Rabindranath Tagore's biography - Rabindranath Tagore's family background and Life and events of Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore FRAS (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941), also known by his pseudonym Bhanusimha (Sun Lion), was a Bengali polymath (poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter) of the Bengal Renaissance period. In 1913, Tagore became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in any category, and the first lyricist and non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. A key figure in shaping culture on the Indian subcontinent, he wrote and composed the national anthems of India and Bangladesh.

He reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art, with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the author of the "extremely sensitive, fresh, and beautiful" poetry of Gitanjali. Tagore's poetic lyrics were considered spiritual and passionate; his beautiful handwriting and magical poetry were immensely popular throughout the Indian subcontinent. He was a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Known as the "Poet of Bengal," Tagore was known by the nicknames Gurudev, Kobiguru, and Biswakobi.

A Bengali Brahmin from Calcutta, whose ancestors were from the Jessore and Bardhaman districts, Tagore began writing poetry at the age of eight. At sixteen, he published his first major poems under the pen name Bhanusinha ("Sun Lion"), which literary scholars consider long-lost classics. By 1877, he had graduated, having written his first short stories and plays, which were published under his real name. As a humanist, universalist, internationalist, and staunch critic of nationalism, he criticized the British Raj and advocated independence from Britain. His legacy has also been maintained by the establishment of Visva-Bharati University.

Tagore modernized Bengali art by abandoning strict classical methods and breaking the restrictions of language. His novels, stories, songs, dance dramas, and essays addressed political and personal topics. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair Face), and Ghare-Baire (Home and the World) are his most famous works. His poetry, short stories, and novels have been both praised and criticized for their colloquial style, colloquial tone, naturalism, and philosophical thinking. Two countries have chosen his compositions as national anthems: India's "Jana Gana Mana" and Bangladesh's "Amar Sonar Bangla." Sri Lanka's national anthem was also inspired by his work. His song "Banglar Mati Banglar Jol" has been made the state anthem of West Bengal.

Rabindranath Tagore's family background

The name Tagore is a transliteration of Thakur into English. Tagore's original surname was Kushari. He was a Pirali Brahmin ('Pirali' was once considered vulgar and offensive; a slur used to distinguish Piralis from other Brahmin sub-castes) who originally hailed from a village called Kusha in the Burdwan district of West Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore's biographer, Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay, wrote in the first volume of his book, Rabindrajibani O Rabindra Sahitya Prabhasak, that

The Kusharis were descendants of Din Kushari, son of Bhatta Narayan; Din was granted a village called Kushari (in the Burdwan district) by Maharaja Kshitisura, who became its headman and became known as Kushari.

Life and events of Rabindranath Tagore

Early life: 1861-1878

The youngest of 13 surviving children, Tagore (nicknamed "Rabi") was born on 7 May 1861 at the Jorasanko mansion in Calcutta. He was the son of Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905) and Sarada Devi (1830-1875).

Tagore was raised largely by servants; his mother died when he was a child, and his father traveled extensively. The Tagore family was at the forefront of Bengal's modern times. They hosted the publication of literary magazines; there were regular theater and song shows, both Bengali and Western classical music. Tagore's father invited several professional Dhrupad musicians to live at home and teach Indian classical music to the children. Tagore's eldest brother, Dwijendranath, was a philosopher and poet. Another brother, Satyendranath, was the first Indian to be appointed to the elite and all-European Indian Civil Service. Another brother, Jyotirindranath, was a musician, composer, and playwright. His sister, Swarnakumari, became a novelist. Jyotirindranath's wife, Kadambari Devi, slightly older than Tagore, was a dear friend and a highly influential figure. Her sudden suicide in 1884, shortly after their marriage, deeply troubled him for many years.

Tagore mostly avoided classroom studies, preferring to travel around the estate or nearby Bolpur and Panihati, where the family had moved. His brother, Hemendranath, tutored and physically trained him—taking him swimming in the Ganges or trekking in the hills, engaging him in gymnastics, and practicing judo and wrestling. He learned drawing, anatomy, geography and history, literature, mathematics, Sanskrit, and English—his least favorite subjects. Tagore hated formal education—his studies at the local Presidency College lasted only one day. Years later, he believed that proper education does not lead to understanding; proper education fosters curiosity.

Following his Upanayana ceremony at the age of eleven, Tagore and his father set out from Calcutta in February 1873 on a several-month tour of India. Before arriving at the Himalayan hill station of Dalhousie, they visited his father's Shantiniketan estate and Amritsar. There, Tagore read biographies, studied history, astronomy, modern science, and Sanskrit, and thoroughly enjoyed the classical poems of Kalidasa. During his month-long stay in Amritsar in 1873, he was deeply moved by the melodious Gurbani and Nanak Bani sung at the Golden Temple, which both father and son visited regularly. He writes in his book, "My Reminiscences" (1912):

The Golden Temple of Amritsar seems like a dream to me. Many mornings I have gone with my father to this Sikh Gurdwara, situated in the middle of the lake. Sacred chants resonate continuously there. My father, sitting among the crowd of worshippers, would sometimes join in the bhajans, and he would be delighted when a stranger joined in his devotion, and we would return laden with sacred offerings of sugar crystals and other sweets. He wrote six poems about Sikhism and several articles about Sikhism in Bengali children's magazines.

Tagore returned to Jorosanko and by 1877 had completed several major works, one of which was a long poem written in the Maithili style by Vidyapati. Jokingly, he claimed these were lost works of the newly discovered 17th-century Vaishnava poet Bhanusinha. Those familiar with the area assumed they were the lost works of some fabricated poet. He began writing short stories in Bengali, starting with "Bhikharini" ("Beggar Woman"). Sandhya Sangeet (1882), published the same year, included the poem "Nirjharer Swapnabhanga" ("Awakening of the Waterfall").

Shantiniketan: 1901–1932

In 1901, Tagore moved to Shantiniketan and opened an ashram that included a marble-floored prayer hall—a temple—an experimental school, groves of trees, gardens, and a library. His wife and two of his children died there. His father died in 1905. He inherited and received income from the Maharaja of Tripura, the sale of his family's jewelry, his seaside bungalow in Puri, and a monthly royalty of 2,000 rupees from his books. He found readers both in Bengali and abroad; he published Naivedya (1901) and Kheya (1906) and translated poems into free verse.

In 1912, Tagore translated his 1910 work, Gitanjali, into English. On a trip to London, he shared these poems with admirers such as William Butler Yeats and Ezra Pound. The India Society of London published a limited edition of the work, and the American magazine Poetry published selected poems from Gitanjali. In November 1913, Tagore learned that he had received that year's Nobel Prize in Literature: the Swedish Academy praised the idealistic – and accessible to Westerners – nature of a small portion of his translated material, the focus of which was Gitanjali: Song Offerings of 1912. He was awarded a knighthood by King George V in the 1915 Birthday Honours, but Tagore renounced it after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. Renouncing his knighthood, Tagore wrote in a letter to Lord Chelmsford, the then British Viceroy of India, "The extraordinary severity of the punishments inflicted on the unfortunates, and the methods of carrying them out, are, we are convinced, unparalleled in the history of civilized governments... The time has come when badges of honor will more clearly illuminate our shame in the strange context of our dishonor, and I, for my part, wish to stand with my countrymen, free from all distinctions."

In 1919, he was invited by Syed Abdul Majid, President and Chairman of the Anjuman-e-Islamia, to visit Sylhet for the first time. The event attracted over 5,000 people.

In 1921, Tagore and agricultural economist Leonard Elmhirst started the "Institute for Rural Reconstruction" in Surul, a village near the ashram, later renamed Sriniketan, or "Home of Welfare." With this, Tagore sought to mitigate Gandhi's opposition to Swaraj, which he sometimes blamed for British India's perceived mental—and thus ultimately colonial—decline. He sought help from donors, officials, and scholars worldwide to "liberate the villages from the shackles of helplessness and ignorance" by "reawakening knowledge." In the early 1930s, he targeted the prevailing "abnormal caste consciousness" and untouchability. He lectured against these issues, wrote Dalit heroes for his poems and plays, and campaigned—successfully—to open the Guruvayur temple to Dalits.

