Glimpses of the Past

Lesson-3

Glimpses of the Past

 

By S.D. Sawant

 

Glimpses of the Past Introduction

 

The lesson provides a concise and detailed account of events that occurred in our country between 1757 and 1857. It includes incidents that sparked widespread revolts during the First War of Independence. It shows how the British East India Company expanded its power in India and exploited Indians, how they robbed landlords and farmers of their land, ended up causing famines, and pushed patriots to carry out widespread massacres.

 

Glimpses of the Past Summary

 

The chapter begins with events that occurred in the year 1757. The British were in a strong position in India at the time. They possessed superior weapons and ammunition, as well as financial resources. The Indian states and princes, on the other hand, were short-sighted and preoccupied with fighting each other. They lacked unity. They also frequently sought British assistance, which the East India Company took full advantage of. The British used the 'Divide and Rule' policy to subdue the Princes. Some people supported the British, while others did not. Tipu Sultan of Mysore, on the other hand, fought alongside the British. Unfortunately, he died during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799.

The chapter goes on to describe the social fabric from 1765 to 1836 in greater detail. Religious leaders preached evil social practises such as untouchability, child marriages, Sati pratha, and so on. The British mocked the Indians, and as a result, the Indians lost their self-respect. Farmers were heavily taxed by the British. They also cut the expert artisans' thumbs. Imports from England, on the other hand, were tax-free. Thus, the primary goal of the British was to maximise profit and wealth at any cost.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy began his efforts to reform Indian society between 1772 and 1833. He founded the Brahmo Samaj for this purpose. He spread the concept that the fundamental teachings and principles of all religions are the same. He also started newspapers in India. He was opposed to bad practises like Sati pratha, polygamy, child marriages, and the caste system. He was played vital role in the abolition of Sati pratha.

The British passed The Third Regulation Act in 1818. It states that an Indian can be imprisoned even without a court trial. This was a period of Indian oppression. British exports were worth seven crore rupees by 1829. While Indian industries were collapsing, the British were flourishing. As if this wasn't enough, the British decided to train clerks to run the administration. Thus, in 1835, Lord Macaulay proposed that English be used as the medium of instruction. This education policy also produced intellectuals who recognised the evils of the British Raj and educated their fellow Indians.

India had become a fully controlled British colony by 1856. As the suppression reached its peak, revolts erupted. The Santhals rebelled against the British and killed their servants in 1855. The first Sepoy Mutiny began in 1857 with the execution of Mangal Pandey. The sepoys marched towards Delhi, shouting pro-Bahadur Shah Zafar slogans. This movement was also supported by landlords. People distributed chapattis with the message that their native ruler requires their assistance. A lotus flower was also distributed to the Indian soldiers. Many rulers joined the revolt, including Hazrat Mahal of Lucknow, Maulvi Ahmadullah of Faizabad, Tatya Tope and Peshwa Nana Saheb of the Maratha empire, and Kunwar Singh of Bihar. This marked the beginning of the Indian freedom struggle.

 

Glimpses of the Past Lesson

Explanationn

 

1. The Martyrs

 

The scene depicts a function that took place in Delhi. "Ae mere watan ke logon" by Lata Mangeshkar can be heard. Indira Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and Lal Bahadur Shastri can also be seen with her.

 

2. The Company’s conquests (1757-1849)

 

  • Conquests- the subjugation and assumption of control of a place or people by military force; conquering
  • Short-sighted- lacking imagination or foresight
  • Superior- higher in quality
  • Subdue- overcome or bring under control; conquer
  • Dethroned- remove (a monarch) from power

 

The year 1757 is remembered as a pivotal year in Indian history. The Company Rule, also known as the Company Raj, was the British East India Company's rule over parts of the Indian Subcontinent. The East India Company was a stockholder-owned private company that reported to the administration in London. The company came to India and established a few factories in various places. The company's beginnings on Coastal India, however, provided no indication of what would become of a long presence on the Indian Subcontinent.

They gradually began to expand and extend their dominance in India. One of the reasons they were able to do so was due to superior weapons. Second, they took advantage of the current state of disarray among Indian rulers. The Indian princes were at odds with one another. However, Indian princes were "short-sighted," which means they only considered immediate benefits while ignoring long-term consequences. As a result, they sought assistance from English merchants in order to defeat their adversaries. This aided the British East India Company in seizing control from the Indian rulers. The British implemented the "Divide and Rule" strategy.

Among all the short-sighted Indian rulers, Tipu Sultan of Mysore understood their policy and fought against them until his death. The Indians, on the other hand, had a variety of reactions and opinions. The first group of people were overjoyed with the British and grateful because they believed peace could be restored. They believed it put an end to thugs' looting and war. People, on the other hand, saw what was going on. They knew that even if some of the princes were cruel, they belonged to their country. They had realised they were now Englishmen's slaves.

