Swaraj is a concept from South Asia, most notably articulated by Mahatma Gandhi, that literally means “self-rule” (swa = self, raj = rule).
While it has been used in nationalist movements to signify political independence from colonial rule, Gandhi and later thinkers gave it a deeper ethical, social, and ecological meaning: not merely the transfer of power to a state, but the capacity of individuals and communities to govern themselves in harmony with each other and with nature. Swaraj emphasizes autonomy, decentralization, and self-reliance, where villages and local communities become the foundation of democratic life through direct participation, mutual aid, and subsistence-based economies. In this broader sense, Swaraj is both a philosophy of freedom and responsibility, and a practice of reclaiming dignity, justice, and sustainability outside the logics of domination and exploitation.