy was given by English philosophers John Locke, Jeremy Bentham and Adam
Smith. Liberalism started to spread rapidly after the French revolution and also due to
industrialization. It evolved in the late 17th century in order to liquidate feudal privileges of land-
owning classes and to create favorable conditions for new entrepreneurial class to enable them to
contribute to social progress. Liberalism was of the basic idea that individuals freedom lead to
general prosperity. Individuals freedom included protection of individuals rights and letting
them pursue any profession (as one likes), which is not harmful to the society and its people.
The Indian liberal space with its long history, old defenders and emerging advocates is as diverse
and wide ranging as the liberal political spectrum. Some of the names that contributed to political
thought of freedom in 19th century India are Raja Ram Mohan Roy (Maker of Modern India),
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, B R Ambedkar, C Rajagopalachari, Minoo Masani, Nani Palkhivala and
others. Then, there are also organizations like Swatantra Party, The Indian Libertarian, Freedom
First, Indian Liberal Group and others that took a more liberal approach to their world view.

1
A civil liberty. Oxford English Dictionary
2
John Stuart Mill (1869), Chapter 1: Introductory, On Liberty.
 Liberalism in India
As Adam Smiths invisible hand or Friedrich Hayeks spontaneous order theory demonstrates
there is no conflict between pursuit of self-interest and social good. Liberalism helps identify the
rules necessary to achieve the harmony between self-interest and social good: limited
government, rule of law, private property, free competition and voluntary interactions.3
In India, the liberal view of a tolerant, diverse and plural society, characterized by political and
economic freedom, seem to be squeezed between the cultural and religious conservatives on one
end of the political spectrum, and various hues of Maoist and Marxist ideologues and extremists,
at the other end. (Liberalism in India: Past, Present and Future). Indias liberalism has evolved
through stages that first emphasized earthly life and materialism, then social reforms and
political independence, and now economic and social freedom. However, despite the general
recognition of the role of liberalisation in improving the standard of living for millions in India,
many feel that these ideas and policies were unnecessary, alien to Indian thinking, and imposed
by the west.

Ancient liberalism:
An old culture like that of India would have a thought that is mentioned today as liberalism or
libertarianism. Liberalism is a philosophy for living life on earth; it does not directly concern
itself or rather leaves individuals free to choose their beliefs about after-life. The major focus of
much of Indian philosophy has been on the life before and after the one on earth and their
interconnection: to explain the status n the current life by considering what was done in the
previous lives and to predict the future life by evaluating the conduct in this life. Neverthless,
many thinkers brought in earthly enjoyments and material aspects to articulate a philosophy of
living this life, Charvak being the most prominent of these thinkers. Their focus on the good and
virtuous life to be lived on this earth could be seen as the first stage of liberalism in India.

3
Parth J. Shah Evolution of Liberalism in India , Liberal Times, Volume X/ No.4 2002