 

3. British Rule (1765- 1836)

 

  • Preached- publicly proclaim or teach
  • Untouchability- the practice of ostracising (excluding) a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate (now outlawed in India)
  • Child marriage- marriage of a girl or boy before the age of 18
  • Scorned- feel or express contempt or disdain for
  • Merchants- a person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially one dealing with foreign countries or supplying goods to a particular trade
  • Arrears- money that is owed and should have been paid earlier
  • Inevitably- as is certain to happen; unavoidably
  • Famines- extreme scarcity of food
  • Cripple- cause (someone) to become unable to walk or move properly

 

These years saw the rise of widespread myths and taboos such as untouchability, child marriage, women's inferiority, and so on. Our own religious leaders taught everyone the concept of untouchability. Untouchability is the practise of isolating (excluding) a minority group from the mainstream through social custom or legal mandate (now outlawed in India). They were not allowed to approach those who thought themselves superior, they were not allowed in temples, and the list of how they were discriminated against and denied basic rights goes on. Religious leaders even preached that those who "cross the seas" will no longer be considered members of their religion. Women were considered to be the root cause of many problems, such as poverty and other ills. This is why teenage girls were forced to marry, resulting in Child Marriage (now outlawed in India). These practises were not only carried out, but also promoted.

The British began to look down on Indians and began brainwashing the rulers against them. They alleged that Indians were untrustworthy and "incapable of honesty." This was a method of enslaving the natives and gaining control over them. Not only that, but in their greed for quick profits, British merchants levied heavy taxes on poor farmers. As a result, the farmers were forced to give up their properties. If that wasn't enough, they threatened the farmers with imprisonment if they didn't pay their arrears. They were constantly looking for new ways to exploit people and make money. For example, goods manufactured in England were imported into India with no import duty levied. The produce from England was sold at high prices, whereas the produce from India was taken away at much lower prices, increasing farmers' poverty and misery. Not only that, but the British East India Company's policies destroyed Indian industries. Individual artisans and small businesses were destroyed. All of this resulted in famines or extreme food scarcity. Between 1822 and 1836, approximately fifteen lakh Indians died of starvation.

 

4. Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833)

 

  • Learned man- a person great and varied learning
  • Despise- feel contempt or a deep repugnance for
  • Reform- make changes in something in order to improve it
  • Superstitions- a widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, especially as leading to good or bad luck, or a practice based on such relief
  • Outstretched- extend Gripping – (here) holding
  • Cello- a musical instrument like a large violin

 

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a well-educated Bengali man. He was among the first to recognise that something was wrong with our country. He believed that Indians should not consider themselves inferior or look down on themselves. He believed that our ancient culture was magnificent and that the people were destined for greater accomplishments. The first step, he said, was to change society by rejecting prevalent superstitions. It was the source of all problems.

During a conversation with his wife, he once said, "Cows are different colours, but their milk is the same colour." This means that while different teachers may hold opposing views, the essence of each religion remains the same. He was fascinated by science and modern knowledge. Knowledge, he believes, should be both practical and scientific. He even published newspapers, which the British banned in 1823 due to suspicion. He was curious about what made the British so powerful, so he crossed the seas and went to England. There, he is known to tell British citizens that "we" as a nation, accept their rule. He went on to say that they must accept Indians as subjects while also remembering their responsibility and duty to their subjects. Raja Ram Mohan Roy is well-known for his efforts to end Sati and child marriage.

 

5. Oppression (1765- 1835)

 

  • Oppression- prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority
  • Prosper- succeed in material terms; be financially successful

 

The British kept coming up with new ways to inflict misery and suffering on Indians. For example, they passed unfair regulations that favoured them, such as Regulation III in 1818, which allowed an Indian to be imprisoned without a proper trial in court. As they continued to suppress Indians, they created a variety of favourable circumstances in order to elevate their officers. The British officers received large salaries and could supplement their income through their private businesses.

The Britishers were exporting massive amounts of goods from their country. They were importing goods worth seven crore rupees to India by 1829. As a result, the British became increasingly wealthy, leaving the Indian industries in the dust. To highlight the plights and misery of traditional cotton weavers in India, Governor-General Bentink conveyed to Britain that "the bones of cotton weavers are bleaching the plains of India." This means that the cotton weavers were forced to starve as a result of the British cotton mills. They produced much cheaper cloth with the help of machines, resulting in the extinction of traditional Indian handicrafts.