 

Cabinet Mission to India 1946 | Background of the Cabinet Mission, Cabinet Mission Plan, Reaction to the Cabinet Mission.

 

On March 24, 1946, a mission of three British cabinet members arrived in British India. The mission's purpose was to discuss the transfer of power from the British government to the Indian political leadership. Its objective was to maintain India's unity and grant it independence. Formed at the initiative of Prime Minister Clement Attlee, the mission consisted of three cabinet ministers: Lord Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State for India), Sir Stafford Cripps (President of the Board of Trade), and A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty). The Viceroy of India, Lord Wavell, participated in some discussions.

The Cabinet Mission Plan formulated by the group proposed a three-tier administrative structure for British India, with a federal union at the top, individual provinces at the bottom, and groups of provinces at the intermediate levels. Three groups were proposed for Northwest India, East India, and the rest of India, designated Groups A, B, and C.

The Cabinet Mission's plan failed due to a lack of trust between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, and the British government appointed a new Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, to replace Lord Wavell with a new solution.

Background of the Cabinet Mission

Towards the end of their rule, the British realized that their short-term support for the Muslim League was contrary to their long-standing need for Indian unity. The desire for a united India stemmed from both their pride in the subcontinent's political unity and the skepticism of most British officials about the possibility of Pakistan's formation. The desire for Indian unity was also reflected in the Cabinet Mission, which arrived in New Delhi on March 24, 1946. Sent by the British government, the mission's focus was on building a post-independence India. Three members of the mission, A. V. Alexander, Stafford Cripps, and Pethick-Lawrence, favored Indian unity for strategic reasons. Wavell nicknamed these three cabinet members "The Magi."

Upon reaching the subcontinent, the mission found that both parties, the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, were more unwilling to compromise than ever before. Both parties performed well in the general and state elections, emerging as the two main parties in the subcontinent, while the separate electorates system eroded the state organization. The Muslim League won nearly 90 percent of the seats reserved for Muslims. Winning the elections gave Jinnah a strong bargaining chip with the British and Congress. Having established the separate electorates system, the British had to accept its consequences, even though a divided India was not in their favor.

Cabinet Mission Plan

After fruitless negotiations with the Indian leadership, the mission presented its proposals, finding that Congress opposed Jinnah's demand for a full Pakistan consisting of six provinces. The mission proposed a strict three-tier system for India: provinces, provincial groups, and the center. The center's power would be limited to foreign affairs, defense, currency, and communications. The provinces would retain all other powers and could form three groups. A key feature of the plan was the grouping of provinces. Two groups would be formed from the predominantly Muslim-majority western and eastern provinces. The third group would include the predominantly Hindu-majority areas of the south and center. Thus, provinces such as the United Provinces, Central Provinces and Berar, Bombay, Bihar, Orissa, and Madras would form Group A. Group B would include Sindh, Punjab, the Northwest Frontier, and Baluchistan. Bengal and Assam would form Group C. The princely states would retain all subjects and powers except those granted to the Union.

Reaction to the Cabinet Mission

Through this scheme, the British attempted to maintain India's unity, as both they and the Congress desired, and also provided Jinnah with the basis for Pakistan. These proposals effectively fulfilled Jinnah's insistence on a larger Pakistan, preventing the creation of North-East Pakistan without dividing the mostly non-Muslim districts of Bengal and Punjab. By merging the entire provinces of Punjab and Bengal, Jinnah could appease provincial leaders who feared losing power if their provinces were divided. The presence of large Hindu minorities in Punjab and Bengal also provided security to the remaining Muslim minorities in the predominantly Hindu provinces.

In a letter to Hatim Alvi, the mayor of Karachi, on June 10, 1946, Jinnah explained that approving the Cabinet Mission Plan was only the first step. Once Group B and Group C were formed in the North-West and North-East, nothing would prevent them from separating later. He insisted, "We can work on two decks, provincial and group, and hoist the topmast at any time." Above all, Jinnah wanted equality between Pakistan and India. He believed that state groups could best ensure this. He claimed that Muslim India was a "nation" that should receive equal central representation as Hindu India. Despite preferring only two groups, the Muslim League Council accepted the mission's proposals on June 6, 1946, after receiving a guarantee from Wavell that the League would be included in the interim government if Congress did not accept the proposals.

Congress also accepted these proposals, as they were seen as rejecting the demand for Pakistan. It believed that if its Constituent Assembly drafted a Group Constitution, each state should have one vote. Therefore, in Group B, Muslim-majority Bengal and Hindu-majority Assam would receive one vote each. However, the Muslim League interpreted this plan to mean that a state's influence in the Group Constituent Assembly would be based on its population. Another disagreement concerned Congress's stance that an independent Constituent Assembly would not be bound by the Plan. Jinnah insisted that it would become binding once the Plan was adopted. The Group Plan maintained India's unity, but the organization's leadership, especially Nehru, increasingly believed that the scheme would weaken the central government's ability to achieve the party's goals. The socialist section of the Congress, led by Nehru, wanted a government that could industrialize the country and eliminate poverty.

Furthermore, Nehru and Gandhi insisted that the Congress-dominated North-West Frontier Province be excluded from any Pakistani territory within the Federation, a point Jinnah disliked.

Nehru's speech on July 10, 1946, rejected the idea that the province would be forced to join any grouping and stated that Congress was neither bound nor committed to the plan. In effect, Nehru's speech destroyed the Mission Plan and its chance to keep India united. Jinnah considered this speech another example of Congress's betrayal. With Nehru's speech on grouping, the Muslim League withdrew its previous approval of the plan on July 29.

Interim Government and its fall

Wavell, worried by the decline of British power, was desperate to form an interim government. Ignoring Jinnah's vote, he approved a cabinet with Nehru as interim Prime Minister. Jinnah was distraught and frustrated by his "groups"' refusal to support Pakistan. To secure Pakistan and convince Congress that he could not be sidelined, he urged his supporters to use "Direct Action" to demonstrate their support for Pakistan, similar to Gandhi's Civil Disobedience Campaign. However, this led to religious riots and massacres in some areas. Direct Action Day further strengthened Wavell's resolve to form an interim government. Nehru's cabinet was formed on September 2, 1946.

Millions of Indian Muslim families hoisted black flags in protest against the formation of the Congress government. Jinnah himself did not join the interim government, but appointed Liaquat Ali Khan to a secondary role. Congress refused to give him the crucial post of Home Minister and instead offered him the position of Finance Minister. Liaquat Ali Khan angered the Congress by using his role to prevent Congress ministries from functioning. He, at Jinnah's behest, demonstrated the impossibility of a single government for India.

Britain attempted to revive the Cabinet Mission Plan in December. To do so, it sent Nehru, Jinnah, and Wavell to meet with Attlee, Cripps, and Pethick-Lawrence. Their convincing arguments were enough to persuade Nehru to return to India and declare, "We have now completely stopped looking to London." Meanwhile, Wavell initiated the Constituent Assembly, which the League boycotted. He had hoped the League would join because it had joined the Interim Government. Instead, the Congress became even more insistent, urging the removal of Muslim League ministers. Wavell was unable to obtain a declaration from the British government clearly stating its objectives.

On December 15, 1946, Mahatma Gandhi met with the leaders of the Assam Congress and urged them to refuse to join Group C in the Constituent Assembly. He further said, "If you don't act now and properly, Assam will be ruined. Tell Mr. Bardoloi that I am not at all worried. I have made up my mind. Assam must not lose its soul. It must be saved before the whole world... It is an absurd suggestion that Bengal should somehow dominate Assam." Therefore, he rejected the grouping plan in the Cabinet Mission Plan to prevent the Muslim League from taking control of Hindu-majority Assam. Gandhi feared that the League would use its power in a confederal arrangement to continue large-scale Muslim infiltration into Assam and make it a Muslim-majority province.

