Book Review on “Self-Development and Social Transformations?”
- March 13, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue II, February 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186
Book Review on “Self-Development and Social Transformations?”
The vision and practice of the self-study mobilization of Swadhyaya
Ananta Kumar Giri (2008) Rawat Publications
Dr. Vandana Parmar
Department of History, Shri S. K. Shah and Shri Krishna O. M. Arts College, Modasa, Gujarat – 383315, India
The New Religious Movement is generally categorised as a spiritual organisation. This spiritual organisation is somehow related with the old religion with liberal framework. It denies to rigidity of old religion and have changes to cop up with modern life. Therefore, in contemporary time, the spiritual organisations have great influence on peoples’ lives as it gives spiritual guidance. The charismatic leadership is one of the significant aspects of the new religious movement. In post-colonial India, many religious organisations and sects have had influence on Indian society. Swadhyaya Parivar can be considered as one of the inflective spiritual organisations that influence on people which aims at social harmony and brotherhood. Ananta Kumar Giri has analysed the philosophy, activities and practice of Swadhyaya in the context of self-development and transformation.
Though the Swadhyaya movement was begun in Gujarat, Giri has analysed Swadhyaya through his filed work intwenty villages of Sabarkantha region (Gujarat). Swadhyaya has large number of following in the western states of India i.e. Gujarat and Maharashtra. The founder of Swadhyaya Parivar (SP) or Swadhyaya Movement (SM) was Pandurag Vaujanath Athavale. The followers of Athavale had started bhaktiferi (devotional travel) in the villages of Gujarat and the movement had begun.
