'Swadeshi, or "localized economics," is a concept developed by Mahatma Gandhi. At the beginning of the 20th century, India began importing cheap factory-made cloth from England, which forced thousands of local weavers and spinners out of work. The result was dire poverty and social chaos. Gandhi's response was to throw away all articles made of English mill cloth, and wear only cloth which he spun himself. The image of him spinning on his charka became instantly famous; thousands followed his lead, and the result was India's independence.

Fifty years after India's independence, we find these problems all over the world due to the corporate globalized economy. In standard modern-day economics, the goal is to maximize profit at any cost. To this end, corporations will use many techniques to relentlessly pursue the bottom line.'

Read more: Localized Economics