Given the deteriorating situation, Wavell formulated a breakdown plan that called for a gradual withdrawal of British forces, but the Cabinet considered his plan dangerous. When he insisted on his plan, he was replaced by Lord Mountbatten.

Swadeshi Movement in India | Timeline of the Swadeshi Movement | Impact of the Swadeshi Movement.

 

The Swadeshi movement was a self-reliance movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and helped to strengthen Indian nationalism. Following the public announcement of the British government's decision to partition Bengal in December 1903, anger among Indians grew. In response, the Swadeshi movement was formally launched from Calcutta's Town Hall on August 7, 1905, to oppose foreign goods by relying on domestic production. Mahatma Gandhi described this as the soul of Swaraj. The movement gained further momentum when wealthy Indians donated money and land to the Khadi and Village Industries Society, enabling textile production in every household. This included other village industries, enabling villages to become self-sufficient and self-reliant. The Indian National Congress used this movement as a weapon in its fight for independence, and finally, on August 15, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the tricolor flag of hand-spun khadi with the Ashoka Chakra at Princess Park near India Gate in New Delhi.

The government decided to partition Bengal in December 1903. The official reason was that Bengal, with a population of 78 million, was too large to administer; however, the real reason was that it was a centre of rebellion, and British officials could not control the protests, fearing they would spread throughout India. In August 1904, George Curzon, 1st Marquess of Kedleston, was reappointed Viceroy of India (1899–1905), and he presided over the partition of Bengal in 1905. In The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600–1947, Dennis Judd wrote:

"Curzon hoped... to bind India to the Raj forever. Interestingly, his partition of Bengal and the bitter controversy that followed significantly helped reinvigorate the Congress. Curzon generally dismissed the Congress in 1900 as "tottering towards its decline." But he made the Congress more active and effective in India than at any time in its history."

Bengal was divided along religious lines: the western part was mostly Hindu and the eastern part was mostly Muslim. This divide and rule strategy gave rise to the Swadeshi movement. The British reunified Bengal in 1911 and made New Delhi its capital. The Swadeshi movement gained new meaning after Bengal's reunification.

Timeline of the Swadeshi Movement

The Swadeshi movement was the cornerstone of India's struggle for independence, emphasizing self-reliance, indigenous production, and economic opposition to the British Raj. It went through several phases in different historical contexts, each with its own distinct strategies, leaders, and national goals. Each phase shows how the idea of ​​Swadeshi evolved—from a boycott movement to a broader vision of national self-reliance and economic sovereignty.

First Swadeshi Movement (1850-1918): Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Ganesh Venkatesh Joshi, Bhaswat K. Nigoni, V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, Subramania Bharati, Subramania Shiva, and Ram Singh Kuka led this movement. Bal Gangadhar Tilak led the Ganesh festival in 1893 to popularize the use and consumption of indigenous materials, from clay to sweets. Namdhari Sikhs boycotted English clothing, education, and courts in 1871-1872, and instead promoted hand-spun khadi cloth, local education, and khap panchayats. Chidambaram Pillai took over the British India Steam Navigation Company and transformed it into an Indian-owned shipping company, which was renamed the Swadeshi Shipping Company in October 1906. The Lal-Bal-Pal trio actively organized several committees during the Swadeshi movement, but became inactive after 1908 due to exile and arrest.

Second Swadeshi Movement (1918–1947): The movement gained further momentum in 1918 when Mahatma Gandhi introduced the spinning wheel in Mumbai, introducing it as a new symbol and tool of the Swadeshi movement. On July 31, 1921, he pledged to boycott foreign goods by burning 150,000 tons of British cloth at the Elpinstone Mill compound in Parel, Mumbai. Mahatma Gandhi organized Khadi spinning centers across the country and declared Khadi spinners as freedom fighters. Indians began abandoning British goods and adopting Indian products, even though they were more expensive. The impact was profound, and sales of British products declined by 20%.

Third Swadeshi Movement (1947–1991): Under Nehruvian socialism, the Indian government and subsequent prime ministers focused on import substitution, expanding the public sector, and protectionist policies to promote India's self-reliance, establishing heavy industry, scientific institutions, and a planned economy aimed at economic sovereignty. In the post-independence era, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and several of its affiliated organizations also adopted Swadeshi as their core economic principle, although they did not always support protectionism and halting the process of globalization.

Fourth Swadeshi Movement (1991–present): Initiated by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, this movement emphasized liberalization, privatization, and globalization—encouraging Indian businesses to become globally competitive. This ultimately ushered in a new Swadeshi era, where Indian entrepreneurs like Infosys, Wipro, and Tata emerged as global players, opening up the economy. Since 2014, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, campaigns like Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local have emphasised manufacturing in India, reduced foreign dependency and promoted indigenous startups and MSMEs, thereby reviving public discourse on economic nationalism and swadeshi values ​​through digital platforms and policy reforms.

Impact of the Swadeshi Movement

The intellectual roots of the Swadeshi movement lie in the economic critiques of Dadabhai Naoroji, particularly his landmark 1876 book, "Poverty of India." In this book, Naoroji introduced the concept of "Drain Theory," in which he argued that British colonial rule systematically drained wealth from India. His analysis provided a basis for economic nationalism, which later fueled the Swadeshi sentiment. Naoroji elaborated on these arguments in his influential book, "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India" (1901). His election to the British House of Commons (1892–1895) as a Liberal Party (UK) MP for Finsbury Central was a pivotal moment in Indian political history, as he brought these economic grievances directly to the attention of British parliamentarians. Naoroji's work played a key role in shaping early nationalist thinking and laid the ideological foundation for the Swadeshi movement, which emerged in the early 20th century as a campaign to boycott British goods and promote indigenous industry.

In his later years, Mahatma Gandhi promoted Swadeshi, self-reliance, and boycotted foreign goods, leading to a 62% increase in Indian textile sales by 1936 and a 76% increase by 1945. His charkha initiative sought to empower local people to spin yarn, challenge British economic control, and confront colonial structures.

The Swadeshi movement is the backdrop for Rabindranath Tagore's 1916 novel "Ghare Baire" (The Home and the World). Among other difficult themes, the novel explores the pitfalls of zealous nationalism. Satyajit Ray's 1984 film "Ghare Baire" (The Home and the World) is based on this novel. In Richard Attenborough's 1982 film Gandhi, after Gandhi's speech at Elphinstone Fort in Mumbai, Indians burned English clothes and vowed to wear indigenous khadi.

According to a 1999 article, E.F. Schumacher (author of Small is Beautiful) was influenced by Gandhi's concept of swadeshi.

On August 7, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated India's first annual National Handloom Day to promote indigenous handloom and khadi products. This date was chosen because the Swadeshi movement was announced on August 7, 1905, to avoid foreign goods and use only Indian products.

In 2019, Kangana Ranaut's film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (film) was based on Rani Jhansi, who valiantly fought against the British in 1857. Khadi (hand-spun fabric) made from cotton, brocade, and Paithani was extensively used to showcase the spirit of Swadeshi. Before becoming queen, this historical figure learned to weave cloth.

In July 2020, Tooter, a new social media platform that is a cross-over of Facebook and Twitter, was launched. The social media platform is now gaining attention for calling itself Swadeshi Movement 2.0.

On August 18, 2020, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced the Swadeshi Microprocessor Challenge with a prize pool of ₹4.3 crore for the special challenge following the ban on Chinese investment on Tuesday. At the 18th Investiture Ceremony of the Border Security Force (BSF) on July 17, 2021, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other agencies are working on indigenous anti-drone technology to combat this threat. He said, "Smuggling of drugs, weapons, and explosives through drones has become a major challenge."

