Gandhi's Seven Social Sins

Gandhi published the Seven Social Sins in his journal Young India on October 22, 1925. He attributed them to a "Christian missionary" — later identified as Frederick Lewis Donaldson — but Gandhi made them globally famous.

The Seven Sins:

#	Sin	Explanation	Administrative Parallel
1	Politics without principle	Power used without moral compass	Political interference in administration; patronage
2	Wealth without work	Accumulated through exploitation/inheritance not effort	Rent-seeking; corruption; inherited inequality
3	Pleasure without conscience	Pursuing enjoyment at others' expense	Misuse of public resources for personal comfort
4	Knowledge without character	Intellectualism divorced from ethics	Technically skilled but corrupt officers
5	Commerce without morality	Profit without ethical constraint	Corporate corruption; contract manipulation
6	Science without humanity	Technology deployed without considering human welfare	Surveillance without privacy rights; weapons
7	Worship without sacrifice	Religious ritual without genuine moral commitment	Performative ethics; token gestures

Memory device: P-W-P-K-C-S-W — "Please Work Properly; Keep Citizens Satisfied Well"

Note on Gandhi's 8th sin (added later by his grandson Arun Gandhi): "Rights without responsibilities" — citizens claiming rights without corresponding civic duties.

The 2021 RPSC PYQ on Seven Social Sins (in Paper III, Public Admin context) and 2023 RPSC PYQ confirm this is an almost-guaranteed question in Civil Services exams at all levels.

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