Category Civics

 The colonial period in India set off an explosion of poetry, both in English and the regional languages. The poems were revolutionary, and brimming with nationalism.

 In the North, the poetry of Ajit Singh, Nandal Noorpoori, and others inspired mass movements and revolutionary activities.

From Bengal, two immortal songs- Vande mataram by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Rabindranath Tagore’s Jana Gana Mana- are just some of the works that stir our hearts and souls to this very day.

In the South, Subramania Bharati’s first collection of poems was titled ‘Songs of Freedom’ and his words consolidated the spirit of devotion and patriotism, struggle and sacrifice. The poetry of Wajid Ali Shah in Lucknow and Ghalib and Bahadur Shah Zafar in Delhi, along with many others, all lyrically ushered in the dawn of freedom.

Rabindranath Tagore was a scholar, freedom fighter, writer and painter, but above all, he was a patriot. He wrote poems, songs, and stories about different aspects of India’s culture and society.

Tagore had a profound influence on Bengali literature and music and he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his collection of poems titled ‘Gitanjali’. He wrote both in Bengali and English, and his works proved to be path breaking and revolutionary.

 The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre filled him with such anguish that he returned the knighthood that the British Government had bestowed upon him. Two of his poems have become the national anthems of two countries- India and Bangladesh-while many others are so charged with emotion and patriotism, that they inspire millions to this very day. 

 Subramania Bharati is considered to be one of the greatest Tamil poets. Most of his works were on religious, political, and social themes.

 The Partition of Bengal on 28th September 1905 brought Bharati, like many others, more actively in the public and political life through movements of boycott and Swadeshi.

 He attended the Congress session at Benares in 1905, with Gokhale as President, and also the next session at Calcutta, with Dadabhai as President. He became a champion of women’s rights and welfare and wrote ‘Nations are made of homes. And so long as you do not have justice and equality fully practiced at home; you cannot expect to see them practiced in your public life’.

 Bharati believed in equal freedom for all without distinction of caste, class, and creed, as is evident in his poetry. In fact, for Bharati, poetry was life, and his life was poetry. 

Muhammad lqbal was a great poet, and philosopher. He is commonly referred to as Allama lqbal.

Iqbal attacked both Hindu and Muslim fanaticism, ridiculed orthodox mullahs and pandits, and exhorted not only Indians but Asians against western imperialism. Iqbal’s vision of an independent state for the Muslims of British India was to inspire the creation of Pakistan.

Iqbal will always be remembered for his most famous poem – ‘Sare Jahaan Se Achha’. This poem became a symbol of resistance to the English rule of British-occupied India.

 It is one of the enduring patriotic poems in the Urdu language. The lyrics are so simple, elegant, rhythmic, and beautiful.

The musical composition is so melodious that lqbal’s ‘Sare Jahaan Se Achha’ moves and inspires everyone who hears it. 

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, a great Bengali novelist, poet, and nationalist of the 19th century, had the exceptional gift of being able to communicate with, and arouse the masses.

A nationalist to the core, his goal was to revive national pride and by doing so, to fight for freedom from the British.

 In 1882, he published a novel Anandamath that became his most famous, as well as his most political novel. It proved to be a source of inspiration for patriots fighting to throw off the yoke of British rule, and the chant of Vande Mataram was coined from this book.

Continue reading “What is Bankim Chandra Chatterjee most famous for?”

Known as the ‘Nightingale of India’, Sarojini Naidu was a distinguished poet and renowned freedom fighter. She joined the Indian national movement in the wake of the Bengal Partition in 1905.

 During the freedom struggle, she became a follower of Gandhiji, and devoted herself to emancipation of women, education, Hindu-Muslim unity, and other patriotic and social causes.

Continue reading “What was the role of the poet Sarojini Naidu in the freedom struggle?”

Vallathol Narayana Menon is one of the greatest poets of Kerala, who was also a nationalist and patriot. He participated in India’s freedom struggle, and reawakened our pride in our national heritage and identity.

A follower of Gandhiji, he was a participant of many national movements. Vallathol, as he was lovingly called, attended the All India Conferences of the Indian Congress in 1922 and 1927. His beautiful verses urged the masses to hold aloft the torch of freedom.

 Vallathol’s songs in praise of his country also depicted her suffering under the British rule, and awakened millions of Indians to the glory of their motherland.

He also wrote against caste restriction, tyrannies and orthodoxies.

Through him, Kerala’s voice could be heard loud and clear during the protests against the British.

 India awoke to freedom on 15th August, 1947. The journey to freedom was one filled with sacrifice and suffering, but the people of India never lost heart. Whenever their steps faltered, their leaders were there to urge them on by example, and with stirring slogans.

The most famous of these was ‘Jai Hind’ which was first used by Subhash Chandra Bose. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s ‘Vande Mataram’ was also a war cry for the freedom fighters. ‘Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it,’ said Lokamanya Tilak.

Continue reading “What are some of the slogans of the freedom movement?”