On July 25, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation through the 79th episode of his monthly radio program, "Mann Ki Baat," encouraging people to buy Indian arts and crafts and crediting Indian customers for the increase in Khadi sales. "Buying Khadi is serving the people and the country. When you buy and post it online, use #myhandloommypride." He also recalled the celebration of National Handloom Day on August 7, saying, "When the Swadeshi movement started years ago, many of our artisans joined it."

On July 28, 2021, GoCoop, India's first online marketplace for artisans and weavers, is hosting an exhibition called Go Swadeshi in Bangalore. The exhibition will showcase handmade textiles by over 30,000 artisans and 12,000 women. It will feature India's largest handmade textile collection, including sarees, clothing, accessories, home furnishings, and over 70,000 fabric products. In 2015, GoCoop won India's first National Award for Handloom Marketing (Ecommerce) 2015.

Nutrient - an important element that living things need to survive | Types of Nutrients : Macronutrients and Micronutrients

 

A nutrient is anything an organism uses to survive, grow, and reproduce. The need to consume nutrients in food applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or removed from cells to form non-cellular structures such as hair, scales, feathers, or exoskeletons. Some nutrients can be metabolically broken down into smaller molecules in energy-releasing processes, such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and fermentation products (ethanol or vinegar), producing end-products such as water and carbon dioxide. All organisms need water. Essential nutrients for animals include energy sources, certain amino acids that combine to form proteins, a subset of fatty acids, vitamins, and some minerals. Plants also require various minerals absorbed through their roots, as well as carbon dioxide and oxygen absorbed through their leaves. Fungi live on dead or living organic matter and obtain their nutrient requirements from their host.

Different organisms have different essential nutrients. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is essential for humans and some animal species, but most other animals and many plants can synthesize it. Nutrients can be organic or inorganic: organic compounds include most carbon compounds, while all other chemicals are inorganic. Inorganic nutrients include nutrients such as iron, selenium, and zinc, while organic nutrients include proteins, fats, sugars, and vitamins.

One classification used to describe the nutrient requirements of animals divides nutrients into macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein, water), consumed in large quantities (grams or ounces), are primarily used to create energy or incorporated into tissues for growth and repair. Micronutrients are needed in smaller quantities (milligrams or micrograms); they play minor biochemical and physiological roles in cellular processes, such as vascular function or nerve conduction. Low levels of essential nutrients or diseases that interfere with absorption lead to deficiencies that affect growth, survival, and reproduction. Consumer advisories for dietary nutrients, such as the United States Dietary Reference Intake, are based on the amount needed to prevent deficiency and provide macronutrient and micronutrient guides for both lower and higher intake limits. In many countries, regulations require food product labels to provide information about the amount of any macronutrient and micronutrient present in the food. Excess nutrients can have harmful effects. Edible plants also contain thousands of compounds, commonly called phytochemicals, that have unknown effects on disease or health, including a separate group of non-nutrient compounds called polyphenols, which are not well understood as of 2024.

Types of Nutrients

Macronutrients

Macronutrients are described in many ways.

The chemical elements that humans consume in the largest quantities are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, called CHNOPS.

The chemical compounds that humans consume in the largest quantities and from which they provide the most energy are classified as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Water should also be consumed in large quantities, but it does not provide calories.

Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride ions, along with phosphorus and sulfur, are included in macronutrients because their needs are greater than those of micronutrients, i.e., vitamins and other minerals, often called trace or ultratrace minerals.

Macronutrients provide energy:

Carbohydrates are compounds made up of different types of sugars. Carbohydrates are classified according to their number of sugar units: monosaccharides (such as glucose and fructose), disaccharides (such as sucrose and lactose), oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides (such as starch, glycogen, and cellulose).

Proteins are organic compounds consisting of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Because the body cannot make some amino acids (called essential amino acids), they must be obtained from food. During digestion, proteins are broken down into free amino acids by proteases.

Fats consist of a glycerin molecule to which three fatty acids are attached. Fatty acid molecules contain a -COOH group attached to an unbranched hydrocarbon chain that is either linked by a single bond (saturated fatty acids) or by both double and single bonds (unsaturated fatty acids). Fats are essential for the formation and maintenance of cell membranes, maintaining body temperature, and maintaining skin and hair health. Because the body doesn't make some fatty acids (called essential fatty acids), they must be obtained from food.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are essential dietary elements that are required in varying amounts for metabolic and physiological functions throughout life.

Dietary minerals, such as potassium, sodium, and iron, are elements found in the earth and cannot be synthesized. Their requirements in the diet are expressed in micrograms or milligrams. Just as plants obtain minerals from the soil, dietary minerals are obtained directly from plants or indirectly from the animals they eat.

Vitamins are organic compounds that are required in micrograms or milligrams. The importance of each dietary vitamin became apparent when it was discovered that a deficiency of that vitamin can cause disease.

Essential Nutrients

An essential nutrient is one that is essential for normal physiological function, that the body cannot produce at all or in sufficient quantities, and therefore must obtain from food. In addition to water, which is universally required to maintain homeostasis in mammals, essential nutrients are required for various cellular metabolic processes and the maintenance and function of tissues and organs. Nutrients considered essential for humans include nine amino acids, two fatty acids, thirteen vitamins, fourteen minerals, and choline. Additionally, several molecules are considered conditionally essential nutrients because they are required in certain developmental and pathological conditions.

Amino Acids

An essential amino acid is an amino acid that an organism needs but cannot make on its own, and therefore must obtain it from food. Of the twenty standard protein-forming amino acids, humans cannot make nine: phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, and histidine.

Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are fatty acids that humans and other animals must consume because the body needs them for good health, but the body cannot make them. Only two fatty acids are considered essential for humans: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).

Vitamers and Vitamers

Vitamers exist in several similar forms called vitamers. Vitamers of a given vitamin perform that vitamin's function and prevent deficiency symptoms. Vitamins are essential organic molecules that are not categorized as amino acids or fatty acids. They typically function as enzymatic cofactors, metabolic regulators, or antioxidants. Humans require thirteen vitamins in their diet, most of which are actually groups of similar molecules (e.g., vitamin E includes tocopherols and tocotrienols): vitamins A, C, D, E, K, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9), and cobalamin (B12). Vitamin D requirement is conditional, as people exposed to excessive ultraviolet light from the sun or artificial sources produce vitamin D in their skin.

Minerals

Minerals are foreign chemical elements essential for life. Although the four elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON) are essential for life, they are so abundant in foods that they are not considered nutrients and mineral intake is not recommended. Nitrogen provides the necessary nutrients for protein, which is made up of nitrogen-containing amino acids. Sulfur is essential, but again, it is not recommended. Instead, the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine ​​are recommended.

The essential nutrient trace elements for humans, listed by dietary requirement (indicated in mass), are potassium, chloride, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, chromium, molybdenum, and selenium. Additionally, cobalt is a component of vitamin B12, which is essential. There are other minerals that are essential for some plants and animals, but may or may not be essential for humans, such as boron and silicon.

Choline

Choline is an essential nutrient. Choline is a family of water-soluble quaternary ammonium compounds. Choline is the parent compound of the choline class, containing three methyl substituents linked to ethanolamine and amino functions. Healthy humans who consume artificially engineered foods lacking choline develop fatty liver, liver damage, and muscle damage. Choline was not originally considered essential because the human body can produce small amounts of choline through phosphatidylcholine metabolism.

Conditionally Essential Nutrients

Conditionally essential nutrients are organic molecules that an organism can normally produce, but in small quantities under certain conditions. In humans, these conditions include premature birth, low nutrient intake, rapid growth, and certain diseases. Inositol, taurine, arginine, glutamine, and nucleotides are classified as conditionally essential and are particularly important for the nutrition and metabolism of the newborn.

