Subject: GS 1
Syllabus: The Freedom Struggle - its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
Questions
- In the aftermath of the Khilafat non-cooperation struggle, a series of riots occurred that significantly undermined the concept of Hindu-Muslim unity. In this context, critically evaluate the level of success attained by the Non-Cooperation movement. (250 Words, 15 Marks)
- The 19th Century is called a period of Indian Renaissance. But this renaissance was an equal product of the efforts of natives and colonial legislations. Discuss. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
Model Structure
1. In the aftermath of the Khilafat non-cooperation struggle, a series of riots occurred that significantly undermined the concept of Hindu-Muslim unity. In this context, critically evaluate the level of success attained by the Non-Cooperation movement. (250 Words, 15 Marks)
Model Structure
- Introduction(1): The Non-cooperation Movement was launched on 5th September 1920 by the Indian National Congress (INC) under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in the wake of a series of events, including the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the Khilafat issue.
- Introduction(2): From 1920 to 1922, Mahatma Gandhi orchestrated the Non-Cooperation Movement(NCM), a strategic campaign aimed at urging the British government in India to grant self-rule, known as Swaraj, to India. This movement marked one of Gandhi's initial and well-planned endeavours to promote widespread civil disobedience, using the principle of Satyagraha.
Main Body:
- Negative consequences of NCM:
- Communalisation of politics: The movement engaged Muslims in the national movement, resulting in communalism rather than nationalist unity. Hindus and Muslims united on religious matters rather than for purely nationalist purposes.
- Violence at Chauri Chaura: Misunderstanding the principles of non-violence, the movement abruptly ended with the Chauri Chaura incident on February 5, 1922.
- Communal organisations: the Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha and a section of the Swarajists( led by N.C. Kelkar) all started making political alliances on ‘communal’ grounds.
- Shuddi and tabling movement: The Arya Samaj’s siddhi and Sanga then found parallel in the tabling (propaganda) and Tanzim (organisation) of the Muslim League.
- Mappila Revolt: was between Muslim tenants and Hindu landlords. Earlier, it was part of NCM, but later it acquired communal tones and caused large-scale riots.
- Success of the Non-cooperation movement:
- National schools: Students left government schools and colleges, and national schools came up like Kashi Vidyapeeth, Jamia Millia etc.
- Foreign clothes: Stores selling foreign clothes were picketed, and foreign clothes were burned. It drastically brought down the import of foreign clothes.
- Peasant movements: It saw the massive participation of peasants in the nationalist struggle. Many peasant movements like the Kisan Sabha movement, the Eka movement, Mappila revolt took place.
- Women’s participation: saw the massive participation of women in picketing shops, taking part in processions, and even facing a lathi charge, thus a liberating experience for them.
- Unity of Hindu and Muslim: This movement saw the remarkable unity of Hindu - Muslims, a kind of unity which was never seen and will never be seen.
- Enhanced reach: The movement reached every nook and corner of the country and politicised every population stratum.
Conclusion:
- The Non-cooperation movement was an important watershed moment in the national struggle, and it was successful in bringing Muslims into the nationalist struggle, but it failed in converting the religious consciousness into secular consciousness.
2. The 19th Century is called a period of Indian Renaissance. But this renaissance was an equal product of the efforts of natives and colonial legislations. Discuss. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction:
- The advent of English was the ignition for the Renaissance in India. Indians were exposed to scientific thoughts, new discoveries and freethinking, which in turn led to socio-intellectual revolution that took place in the nineteenth century in the fields of philosophy, literature, science, politics and social reforms, often known as the Indian Renaissance. or
- The 19th century is a critical period in the history of India; it is often referred to as the Period of Renaissance because of, Rise in modern values like Rationalism, Religious Universalism, Humanism and Secularism Revival of Indian classics- The reawakening of the Indian spirit not only led to a new life in literature but also to a revival of interest in ancient literature and native religion.
Main Body:
Renaissance as an effort of the natives:
- Changes in the social dogmas: like the emancipation of women, in which sati, infanticide, child marriage and widow re-marriage were taken up.
- Reform movements: Movements like Brahma Samaj and Prarthana Samaj, and leaders like Swami Vivekananda and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar called to set aside the authority of religion and evaluate truth in any religion by the criteria of logic, reason or science.
- Revivalist movements: They were influenced by the rich cultural heritage of India brought to light by Western scholars and found that it was even superior to Western culture.
- Role of the Indian press, for ex: Newspapers like SambadKaumudi, Darpan, etc., editorialised against Sati, Polytheism, and the Promotion of women's education.
- Education as a means of liberation- this can be seen in the rise of colleges like Hindu College, Aligarh Muslim University, Deoband schools etc.
- Changing the orthodoxy, many leaders like Jyotiba Phule, Gopal Hari Deshmukh, K.T. Telang, B.M. Malabari, etc., had a two-point agenda—fight for the betterment of the status of women in society and fight to remove disabilities arising out of untouchability.
Renaissance as an Effort of Colonial Legislation:
- Abolition of Sati: Regulation XVII of the Government, 1829, the custom of sati was declared illegal and punishable by the Criminal Courts.
- The Widow Marriage Act of 1856 was passed, legalising widow marriage and giving status legitimacy to the children of married widows.
- Abolition of Slavery: The slave trade and keeping slaves or trafficking in them became an offence under the Indian Penal Code, enacted in 1860
- Progressive women’s rights: The Age of Consent Bill of 1891 aimed to increase the minimum age of consent for intercourse to 12 years for all girls in the context of rampant child marriages and marital rapes of young girls.
- Also, Women's education was given high prominence; this can be seen in steps like the Deccan Education Society, Bethune School, Seva Sadan in Pune, etc.
Conclusion:
- These movements, both by the natives and the colonial masters, emphasised the human intellect’s capacity to think and reason, which in turn helped in building a new society in India.
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