Name: Harish .K. Thakur & Raman Kaith
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume-11, Issue-1, January-June 2026
Page Number: 40-46
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18708424

ABSTRACT
Swadeshi has remained a persistent and evolving idea in Indian economic and political thought, symbolising self-reliance, ethical production, and cultural autonomy. Although it was created as an anti-colonial tool in the struggle against the freedom, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya developed its philosophical dimension in an even deeper way using the doctrine of Integral Humanism. This paper examines Atmanirbhar Bharat as a contemporary reinterpretation of Swadeshi through the philosophical framework of Deendayal Upadhyaya‟s Integral Humanism. Through the examination of the economic philosophy of Upadhyaya and the impact it has had on post-2014 policy programs such
as Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, Startup India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, the study posits that modern self-reliance rhetoric is extensively informed by the philosophy of Integral Humanism. However, the paper also critically evaluates the gaps between ideological intent and policy outcomes, highlighting structural challenges and contradictions. The paper concludes that Swadeshi as envisioned by Upadhyaya can still be useful as a holistic and ethical alternative to Western capitalist and socialist approaches, it moves beyond symbolic nationalism toward inclusive and decentralised
development.

Keywords: Swadeshi, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Integral Humanism, Deendayal Upadhyaya, Economic Self-Reliance, Antyodaya.