Partition of India - An important event in the history of india | Partition of Bengal

The Partition of India in 1947 divided British India into two independent states: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Bengal and Punjab were divided into two provinces based on the district's non-Muslim (mostly Hindu and Sikh) or Muslim population. The British Indian Army, Royal Indian Navy, Indian Civil Service, railways, and central treasury were also divided between the two new states. This partition was finalized in the Indian Independence Act 1947, ending British rule, or Crown rule, in India. India and Pakistan became two self-governing countries, legally established at midnight on August 14–15, 1947.

With the partition of British India and the withdrawal of British forces from the Indian subcontinent, the Indian Independence Act stipulated that the princely states would be freed from their Subsidiary Alliance and other obligations to the British, while the British abandoned their obligations to the states, allowing the rulers to decide whether to join India or Pakistan or remain independent outside of either. Sardar Patel stated in a speech in January 1948, "With the end of paramountcy, every Indian state became a separate independent entity." Political integration of the princely states into the two new dominions began with several mergers in August 1947, but most occurred later. In particular, the rulers of Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, and other states chose independence.

Partition displaced 12 to 20 million people along religious lines, creating a major refugee crisis involving large-scale migration and population transfer within the newly formed dominions. Widespread violence occurred, making it difficult to estimate the loss of life and property before, during, or after Partition. As of 2009, estimates still ranged between two hundred thousand and two million. The violent manner of Partition created an atmosphere of hostility and suspicion between India and Pakistan, which continues to impact India-Pakistan relations today.

The term "Partition of India" does not include the earlier separation of Burma (now Myanmar) and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from British India. It does not include the inclusion of areas of French India into India during the period 1947–1954, or the inclusion of Goa and other districts of Portuguese India into India in 1961. Other political entities in the region that existed in 1947, such as Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives, remained unaffected by Partition. 

Background

Pre-World War II (1905–1938)

Partition of Bengal: 1905

In 1905, during his second term as Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon divided the Bengal Presidency—the largest administrative subdivision in British India—into the Muslim-majority East Bengal and Assam Provinces and the Hindu-majority Bengal Province (present-day Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha). Curzon's action, the partition of Bengal—which had been considered by various colonial administrations since the time of Lord William Bentinck, though never implemented—changed nationalist politics more than ever before.

Bengal's Hindu elite, many of whom owned land leased to Muslim peasants in East Bengal, strongly opposed this. The large Bengali-Hindu middle class, concerned that Bengalis might outnumber Biharis and Oriyas in the new Bengal Province, saw Curzon's action as a punishment for their political power. The widespread protests against Curzon's decision primarily took the form of a Swadeshi campaign, which included a boycott of British goods. Occasionally, but openly, protesters also resorted to political violence, including attacks on civilians. This violence was ineffective, as most planned attacks were either prevented by the British or failed. The slogan underlying both types of protests was Bande Mataram, the title of a song by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, which refers to a mother goddess who variously represents Bengal, India, and the Hindu goddess Kali. As English-educated students from Calcutta returned to their villages and towns, unrest spread from Calcutta to surrounding areas of Bengal. The religious fervor of the slogan and political anger over Partition converged when young people in groups like Jugantar began bombing public buildings, looting with weapons, and assassinating British officials. Because Calcutta was the imperial capital, both the anger and the slogan soon became famous throughout the country.

The partition of Bengal was strongly opposed by the Hindu majority, and fearing reforms in favor of the Hindu majority, India's Muslim elite demanded separate voting areas for Muslims from the new Viceroy, Lord Minto, in 1906. They also demanded representation proportional to their population, reflecting both their status as former rulers and their record of cooperation with the British. This resulted in the founding of the All-India Muslim League in Dhaka in December 1906. Although Curzon had by then resigned and returned to England after a quarrel with his military chief, Lord Kitchener, the League supported his partition plan. The Muslim elite's opinion, reflected in the League's, had gradually solidified over the previous three decades, beginning with the 1871 census of British India, which for the first time estimated the population in Muslim-majority areas. On Curzon's part, the desire to appease the Muslims of East Bengal stemmed from British concerns following the 1871 census and the history of Muslims fighting against them in the 1857 Revolt and the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

In the three decades following the 1871 census, Muslim leaders across North India faced intermittent public hostility from some new Hindu political and social groups. For example, the Arya Samaj not only supported the cow protection movement in its campaign but also organized "reconversion" programs to convert Muslims back to Hinduism, upset by the number of Muslims in the census. In the United Provinces, Muslims became further agitated by the increased Hindu political representation in the late 19th century and the political consolidation of Hindus sparked by the Hindi-Urdu controversy and the anti-cow slaughter riots of 1893. In 1905, Muslim fears grew when Tilak and Lajpat Rai attempted to gain leadership positions in the Congress, and the Congress itself coalesced around the symbol of Kali. For example, many Muslims knew that the slogan "Vande Mataram" first appeared in the novel "Anandamath," in which Hindus fought their Muslim oppressors. Finally, Muslim elites, including Nawab Khwaja Salimullah of Dhaka, who hosted the League's first meeting at his mansion in Shahbag, knew that a new province with a Muslim majority would directly benefit Muslims seeking political power.

World War I, Lucknow Pact: 1914–1918

World War I marked a major turning point in the imperial relationship between Britain and India. 1.4 million Indian and British soldiers served in the British Indian Army, and their participation had a profound cultural impact: news of Indian soldiers fighting and dying alongside British troops, as well as news from countries like Canada and Australia, traveled far and wide across the world through the new medium of newsprint and radio. This raised India's international profile, and it continued to rise throughout the 1920s. This led to, among other things, India becoming a founding member of the League of Nations in 1920 under its own name and participating in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp under the name "Les Indes Anglaises" (British India). Back in India, this led to calls for greater self-government for Indians, particularly among leaders of the Indian National Congress.

The 1916 Lucknow session of the Congress was also the occasion of a sudden reconciliation between the Congress and the Muslim League, sparked by the wartime alliance between Germany and Turkey. Because the Ottoman Sultan retained control of Islamic holy sites like Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem, and because the British and their allies were now at odds with the Ottoman Empire, some Indian Muslims began to doubt British "religious neutrality," a doubt already evident after the reunification of Bengal in 1911, a decision seen as detrimental to Muslims. In the Lucknow Pact, the League supported the Congress proposal for greater self-government, put forward by Tilak and his supporters; in return, Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims in the provincial legislatures as well as the Imperial Legislative Council. In 1916, the Muslim League had 500 to 800 members and in subsequent years, it lost much influence among Indian Muslims. Within the League, the pact was not fully accepted, as it was negotiated by a group of "Young Party" Muslims from the United Provinces (UP), notably the brothers Mohammad and Shaukat Ali, who supported a pan-Islamic cause. It received support from Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a young lawyer from Bombay who later played a leadership role in the League and the Indian independence movement. In later years, when the full implications of the pact became clear, it was seen as more beneficial to the Muslim minority elite in provinces like UP and Bihar than to the Muslim majority in Punjab and Bengal. At the time, the "Lucknow Pact" was a significant milestone in the nationalist movement, and the British also recognized it as such.

Jyotirao Phule - A great social reformer, Early Life, social activism and Establishment of Satyashodhak Samaj.

Jyotirao Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890), also known as Jyotiba Phule, was an Indian social activist, businessman, anti-caste social reformer, and writer from Maharashtra.

His work spanned many areas, including the abolition of untouchability and the caste system, and his efforts to educate women and the oppressed. He and his wife, Savitribai Phule, were pioneers of women's education in India. Phule started his first school for girls in 1848 at Tatyasaheb Bhide's home, or Bhidewada, in Pune. Together with his followers, he founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers) to advance equal rights for the lower castes. People of all religions and castes could join this association, which worked for the welfare of the oppressed.

