Major Changes Occurred In Indian Society

          SUBJECT: MAJOR CHANGES OCCURRED IN INDIAN SOCIETY

                                                                                                       Submitted by,
                                                                                                        SHIBINA.S
                                                                                                       1rst year B.Ed
                                                                                                       MALAYALAM
                                                                                                         FMTC
                                                                                                        










INDIAN SOCIETY BEFORE INDEPENDENCE



In ancient India, furing the Indo-Aryan days, the society was divided into four- the Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras. The caste system continued for a long period. The wheel of Indian society took a new turn with the advent of Buddhism. Buddha did not believe in caste system. Further, he wished to loosen the family ties. When the westerns came to India they did not take much interest in the social life of the Indians in the beginning. Their main concern was with spices and commerce rather than with people and their culture.

EDUCATION

The education of the Vedic period was carried on in the 'Gurukulams'. In other words, the teacher's home was the school. Under this system, influence of the home of the Guru was important. The Vedas became the content of education. During the Islamic period, the muslims were interested in the study of secular subjects like arithmetic. logic, science and philosophy.

                 The westerns used education as an instrument of social change. Initially, the East India Company think that it was its duty to impart education to Indians. It allowed the old system of education to continue.  Higher education was confined primarily to upper castes. Around the begining of the 19th century, the company became aware of the need for introducing western education in India. However, Christian missionaries, who were interested in spreading christianity through education had already established several educational institutions which were attached to their churches.
                    The Charter Act of 1813 directed the company to spenf one lakh rupees on the education of Indians. But even this meagre amount could not be utilised because of a raging debate over the medium of instruction. Tomas Macauly, the first law member in the Governor General's council, promoted the English language as a tool for education. The people in western thought and ideals ( Macaulay's Minute of 1835 ). In 1835, the government passed an Act declarinf that educational funds would be utilised for imparting western education through the medium of English.
                       In 1844, English became the official language and it was declared that people having knowledge of involving knowledge of English would be preffered for public employment. This helped the spread of english education in India. In 1854, Charles Wood, the president of the company's board of control, worked out a plan for educational  recorganisation. Through the Wood's Despatch the government declared its intention of "creating a properly articulated system of education from the primary school to the university."In  accordance with the Wood's Despatch, universities were established in  Calcutta, Bombay and Madras ( 1857).
                        Employing Englishmen at all levels of the administration was both expensive and difficult. Above all, the idea was to create a class which woul be "Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals, in intellect." Western education, however, influenced Indian society in a way that the British could never have imagined. Theories of philosophers like John Locke, Jeremy Bentham, Adam Smith Valtaire instilled in the Indian mind notions of freedom, liberty, equality and democracy.
                      William Jones founded the Asiatic Society. Jones himslf was a great scholar of  Sanskrit. He translated some Indian works like the "Manu Smriti". Charles Wilkins translated the "Bhagvad Gita" into English. India's rich and glorious history, as revealed by western scholars helped Indians to regain their lost pride and confidence and contributed to the development of nationalism.

SOCIAL CHANGES

                   India's contact with the west made educated Indians realise that socio-religious reform was a prerequisite for the all-round development of the country. Educated Indians like 'Raja Ram
Mohan Roy' worked systematically to eradicate social evils. A period of social reforms began in India during the time of Governor General "William Bentic" who was helped by Ram Mohan Roy. In 1829, 'sati' or the practice of burning a widow with her dead husband was made illegal or punishable by law. Female infanticide was banned.
                   Slavery was declared illegal. With " Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar's " assistance, the Widow Remarriage Act was passed by 'Dalhousie' in 1856. Vidyasagar also campaigned against child marriage anf polygamy. The cruel custom of offering little children as sacrifice, practised by certain tribes, was banned by 'Governor General Hardinge'. It is important to note that since the reform movement started in Bengal, its impact was first felt here. It took time to spread it all over India.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION

                 The means of transport in India at that time were bullock carts, camels and pack animals. Riverine transport by boats was also prevalent. Due to poor communication anbd slow transport, the volume of trade was restricted. The British rulers soon realised that a cheaper, faster and more efficient system of transport was neccessary if British manufactured goods were to flow into India on a large scale and raw materials were to be secured for British industries.

                      They introduced steamships on the rivers and set about improving roads. Important commercial centres and areas rich in raw materials were connected by a network of roads and canals. But the most dramatic improvement in transport came with introduction of the railways. The first railway line was the Red Hill Rail Road Line, Madras. It opened in 1837 and was used for the carriage of granite stone. While the first passenger railway line ran from Bombay to Thane in 1853. The same year Dalhousie opened the first telegraphic line from Calcutta to Agra and also introduced the postal service to India. In 1853, Dalhousie outlined and extensive programme of railway development. The interiors were to be linked with big ports and the ports were to be connected. By the end of 1869, over 4000 miles of railway track had been laid.

                         The improvement in communications eventually helped to foster a sense of unity among Indians. The introduction of the railways in particular helped to break down barriers of religion and caste. Postal system promoted an exchange of ideas among the people.

AGRICULTURE

                Indian agriculture began by 9000 BC as a result of early cultivation of plants, and somestication of crops and animals settled life soon followed with implements and techniques been developed for agriculture. In Vedic period, Indians repeated references to agricultural developments and practices, including iron implements; the cultivation of cereals, fruits and vegetables; the use of meat and milk and animal husbandry. Indian agricultural production increased under the Mughal Empire. A variety of crops were grown, including food crops such as wheat, rice and barley and non-food cash crops such as cotton, indigo and opium.

                Indian Commercial Crops- such as cotton, indigo, opium, wheat and rice-made in to the global market under the British Raj in India. Different kinds of commercial crops were introduced with different intentions. Indians were forced to produce indigo and sell it on the conditions dictated by the Britishers. Indigo was sent to England and used as a dyeing agent for cloth produced in British towns. The second half of the 19th century saw some increase in land unser cultivation and agricultural production expanded at an average rate of 1% per year by the interwar period (1918-1939) was dismal. From 1891 to 1946, the annual growth rate of all crops output was 0.4% and food-grain output was practically stagnant.

INDIAN ECONOMY

            Indian economy appears to have dependent significantly on trade. India had the larget and most advanced economy far most of the interval between the 17th century and 18th century. During the Mughal Empire, India was the world leader in manufacturing. The Indian economy was large and prospeous under the Mughal Empire into the early 18th century. In the 16th century, India's GDP was estimated at about 25.1% of the world total. Akbar introduced a new land revenue system called Zabt. He replaced the tribute system with a monetary tax system based on a uniform currency.
           During the British India period 1780-1860 India changed from an exporter of processed goods paid for in bullion to an exporter of raw materials and a buyer of manufactured goods. During this period, the East India Company began tax administration reforms in a fast expending empire spread over 250 million acres. Colonization forced the large Indian market to open to British goods, which could be sold in India without tariffs or duties, compared to heavily-taxed local Indian producers.

REFERENCES 

Way to Success -  Prof. (Dr.) A. Antony
History of India -  N. Jayapalan