Gandhian Views and Concept of Ideal Village

Being a man of vision, Mahatma Gandhiji felt that the reconstruction of India lies in the overall development of the villages. Since India lives in villages, apart from his great concepts like swadeshi, Khadi and small cottage industries for his dreamy ideal village, Gandhiji felt that a good and healthy environment which encompasses health, sanitation and good, healthy food for the malnourished, underpriveleged countrymen of his, is a must and hence he thought of dietary solutions, through his idea and observation of good food and diet. Food is a matter of choice. We usually eat what we feel is best suited to have an adequate supply of energy and keep us healthy. But it rarely goes beyond that. For Gandhi, food was not something that just satiated hunger. It was an integral part of shaping the human consciousness which is why he carried out a number ofexperiments to find the perfect diet. Though Gandhi is associated with vegetarianism and milk, he actually abstained from milk for a period of six years, considering it an animal product.