Phule is considered a key figure in the social reform movement in Maharashtra. The word Mahatma was first used in 1888 at a special function organised in his honour in Mumbai.

 

Early Life of Jyotirao Phule

Jyotirao Phule, also known as Jyotiba Phule, was born in 1827 into a Hindu gardener family in Satara district. Gardeners traditionally cultivated fruits and vegetables. Among the four varnas of the caste system, they were considered Shudras. Phule was named after the Hindu deity Jyotiba. He was born on the day of Jyotiba's annual fair. Phule's family name was originally Gorhe, and it originated in Katgun village, near Satara city. Phule's great-grandfather, who worked there as a chaugula, or minor village official, moved to Khanwadi in Pune district. There, his only son, Shetiba, plunged the family into poverty. The family, which included three sons, moved to Pune in search of employment. The boys were taken in by a florist, who taught them the secrets of the trade. Their skill in growing and arranging flowers became renowned, and they adopted the name Phule (flower-man) instead of Gorhe. He was so impressed by Peshwa Bajirao II's commission to make flower cushions and other items for royal court ceremonies that he granted him 35 acres of land tax-free under the inam system. The eldest brother plotted to gain sole control of the property, allowing the younger two siblings, Jyotirao Phule's father, Govindrao, to continue farming and selling flowers.

Govindrao married Chimnabai and had two sons, of whom Jyotirao was the youngest. Chimnabai died before he was a year old. At that time, education was not valued highly in the backward Mali community, so after attending primary school, where he learned the basics of reading, writing, and math, Jyotirao was taken out by his father. He joined other family members in both the shop and the fields. However, a man from Phule's own Mali caste recognized his intelligence and convinced his father to allow him to study at the local Scottish Mission High School. Phule completed his English schooling in 1847. As was customary, he was married at the young age of 13 to a girl from the Mali community chosen by his father.

A turning point in his life came in 1848, when he attended the wedding of a Brahmin friend. Phule joined the wedding procession as was customary, but his friend's parents later scolded and insulted him for doing so. They told him that, being from the Shudra caste, he should have stayed away from the ritual. This incident had a profound impact on him and shaped his understanding of the injustices inherent in the caste system.

Jyotirao Phule's social activism

Education

In 1848, at the age of 21, Phule attended a girls' school in Ahmednagar run by Christian missionary Cynthia Farrar. He also read Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man" in 1848, which instilled in him a deep sense of social justice. He realized that oppressed castes and women were marginalized in Indian society, and that education for these communities was essential for their emancipation. To this end, that same year, Phule first taught his wife, Savitribai, to read and write, and later, the couple opened the first indigenous school for girls in Pune. He also taught his sister, Sagunabai Kshirsagar (his aunt's daughter), to write Marathi alongside Savitribai. Pune's traditional upper-caste society disapproved of his work, but many Indians and Europeans wholeheartedly supported him. The conservatives in Pune even forced him to isolate himself from his family and community. During this time, his friend Usman Sheikh and his sister Fatima Sheikh gave him shelter. They also helped him start a school at their home. Later, the Phule couple started schools for children from the then-untouchable castes, such as the Mahar and the Mang. In 1852, three Phule schools were operating, enrolling 273 girls, but by 1858, they all closed. Eleanor Zelliot attributes these closures to the decline in private European donations due to the 1857 rebellion, the withdrawal of government aid, and Jyotirao's resignation from the school management committee due to differences over the curriculum.

Women's welfare

He saw young widows with their heads shaved and no joy in life. Seeing these social evils that fueled discrimination, he decided to educate women. He started with his wife. Every afternoon, Jyotirao would sit with his wife, Savitribai Phule, and teach her while she went to the fields where he worked and brought him food. He sent his wife to receive training at a school. In 1848, the couple opened India's first girls' school in Vishrambagh Wada, Pune.

He supported the remarriage of widows and, in 1863, started a home for pregnant widows from wealthy castes to give birth in a safe place. His orphanage was established in an effort to reduce the rate of child murder.

In 1863, a horrific incident occurred in Pune. A Brahmin widow named Kashibai became pregnant, and her attempts at abortion failed. After giving birth, she killed the child and threw it into a well, but her deed was discovered. She was convicted and imprisoned. This deeply saddened Phule, and so, together with his old friend Sadashiv Ballal Govande and Savitribai, he started an infanticide prevention center. Pamphlets advertising the center were posted throughout Pune, stating: "Widows, come here and give up your child safely and secretly. It is your choice whether you want to keep the child at the center or take it with you. This orphanage will care for the children." The Phule couple ran the infanticide prevention center until the mid-1880s.

Phule tried to eradicate the stigma of social untouchability associated with oppressed castes by opening his home and the use of his water well to members of oppressed castes.

Views on religion and caste

Phule appealed for the restoration of the rule of the great Mahabali, which predated the "treacherous overthrow of the Aryans." He presented his own version of the Aryan Invasion Theory, arguing that the Aryan conquerors of India, whom the theory's proponents considered racially superior, were actually brutal oppressors of the native inhabitants. He believed that they established the caste system as a framework of slavery and social division, ensuring the dominance of their Brahmin successors. He also viewed the subsequent Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent as oppressive foreign rule, but was emboldened by the arrival of the British, whom he considered more intelligent and who did not support the varna system introduced and recreated by those previous invaders. In his book, Gulamgiri, he thanked Christian missionaries and British colonialists for making the oppressed castes realize that they deserved all human rights. The book, "Slavery," addressed women, caste, and reform, and was dedicated to those working to abolish slavery in the US.

Phule considered the incarnations of Vishnu to be symbols of oppression caused by the Aryan conquest and revered Mahabali as a hero. His criticism of the caste system began with an attack on the Vedas, the most fundamental Hindu texts. He considered them a form of false consciousness.

He is credited with coining the Marathi term "Dalit" for those outside the traditional caste system.

At an Education Commission hearing in 1882, Phule appealed for help in educating the lower castes. To achieve this, he advocated making primary education compulsory in villages. He also demanded special incentives to attract more lower castes to high schools and colleges.

Establishment of Satyashodhak Samaj

On September 24, 1873, Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj to focus on the rights of oppressed groups such as women, Shudras, and Dalits. Through this society, he opposed idol worship and criticized the caste system. The Satyashodhak Samaj campaigned to spread rational thinking and rejected the need for priests.

Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj with the ideals of human well-being, happiness, unity, equality, and simple religious principles and customs. A Pune-based newspaper, Dinabandhu, voiced the Samaj's views.

The Samaj's members included Muslims, Brahmins, and government officials. Phule's own Mali caste provided a significant number of members and financial supporters for the organization.

Biography of Savitribai Phule | Savitribai Phule's social work, Early life, Education, career and Personal life.

 

Savitribai Phule (3 January 1831 – 10 March 1897) was an Indian educator, social reformer, and poet, considered the first female teacher of modern India. Along with her husband, Jyotiba Phule, she played a key role in advancing women's rights and education in Maharashtra, leaving a legacy that influenced social reform movements across India. She is also considered a pioneer of India's feminist movement, working to eliminate discrimination and mistreatment based on caste and gender. Savitribai Phule and her husband were pioneers in women's education in India. In 1848, they opened their first school for girls, known as Bhide Wada, at Tatyasaheb Bhide's home in Pune. Later, she co-founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (meaning "Society of Truth Seekers") in 1873 and led its women's wing.

Born and raised in the Mali community, Savitribai was married to Jyotirao Phule at a young age and was initially illiterate. Her education began with homeschooling by her husband and later under the supervision of Sakharam Yashwant Paranjpe and Keshav Shivram Bhawalkar. She received teacher training in Pune and Ahilyanagar and became India's first professionally trained female headmistress and teacher. In 1848, together with Jyotirao and Sagunabai Kshirsagar, she opened the country's first girls' school in Bhidewada, Pune, despite strong opposition from society, offering a progressive syllabus in math, science, and social studies.

