“Indian Civilization and Culture” is an important essay written by Mahatma Gandhi. In this essay Gandhiji describes the importance of Indian Civilization. He praises our ancient civilization and says that no other civilization of the world can be compared with our civilization.
According to Gandhiji, civilization is the way of conduct. It guides us to do our duty. It also teaches us the lesson of morality. It refers to good conduct and stresses our moral character. Our civilization is the most ancient and the strongest of all the civilizations of the world. Many civilizations in the world born and wasted. They changed by the change of time. But, our civilization has remained unchanged. Our civilization is the only civilization in the world which has not lost its glory.
Gandhiji says that the Western civilization is inferior to the Indian civilization, because it is based on materialism and immorality. On the other hand the Indian civilization is based on spiritualism and morality. The intention of Indian civilization is to elevate the moral being while the Western civilization is to propagate immorality.
Gandhiji says that mind is a restless bird, because it is never satisfied. The more it gets, the more it wants, and still remains unsatisfied. To be happy or unhappy depends on our mind. We have endless desires and such desires make our mind restless. If we want to become happy, we should keep away from wealth and luxuries, because they do not make us happy. A rich man may be unhappy in his palace, while a poor man may be happy in his cottage.
Thus, Gandhiji means to say that the Indian civilization is matchless. He says that the Indian civilization is superior to any other civilization in the world. It promotes moral development and real happiness.