Nationalism in India 4 Flashcards
how was a sense of belonging forged among the indians
Nationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are all
part of the same nation, when they discover some unity that binds
them together. This sense of collective belonging came partly through the experience
of united struggles. But there were also a variety of cultural processes
through which nationalism captured people’s imagination. History
and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols, all played
a part in the making of nationalism.
who first drew the bharatmata figure? why was it formed
The identity of the nation, as you know (see Chapter 1), is most
often symbolised in a figure or image. This helps create an image
with which people can identify the nation. It was in the twentieth
century, with the growth of nationalism, that the identity of India
came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata. The
image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In the
1870s he wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ as a hymn to the motherland.
Later it was included in his novel Anandamath and widely sung during
the Swadeshi movement in Bengal.
what did abanindranath do
Moved by the Swadeshi
movement, Abanindranath Tagore painted his famous image of
Bharat Mata (see Fig. 12). In this painting Bharat Mata is portrayed
as an ascetic figure; she is calm, composed, divine and spiritual.
In subsequent years, the image of Bharat Mata acquired many
different forms, as it circulated in popular prints, and was painted
by different artists (see Fig. 14). Devotion to this mother figure came
to be seen as evidence of one’s nationalism.
why is folklore also significant wrt nationalism
Ideas of nationalism also developed through a movement to revive
Indian folklore. In late-nineteenth-century India, nationalists began
recording folk tales sung by bards and they toured villages to gather
folk songs and legends. These tales, they believed, gave a true picture
of traditional culture that had been corrupted and damaged by
outside forces. It was essential to preserve this folk tradition in
order to discover one’s national identity and restore a sense of pride
in one’s past.
who were some prominent people who contributed to preserving folklore
In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore himself began collecting
ballads, nursery rhymes and myths, and led the movement for folk revival. In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a massive four-volume
collection of Tamil folk tales, The Folklore of Southern India. He believed
that folklore was national literature; it was ‘the most trustworthy
manifestation of people’s real thoughts and characteristics’.
describe the flag history of india
As the national movement developed, nationalist leaders became
more and more aware of such icons and symbols in unifying people
and inspiring in them a feeling of nationalism. During the Swadeshi
movement in Bengal, a tricolour flag (red, green and yellow) was
designed. It had eight lotuses representing eight provinces of British
India, and a crescent moon, representing Hindus and Muslims. By
1921, Gandhiji had designed the Swaraj flag. It was again a tricolour
(red, green and white) and had a spinning wheel in the centre,
representing the Gandhian ideal of self-help. Carrying the flag,
holding it aloft, during marches became a symbol of defiance
what is reinterpretation of history? how did it help spread nationalism
Another means of creating a feeling of nationalism was through
reinterpretation of history. By the end of the nineteenth century
many Indians began feeling that to instill a sense of pride in the
nation, Indian history had to be thought about differently. The British
saw Indians as backward and primitive, incapable of governing
themselves. In response, Indians began looking into the past to
discover India’s great achievements. They wrote about the glorious
developments in ancient times when art and architecture, science
and mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy, crafts
and trade had flourished. This glorious time, in their view, was
followed by a history of decline, when India was colonised. These
nationalist histories urged the readers to take pride in India’s great
achievements in the past and struggle to change the miserable
conditions of life under British rule.
were these efforts of nationalism easy to achieve why
These efforts to unify people were not without problems. When the
past being glorified was Hindu, when the images celebrated were
drawn from Hindu iconography, then people of other communities
felt left out.
conclude the indian national movement
A growing anger against the colonial government was thus
bringing together various groups and classes of Indians into a
common struggle for freedom in the first half of the twentieth
century. The Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi
tried to channel people’s grievances into organised movements
for independence. Through such movements the nationalists
tried to forge a national unity. But as we have seen, diverse groups
and classes participated in these movements with varied aspirations
and expectations. As their
grievances were wide-ranging,
freedom from colonial rule also
meant different things to
different people. The Congress
continuously attempted to
resolve differences, and ensure
that the demands of one group
did not alienate another. This is
precisely why the unity within
the movement often broke down.
The high points of Congress
activity and nationalist unity
were followed by phases of
disunity and inner conflict
between groups.
In other words, what was emerging was a nation with many
voices wanting freedom from colonial rule.
what did vallabhai patel do in 1928
In 1928, Vallabhai Patel led the peasant movement in Bardoli- a taluka in Gujarat- against the enhancement of land revenue. Known as the Bardoli staygraha, this movement was a success under the leadership of Vallabhai Patel. This sturggle was widely publicised and gained immense sympathy in many parts of India.