Savitribai's career is marked by her persistent efforts to advance the education of girls and marginalized communities. By 1851, she and Jyotirao ran three girls' schools in Pune, each with approximately 150 students. She opened a total of 18 schools, as well as initiatives such as the "Mahila Seva Mandal" to promote women's rights in 1851 and the "Bal Hatya Nivarak Gruha" (a center to prevent the killing of children) for widows in 1853. Savitribai's literary contributions include Kavya Phule (1854) and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (1892). She died of bubonic plague in 1897. Today, her legacy as the "Mother of Modern Education in India" lives on, remembered through monuments, the names of institutions, and cultural events.

Early life

Savitribai Phule was born on January 3, 1831, in Naigaon village, Satara district, Maharashtra. She was the youngest of four children of Lakshmi and Khandoji Nevse Patil, both of whom belonged to the Mali community. Savitribai married her husband, Jyotirao Phule, at the age of nine, when he was 13.

Savitribai Phule's education

Savitribai was illiterate at the time of her marriage. She was educated at home by her husband and her mother, Sagunabai Shirsagar, while working in the fields. After completing her primary education from Jyotirao, she continued her studies under the guidance of her friends, Sakharam Yashwant Paranjpe and Keshav Shivram Bhawalkar. In 1846–47, she passed her third and fourth-year exams from an English school, and that same year, she helped Sagunabai open a school for backward communities in Maharwada. She enrolled in two teacher training programs: the first at an institution run by American missionary Cynthia Farrar in Ahmednagar, and the second at a normal school in Pune. Savitribai became India's first trained female teacher and headmistress.

Educational Career of Savitribai Phule

After completing her teacher training, Savitribai Phule began teaching girls in Pune. She did so with Sagunabai Kshirsagar, Jyotirao Phule's sister. Jyotirao Phule was a revolutionary feminist and Jyotirao's mentor. In January 1848, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule, along with Sagunabai, started their own school in Bhidewada, which became India's first girls' school. Bhidewada was the home of Tatya Saheb Bhide, who was inspired by the trio's work. According to some sources, the school initially had nine girls and later grew to 25. Bhidewada's curriculum included a traditional Western curriculum of math, science, and social studies. Due to social opposition and isolation from the orthodox community, Phule moved to the home of his friend Usman Sheikh. There, Savitribai Phule and Usman's sister, Fatima Sheikh, continued their efforts to educate the girls in the neighborhood.

By the end of 1851, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule were running three separate schools for girls in Pune. The three schools combined had approximately 150 students. Like the curriculum, the teaching methods at all three schools differed from those used in government schools. Author Divya Kandukuri believes that Phule's methods were considered superior to those used in government schools. Because of the name, the number of girls studying in Phule's schools exceeded the number of boys attending government schools.

Unfortunately, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule's success faced considerable opposition from conservative locals. Kandukuri says that Savitribai often carried an extra sari to school because her conservative opponents would attack her with stones, cow dung, and abuse. Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule lived at Jyotirao's father's house. However, in 1849, Jyotirao's father asked the couple to leave because their work was considered sinful according to the Manusmriti and related Brahmin texts.

After leaving Jyotirao's father's house, the Phule family moved in with the family of Jyotirao's friend, Usman Sheikh. It was there that Savitribai met Fatima Begum Sheikh, who would become her close friend and colleague. According to Nasreen Syed, a well-known expert on Sheikh, "Fatima Sheikh already knew how to read and write, so her brother Usman, a friend of Jyotirao's, encouraged Fatima to pursue a teacher training course. She went to normal school with Savitribai, and they graduated together. They were the first Muslim women teachers in India." Fatima and Savitribai opened a school in the Sheikh's home in 1849.

In the 1850s, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule played a key role in starting two educational trusts: the Native Male School, Pune, and the Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs, and Others. These two trusts incorporated several schools, led by Savitribai Phule and later Fatima Sheikh. In an interview with the Christian missionary magazine Gyanodaya on September 15, 1853, Jyotirao spoke about Savitribai and his work, saying, "I realized that the education a child receives from its mother is very important and good. Therefore, those who care about the happiness and well-being of this country must pay attention to the condition of women and do their best to educate them if they want the country to progress. With this thought in mind, I first started a school for girls. But my caste brothers did not like that I was educating girls, and my own father expelled us from the house. No one was willing to provide space for the school, nor did we have the money to build it." People were reluctant to send their children to school, but Lahuji Ragh Raut Mang and Ranba Mahar explained the benefits of education to their caste members.

Together with her husband, she taught children from different castes and opened a total of 18 schools. In 1852, three Phule schools were operating, enrolling 273 girls, but by 1858, they had all closed. Eleanor Zelliot attributes these closures to the 1857 rebellion, the withdrawal of government aid, and Jyotirao's resignation from the school management committee due to differences over curriculum. In 1863, the Phule couple, along with their old friend Sadashiv Ballal Govande, started a child murder prevention center called the Bal Hatya Pravartak Griha, primarily for pregnant widows. Pamphlets advertising the center were pasted around Pune, reading: "Widows, come here and give birth to your child safely and secretly. It is your choice whether you want to keep the child at the center or take it with you. This orphanage will care for the children." The Phule couple ran the infanticide prevention centre until the mid-1880s.

Personal Life

Savitribai and Jyotirao had no children of their own. It is said that they adopted Yashwantrao, the son of a Brahmin widow. However, there is currently no definitive evidence for this. It is said that when Yashwantrao was ready for marriage, he had difficulty finding a suitable partner because he was born to a widow. Therefore, Savitribai is believed to have arranged his marriage to the daughter of Dinoba Sasane, a worker in her organization, in February 1889.

Death

In 1897, Savitribai and her adopted son, Yashwant, opened a clinic in the area around Nalasopara to treat those affected by the third global pandemic, the bubonic plague. This clinic was located on the southern outskirts of Pune, in an area free of the infection. Savitribai lost her life while valiantly trying to save the son of Pandurang Babaji Gaekwad. When she learned that Babaji Gaekwad's son had contracted the plague in the Mahar settlement outside Mundhwa, Savitribai Phule rushed to his aid and took him to the hospital. Meanwhile, Savitribai contracted the plague and died at 9:00 pm on March 10, 1897.

Education in India - India's educational status and Education system.

 

India's educational status

Education in India is primarily managed by a government-run public education system, which is controlled at three levels: central, state, and local. Under various articles of the Indian Constitution and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, free and compulsory education is guaranteed as a fundamental right to children between the ages of 6 and 14. The ratio of government schools to private schools in India is approximately 10:3.

Education in India encompasses various levels and types of learning, such as early childhood education, primary education, secondary education, higher education, and vocational education. This varies significantly depending on factors such as location (urban or rural), gender, caste, religion, language, and disability.

Education in India faces numerous challenges, including lack of access, quality, and learning outcomes, high dropout rates, and poor job prospects. It is shaped by national and state-level policies and programs such as the National Education Policy 2020, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, the Midday Meal Scheme, and the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save the Girl Child). Numerous national and international stakeholders, including UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector, contribute to the development of the education system.

Education in India is plagued by problems such as grade inflation, corruption, the issuance of fake certificates by unrecognized institutions, and a lack of job prospects for graduates. Half of graduates in India are considered unemployable.

This raises concerns about prioritizing Western perspectives over indigenous knowledge. It has also been argued that this system emphasizes rote learning and external perspectives.

In contrast, countries such as Germany, known for its engineering expertise, France, renowned for its aviation advancements, Japan, a global leader in technology, and China, an emerging hub of high-tech innovation, primarily offer education in their respective mother tongues. However, India continues to use English as the primary medium of instruction in higher education and professional domains.

