The Economy of Permanence: A Quest for a Social Order Based on Non-violence (स्थायी अर्थतन्त्र)

Economy of Permanence
by a competent tailor and for laundering his clothes by a professional dhobie as
he cannot afford to ruin the crease of his suits by sitting on the floor, he needs
a chair to sit on and that calls for a table to work on and other chairs to offer
to his visitors. His whole method of living becomes complicated and expensive.
Taken in this setting who can say that a few annas extra per yard makes the
Khadi way of life expensive, even apart from other social considerations ? We
cannot isolate one item of cost and compare it with another figure separated
from its setting. Often the value of a gem lies more in its setting in the jewel
than in itself. We have to consider the whole background of an economy under
each type. So far we have dealt with valuation from the point of view of the
user or the consumer.
"Can cottage industries exist in a machine age?" is a question one often hears
raised. The full consideration of this question may have to be deferred for a
later occasion but it may be pointed out here that 'cottage industries' is not
merely a method of production but stands for a type of economy of which it is
an integral part just as 'Large scale production' forms part of another type of
economy. The question posed above resolves itself into asking, which form of
economy is preferable, which again will depend on what our objectives are and
this will finally mean what our standards of value in life are. Therefore, values
and valuation are the pair that draw the chariot of Human Progress. They, in
the final analysis, determine the direction be taken-either towards permanence
and non-violence or towards transience and violence. Hence it is imperative to
be absolutely clear on these two factors, confusion in our standards and aim
leads to ruin.
In Travancore they make beautiful soft, white, mats out of split screwpine
leaves. In that part of the country each hut stands on its own land and is
surrounded and protected by low mud compound walls on which these
screwpine plants are grown. Once while no tour in that locality we halted to
inspect the making of these mats. The head mat-weaver of the village-a
mussalman came to explain to us the various processes in which men, women
and even children of the families took part. Then he led us to three or four
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