Category Civics

 Jayaprakash Narayan or JP as he was lovingly called was a disciple of Gandhiji, a political leader and social reformer.

Narayan became secretary of the Congress party when Nehru was its leader. When all the other party leaders were arrested, Narayan carried on the struggle against the British. He was one of the frontrunners of the Quit India Movement.

During World War II, Narayan became a national hero by leading violent opposition to the British. He engineered strikes, train wrecks, and riots. Jayaprakash Narayan met Ram Manohar Lohia, Minoo Masani, Ashok Mehta, and other national leaders when he was put behind bars in 1932 because of the civil disobedience movement.

After JP came out of jail, he along with others established the Congress Socialist Party. JP was repeatedly jailed by the British during the freedom struggle, and his escapes and heroic activities captured the public’s imagination. 

Between 1916 and 1918, prominent Indian leaders and patriots decided to organize a national alliance of leagues across India, specifically to demand home rule.

The Home Rule Movement was aimed at bringing about self-government for India in the British Empire, as well to work towards national education, and political reforms.

Continue reading “What was the Home Rule Movement?”

  Though the partition of Bengal was in 1905, the partition proposals had been in the public eye as early as 1903.

 The strong sense of unity among Bengalis, as well as the cultural development of 19th century, and the spread of western education all gave birth to a vehement resistance to the idea of dividing Bengal.

 The Swadeshi Movement had its roots in this anti-partition movement. Its chief architects were Aurobindo Ghosh, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Lala Lajpat Rai.

 The Swadeshi Movement began as an economic boycott of all foreign goods and the promotion of domestic production and manufacturing processes. Later on, the economic boycott receded into background with the passage of time, and it developed into an idea of non-cooperation with the British in every field. 

In 1905, Lord Curzon, the British Viceroy decided that Bengal should be partitioned into two. Though the British claimed that this drastic step was taken for administrative purposes, the real motive was to curb the growth of nationalism in Bengal.

 The Bengalis believed that the British wanted to drive a wedge between the Bengali speaking Hindus and Muslims. They accused the British of trying to destroy the solidarity of the Bengali people. The partition of Bengal raised a great political storm in India. Grounds were prepared for a country-wide agitation.

The Indian National Congress and the nationalists of Bengal firmly opposed it. The partition led to a widespread agitation which assumed the shape of a national movement. This movement became famous in history as the Swadeshi Movement.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale was instrumental in setting India on the path to freedom. 

Gopal Krishna Gokhale was widely respected because of his knowledge and intellect. He was, in fact, considered to be the political guru of the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

Gokhale was one of the first Indians who completed graduation. Higher education made him understand the importance of liberty, democracy, and parliamentary system.

One of the founders of the Indian independence movement, he was a social reformer who constantly raised his voice against the policies of the British government. His efforts ensured that Indians had access to seats of the highest authority within the government.

He was a writer, and through his articles he tried to awaken our pride in our motherland and the hunger for liberty. Gopal Krishna Gokhale was instrumental in setting India on the path to freedom. 

 The names Lal, Bal and Pal refer to three great patriots, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal. They led the movement for Indian independence in the early 20th century, and launched the Swadeshi Movement. The three leaders changed the political discourse of the Independence movement.

This movement called for a boycott of all foreign goods and the use of only Indian goods. The three patriots organized demonstrations and strikes against the British.

Continue reading “Who were the patriots referred to as Lal, Bal and Pal?”

Eleven hundred kilometres south of Singapore lies Christmas Island which was under the control of the British in 1942. Britain maintained a small force that employed Indian soldiers on the island.

 From the beginning of World War II, Christmas Island was a target for Japanese occupation, because of its rich deposits of phosphates. During the night of 11th March 1942, a mutiny of the Indian troops, abetted by Sikh policemen, led to the murder of the five British soldiers and the imprisonment of the remaining Europeans on the island. This was known as the Christmas Island Mutiny.

Soon after, Japanese bombers launched an attack on the island, and a Japanese fleet, including cruiser Naka arrived. Because of the mutiny by Indian soldiers, Japanese troops were able to occupy Christmas Island without any resistance.

The mutiny did play a role in hastening Britain’s decision to withdraw from India, and give India its independence. 

Bal Gangadhar Tilak joined the other freedom fighters in their struggle for independence. He was the first Indian nationalist to embrace Swaraj or freedom from British rule, as the destiny of the nation.

Tilak sparked the spirit of freedom among the people through his two weekly newspapers. In 1905, he called for a boycott of British goods, and started a campaign of passive resistance to British rule aimed at preparing the people for independence. He was arrested and imprisoned, and soon acquired the status of a hero among the masses.

It was Tilak who raised the famous slogan, `Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it…’ words that continue to inspire Indians to this very day.

The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. It was the result of the effort of a number of educated Indians who were highly discontented with the exploitative nature of the British rule. In the beginning, its objective was to get a bigger share in government for enlightened Indians.

 Inspired by A.O. Hume, a retired British civil servant, seventy three delegates met in Bombay for the first time. The first president of the Indian National Congress, or INC, was W. C. Banerjee. As time passed, the nature of the INC changed, and it became very active in the movement for Indian independence.

 After independence, the Congress, which was till then a national movement, became a political party. 

   Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a great social reformer, and one of the architects of modern India. He was a staunch supporter of the theory of oneness of God, and he was totally against caste rigidity, polygamy, sati, and superstitions.

 In order to give practical shape to his ideals, and to take them to the people, he founded Brahmo Samaj. Raja Ram Mohan Roy had a profound influence in the fields of politics, public administration, and education as well as religion.

 He forced the British government to provide equality to the people of India in getting appointments in the administration, and in the army.

 He also made some serious efforts to free the print media from the control of the government, and to uphold freedom of thought. All these reforms helped the leaders of the national movement to march forward on the path to independence.