31 October 2022

MAINS QUESTIONS

Q1. In opposition to the unfair and sly ways that British power functioned, Indian nationalism arose. Critically evaluate (250 words).

 Paper & Topic: GS I – National Movement

Introduction:

• The Indian Nationalist Movement waged a protracted and intensive war against British imperialism. Nationalism was both the primary cause of this conflict and its origin.
• Within the context of the Indian Nationalist Movement, Indian nationalism was a vital symbol for both anti-imperialism and racial solidarity. A nationalist is someone who upholds and supports these two ideas, to put it another way. Individuals, groups, movements, and organisations fall under this category.

Body:

• The construction and extension of Indian nationalism through the establishment of a new institution, new opportunities, and a new resource distribution system was the British government’s response to the global dissemination of nationalism’s principles inspired by the French Revolution.

One of several elements that fueled the growth of contemporary nationalism was British control:

• Bengal was divided politically and administratively in 1905 under the direction of British viceroy Lord Curzon.
• Final administrative unification and placement of the bulk of India’s regions under a single ruling body (the British rule). creating a cohesive judicial and governmental structure.
• The development of transportation and communication was facilitated by the construction of roads, canals, telegraph lines, railways, and postal systems. All of these improved ties among Indians and allowed for the organisation of the national movement on an all-India basis.
• English language education in the West: The English language had a big impact on how nationalism developed in the nation. The English-educated Indian national movement leaders were in charge of the concept and administration of Indian nationalism. Western education, which also planted the seeds of nationalism, helped spread the values of liberty, equality, freedom, and nationalism throughout the world.
• The press is responsible for things like: The development of a sense of national identity in India was also aided by the regional and English-language media.
• Theosophical Society, Brahmo Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Arya Samaj, and other organisations led by its founders promoted respect for and patriotism for the country in the nineteenth century.
• British economic exploitation: The anti-British feeling was significantly influenced by the British government’s economic strategy in India. The English ruthlessly decimated the native Indian economy and industry. Thus, British economic exploitation had a big impact on how Indian nationalism developed.
• 1857 Revolt: As a result of the Revolt of 1857, which left the British and Indians harbouring a persistent animosity and mistrust for one another, the English developed a sense of racial superiority. Indians were made the object of insults, humiliation, and contempt both as a group and as individuals.
• Lord Lytton’s leadership: Lord Lytton planned the Delhi Durbar at a time when most of India was suffering from famine. He passed the Vernacular Press Act, which limited the freedom of the Indian Press. His Arms Act was a device for limiting Indians’ access to arms. The Indians were very unhappy as a result of all of these operations.
• The Ilbert Bill was discussed in the Central Legislature while Lord Ripon was viceroy. The Bill aimed to end discrimination against judges who were of European and Indian origin. Indian immigrants living in Britain opposed this bill. The Bill was ultimately altered.
• Since current western principles are incorporated into Indian political thought, western philosophy and education were crucial in its development. In order to create a class that was “Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste” and could serve as a conduit between the government and the general public, the British only provided modern education to a very small percentage of the elite and middle classes.
• Because the English felt they were inherently superior to the Indians, there existed racial animosity. Despite being capable and intelligent, the Indians never expressed a desire to be given more important positions. The maximum age limit for the Indian Civil Service Examination in England was 21.

Indian nationalism was successful and distinctive due to its numerous traits:

• According to the cosmic worldview that underlies Indian culture, each individual is seen as the centre of the universe and a divine creation. As a result, the neighbourhood values individuality and difference of thought.
• Harmony: According to Indian philosophy and culture, a society should be inherently calm and well-run.
• Tolerance: All religions, castes, communities, etc. can live in harmony thanks to India’s liberal culture. The Shaka, Huna, Scythians, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians were all respected by Indian society. The reign of monarchs like Ashoka and Akbar made it possible for numerous religions to coexist in peace.
• The traditional style of life in India is active and trustworthy. Despite multiple invasions, changes to governmental authorities, and changes to legislation, traditional institutions such as religion, epics, literature, philosophy, and traditions are still in use today.
• Adaptability is the ability to change behaviour in reaction to the circumstances existing at a specific time, location, or era. Indian society has demonstrated that it can adapt and change as needed.
• Indian culture, which historically assisted immigrants in integrating but also encouraged prejudice and discrimination, gave rise to social stratification systems.
• Indian culture encourages unity in diversity despite its inherent diversity, which is reflected in the country’s fundamental goals and guiding principles.

• Conclusion:

• The Indians’ recent awakening was significantly influenced by the British occupation. Indians acquired greater information while the country was governed by the British, which increased nationalist enthusiasm.

Q2. “Our country is like a tree, with Swadeshi and Boycott as its branches, and Swarajya as the original stem.” a declaration regarding the Swadeshi movement. (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS I – National Movement

Introduction:

• Gangadhar Bal In addition to advocating for Indian nationalism, Tilak worked as a lawyer, social reformer, educator, and freedom warrior. He played a crucial part in the movement for Indian independence. Tilak was a radical figure in Indian culture and an outspoken supporter of Swaraj, or “self-rule.” His famous Marathi phrase, “Swarajya is my birthright and I shall grasp it,” is well recognised.

Body:

• People like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Aurobindo Ghosh advocated Swaraj, or total independence from British rule. They viewed independence as a barrier to hegemony. They promoted a boycott of Swadeshi and imported goods. Swadeshi and boycott tactics were used to achieve the ultimate goal of swarajya (self-rule).