 

6. Dissatisfaction (1835-56)

 

  • Clerk- Clerks perform a variety of clerical and administrative duties such as answering the telephone, typing documents, filing, and liaising with clients
  • Petty- of secondary or lesser importance, rank or scale
  • Incidentally- used to add a further comment or a remark; by the way
  • Intellectuals- a person possessing a highly developed intellect
  • Grievances- a real or imagined cause for complaint, especially unfair treatment

 

 

All of the teachings were in Persian and Sanskrit back then. So, in 1835, a British officer named Macaulay proposed that they translate everything into English so that education could be delivered in their language. They did so in order to produce clerks to perform unimportant clerical and administrative tasks such as answering the phone, typing documents, filing, and liaising with clients. In the process, they created a whole new generation of masterminds who wanted to help their brothers by educating them.

They desired to improve their financial prospects, which could lead to a bright future. However, they needed to communicate this to the British Parliament. The British, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the Indian people's needs. Indians had grown increasingly concerned by this point. Their Kings were now being treated as if they were puppets. They had lost their previous jobs as well as their land. Some of them were pressured into changing their religion by British citizens. The Indians had had enough of talking and wanted to do something. By 1856, the British had conquered all of India.

 

7. The Sparks (1855- 57)

 

  • Peasants- a poor smallholder or agricultural labourer of low social status
  • Santhals- a member of a large indigenous group living mainly in eastern India
  • Rebellion- an act of armed resistance to an established government or leader
  • Massacred- deliberately and brutally kill (many people)
  • Discontent- dissatisfaction with one’s circumstances
  • Brewing- something is about to happen and something is being prepared
  • Angrez- Englishman
  • Sepoys- an Indian soldier serving under British or other European orders
  • Revolted- take violent action against an established government or ruler
  • Adjutant- a military officer who acts as an administrative assistant to a senior officer
  • Pittance- a very small or inadequate amount of money

 

The peasants' financial problem is worsened by the ever-increasing taxes levied on them. After losing their land to the Britishers under the new land rules, the Bengali Santhals became disheartened and hopeless. They launched a rebellion in 1855 and massacred all Europeans and supporters. People working for the East India Company were also dissatisfied. The fact that they gave Englishmen good pay, mansions, and other benefits while giving Indians only inadequate pay and slow promotions aggravated Indians even more. They were offended that the British urged them to leave their homeland, cross the sea, and work for them, which was even against their religion. They were motivated to drive out the British. Mangal Pande, an Indian soldier serving under British or European orders, even attacked the adjutant of his regiment but was later executed. Thousands of other Sepoys, including Mangal Pande, took violent action against the British but were only stripped of their uniforms, making the Sepoys feel humiliated.

Some Englishmen even began to understand how Indians thought, how their minds functioned, and their customs. They told the Brahmin soldiers that the bullet they were supposed to bite was coated in grease made of cow and pig fat. Following that, chapatis were delivered to every home in every village, informing them that their services might be required to fight the Englishmen. Everyone agreed. The Indian soldiers were given lotus flowers. The nation stood against them, with the masses' support in the form of shelter and other assistance to patriots.

 

8. Revolt (1857)

 

  • Sore- upset and angry

 

The desire to free the British nation grew stronger. Meerut was also the site of a violent outbreak. The Sepoys marched to Delhi to support their Emperors, such as Bahadur Shah. The revolt spread and grew in size. They even received backing from landlords who had also lost land due to the new land rules. People were enraged and desired to fight the British.

 

9. The Fight for Freedom (1857)

 

  • Upsurge- an upward surge in the strength or quantity of something; an increase
  • Pitched battle- a violent confrontation involving large numbers of people

 

Many former rulers were also enraged that the English had taken control of their kingdoms. Leaders such as Maulvi Ahmedulla of Faridabad inspired people to rid the country of all Englishmen. People in Bareilly, Kanpur, and Allahabad also stood up. Former rulers such as Begum Hazrat Mahal of Lucknow joined them because the British had taken her kingdom, thereby strengthening their power.

The entire North Indian population grouped together to fight a pitched battle against the British. In light of this, Azimulla Khan suggested to Tatya Tope that they should have Peshwa Nana Saheb lead them in their war of independence against the English. During this uprising against the British, eight-year-old Kunwar Singh of Bihar was shot in the wrist and dedicated the wound to Mother Ganga as an offering.

 

About the Author

 

 

Shivaji Sawant (31 August 1940 – 18 September 2002) was a Marathi novelist from India. He is known as Mrityunjaykaar (Mrityunjay's Maker) for writing the well-known Marathi novel Mrityunjay. In 1994, he was the first Marathi writer to receive the Moortidevi Award. He based his novel Mrityunjay (English: Triumph Over Death) on Karna, one of the epic Mahabharat's main characters. This book received numerous awards and accolades after being translated into Hindi (1974), English (1989), Kannada (1990), Gujarati (1991), and Malayalam (1995). His novel Chhava, published in 1980, is based on Sambhaji's life. Since 1995, he has served as the vice-president of the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad. In 1983, he was the president of the Baroda Sahitya Sammelan.

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