About Swadeshi Movement:

• Early in the 20th century, the Swadeshi movement was directly prompted by the British India government’s division of Bengal.
• This movement’s two main objectives were to use Swadeshi products and to boycott those made abroad.
• A Boycott Resolution was passed by the Calcutta City Hall on August 7, 1905, outlawing the use of salt from Liverpool and garments from Manchester.
• Due to the general public accepting the message to boycott goods made elsewhere, the value of British textiles sold in the Barisal district dramatically decreased.
• The song of the boycott and Swadeshi movements is Bande Mataram.
• One of the movement’s many outwardly effective protest strategies on both a practical and popular level was the boycott of goods produced elsewhere.
• In rural Bengal as well as several of the biggest cities and towns in the country, boycotting, burning foreign apparel in public, and picketing establishments that sell foreign items all became commonplace.
• The Swadeshi movement frequently used the corps of volunteers as a different strategy for energising the population (samitis).
• The Swadesh Bandhab Samiti, which was founded in Barisal by teacher Ashwini Kumar Dutt, is the most well-known volunteer organisation.
• Lokmanya Tilak organised the Shivaji and Ganapati festivals in Maharashtra, Western India, to advance the swadeshi idea and encourage boycotts.
• The Swadeshi and boycott campaigns used atmasakti, or self-reliance, as a crucial part of their strategies for restoring national honour in a variety of circumstances.
• When examining the national educational system, this emphasis on independence was particularly evident.
• The National College of Bengal was founded alongside Aurobindo. Numerous national schools have been constructed across the country in a short amount of time.
• The National Education Council was established in August of 1906.
• Indians have a strong sense of independence in addition to their love of business. There were exceptionally many tanneries, banks, insurance companies, retail businesses, soap and match factories, textile mills, etc. during this time.
• Some of these Swadeshi firms, like Acharya P.C. Ray, were able to prosper for a considerable amount of time despite the fact that the majority of them were started and operated more out of patriotic fervour than with any genuine financial motive.
• In opposition to the partition of Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore wrote the book Amar Sonar Bangla, which became a focal point for the boycott and Swadeshi movements and ultimately served as an inspiration for the Bangladesh liberation struggle.
• The importance of the Swadeshi and Boycott Movements
• Many people in India in the 20th century were first motivated to participate in modern nationalist politics by the Swadeshi and boycott movements.
• Women first left their homes to take part in protests and marches against businesses that sell products made elsewhere.
• The Swadeshi and boycott campaigns caused another transition inside the Indian National Congress (INC), which had previously been dominated by moderates. The group’s “extremists” now control the main agenda as a result of their leadership in the Congress’ 1906 Calcutta session call for “Swaraj,” or self-government.
• The principles of non-cooperation and passive resistance were first established by early boycott and Swadeshi campaigns, and Mahatma Gandhi would later successfully put them into practise.
• During the Swadeshi movement, Gandhian strategies were employed, including petitioning the government, holding public events, writing memos, and disseminating information through pamphlets and periodicals like Hitabadi, Sanjibani, and Bengalee.
• They aimed to stop the uneven division of Bengal by educating the public and applying enough pressure to the Indian and English governments.
• The movement gave birth to Gandhi’s tactics, which included nonviolent resistance, passive resistance, calling for the overcrowding of British prisons, social reform, productive work, a ban on salt and sugar produced abroad, having priests refuse to officiate ritual marriages involving the exchange of foreign goods, and having washermen refuse to wash foreign clothing.
• Samitis, such as Ashwini Kumar Dutta’s Swadesh Bandhab Samiti in Barisal, have developed into highly popular and effective tools for organising sizable audiences.

The national education programme:

• National colleges and universities have proliferated all throughout the nation.
• The Swadeshi movement is waning for a number of reasons, including:
• Repression by the government After recognising the likelihood of a rebellion, the administration adopted a strict stance. In 1907 and 1908, the majority of the movement’s key figures were either imprisoned or exiled.
• Any mass movement, especially one that is subjected to severe repression, cannot continue at the same level of militancy and self-sacrifice indefinitely.
• The Congress is split: Internal strife, particularly the split in the Congress, the most important organisation for all of India, in 1907, hurt the cause.
• Structure of the organisation: The party structure and effective organisation had issues.
• The movement failed to create an effective party structure or organisation.
• It provided a wide range of Gandhian political tactics such non-cooperation, passive resistance, overloading British prisons, social reform, and constructive labour but failed to give them a defined framework.

Limited in scope:

• The movement mainly failed to reach the general public, especially the peasantry, being limited to the aristocratic, middle, and zamindar groups.
• The vast majority of Muslims, particularly the Muslim peasantry, opposed it. Muslims and Hindus were separated into two classes, the landlord class and the peasantry, respectively.
• Despite the fact that the Swadeshi Movement had moved beyond Bengal, the rest of the nation was still unprepared to adopt the new political climate and attitude.
• People were energised by the movement, but it had no idea how to direct that vigour or how to come up with fresh means to convey the fury of the masses.

Conclusion:

• By 1908, the political activism of Aurobindo Ghosh and Bipin Chandra Pal had ceased, and the majority of the movement’s leaders had either been imprisoned or expelled, leaving the group without a leader.
• Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh of Punjab were deported, Tilak was given a six-year prison sentence, and Chidambaram Pillai was put behind bars.