Education system

Until 1976, under the Indian Constitution, each state was responsible for the schools under its jurisdiction; states had full authority (unless there was a conflict with the federal government) to formulate and implement education policies. Following the passage of the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution of India in 1976, education fell under the Concurrent List, allowing the federal government (also known as the central government) to recommend education policies and programs, even though state governments continued to exercise extensive autonomy in implementing these programs. In a large country like India, with 28 states and eight union territories, this has led to significant differences between state policies, plans, programs, and initiatives related to school education. From time to time, national policy frameworks are created to guide states in formulating state-level programs and policies. State governments and local government bodies manage most primary and upper primary schools. 16.86% of government schools were under private management (excluding unaided schools, schools established under the Education Guarantee Scheme, and other learning centers). One-third of privately managed schools are aided and two-thirds are unaided. Enrollment in grades 1-8 is shared between government and privately managed schools in a ratio of 73:27. However, this ratio is higher in rural areas (80:20) and much lower in urban areas (36:66). At the school level, data on enrollment, infrastructure, and teacher availability is collected through the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+).

In the 2011 census, approximately 73% of the population was reported to be literate, of which 81% were males and 65% were females. The National Statistical Commission surveyed literacy at 77.7% in 2017-18, with 84.7% for men and 70.3% for women. This compares to 1981, when the rates were 41%, 53%, and 29%. In 1951, the rates were 18%, 27%, and 9%. India's improved education system is often cited as one of the main contributors to its economic growth. Much of the progress, especially in higher education and scientific research, has been attributed to various government institutions. Although enrolment in higher education has steadily increased over the last ten years, with the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) reaching 26.3% in 2019, there is still a long way to go to reach tertiary education enrolment levels in developed countries, a challenge that will need to be overcome to continue benefiting from the demographic dividend from India's relatively young population.

The demand for private schools has been increasing over the past few years. While there is no consensus yet on the primary reasons for this growth in private schooling, some authors have attributed it to the increased demand for English-medium education, dissatisfaction with the quality of public schools, the increased affordability of private schools, and the lack of preferred fields in government schools. Following the adoption of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009, private schools were required to obtain government recognition. A private school will be eligible for government recognition if it meets certain conditions.

At the primary and secondary levels, India has a large private school system alongside government schools, with 29% of students in the age group of 6 to 14 years receiving private education. Some post-secondary technical schools are also private. The private education market in India had revenues of US$450 million in 2008, but it is estimated to be a US$40 billion market.

According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012, 96.5% of all rural children aged 6-14 were enrolled in school. This trend of higher enrollment has continued since the mid-2000s. According to the ASER report, between 2007 and 2014, India maintained an average school enrollment rate of 95% for children aged 6-14. Consequently, the number of students aged 6-14 not enrolled in school declined to 2.8% in the academic year 2018 (ASER 2018). Another 2013 report stated that 229 million students were enrolled in classes I to XII in India's various recognized urban and rural schools, showing a steady increase, including a 19% increase in enrollment among girls since 2002. While India is moving towards universal enrollment, concerns remain about the quality of education, especially in government schools. While over 95% of children attend primary school, only 40% of Indian adolescents attend secondary school (grades 9–12). Since 2000, the World Bank has provided over $2 billion to support India's efforts to improve educational infrastructure and learning outcomes. Teacher absenteeism remains a major challenge, with studies showing that approximately 25% of teachers may be absent on any given day. Indian states have introduced testing and education assessment systems to identify and improve such schools. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative estimates that India is achieving only 79.0% of the required level of education for its income level.

Although private schools exist in India, they are highly regulated in terms of what they can teach, how they can operate (they must be non-profit to operate a recognized educational institution), and all other aspects of their operations. Therefore, the distinction between government schools and private schools can be misleading. However, a report by Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, titled: The Decline of Public Schools and the Growth of Private Schools in India, states that to formulate sensible education policy, it is important to consider the different changing trends in the size of the private and public schooling sectors in India. Ignoring these trends risks poor policy and legislation, which negatively impacts children's education.

In January 2019, India had over 900 universities and 40,000 colleges. In India's higher education system, a significant number of seats are reserved for historically disadvantaged Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) under the Affirmative Action Policy. In universities, colleges, and other similar central government institutions, a maximum of 50% reservation applies to these backward groups, though this may vary at the state level. In 2014, Maharashtra had 73% reservation, the highest percentage of reservation in India.

East India Company in India | History of East India Company

The East India Company was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was established to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia) and later with East Asia. The company eventually established control over large parts of the Indian subcontinent and Hong Kong. At its peak, the company was, in many ways, the largest corporation in the world and had its own armed forces, including three Presidency armies with approximately 260,000 soldiers.

Initially named "The Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies," the company was responsible for approximately half of the world's trade in the mid-1700s and early 1800s, particularly in goods such as cotton, silk, indigo, sugar, salt, spices, ginger, tea, precious stones, and later, opium. The company also initiated British rule in the Indian subcontinent.

Ultimately, the company ruled over large parts of the Indian subcontinent, wielding military power and assuming administrative responsibilities. The company's territory in the region gradually expanded after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, and by 1858, most of what is now India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh was either directly under the company's control or a princely state closely allied to it by treaty. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, under the Government of India Act of 1858, the British government assumed direct control over what is now Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and India, thus establishing the British Indian Empire.

Later, despite increasing government intervention, the company faced financial difficulties. Under the provisions of the East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act passed a year earlier, the company was dissolved in 1874, as by then the Government of India Act had rendered it an unnecessary, powerless, and outdated institution. The British government took over the administrative responsibilities of the company, and its military units were incorporated into the British army.

History

Beginnings

In 1577, Francis Drake set sail from England on an expedition to plunder Spanish settlements in South America in search of gold and silver. Sailing on the ship named the Golden Hind, he completed this task and then crossed the Pacific Ocean in 1579, a route then known only to the Spanish and Portuguese. Drake eventually reached the East Indies, arriving near the Moluccas, known as the Spice Islands, and met with Sultan Babullah. In exchange for linen, gold, and silver, the English obtained various types of valuable spices, including cloves and nutmeg. Drake returned to England in 1580 and became a national hero; his voyage brought considerable wealth to the English treasury and yielded investors a return of approximately 5,000 percent.

Immediately following the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the seizure of Spanish and Portuguese ships and their cargo gave English adventurers the opportunity to travel the world in search of riches. London merchants requested permission from Elizabeth I to sail into the Indian Ocean. Their aim was to break the Spanish and Portuguese monopoly on the Far Eastern trade. Elizabeth granted permission, and in 1591, James Lancaster and two other ships, financed by the Levant Company, sailed on the Bonaventure from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arabian Sea, thus becoming the first English expedition to reach India.

The greatest prize for promoting English trade was the capture of the large Portuguese carrack ship, Madre de Deus, by Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Cumberland at the Battle of Flores on August 13, 1592. When it arrived in Dartmouth, it was the largest ship ever seen in England, and it carried chests filled with precious stones, pearls, gold, silver coins, ambergris, textiles, carpets, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, benzoin (a highly fragrant balsamic resin used in perfumes and medicines), red dye, cochineal, and ivory. The ship's logbook was also invaluable, containing important information about trade routes to China, India, and Japan. In 1596, three more English ships set sail for the East, but all were lost at sea. However, a year later, Ralph Fitch arrived; he was an adventurous trader who, along with his companions, had undertaken an amazing nine-year journey through Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, India, and Southeast Asia. Fitch was consulted on matters relating to India and provided Lancaster with even more valuable information.

Indian Home Rule movement | Objectives of the Home Rule Movement

The Home Rule Movement was the All India Home Rule League, a political organization founded by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1916. Its objective was to promote the national demand for self-rule in India under the banner of "Home Rule." Its goal was to achieve dominion status for India within the British Empire. At that time, Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, and Newfoundland were already dominions within the British Empire.

When World War I began, the liberal faction of the Indian National Congress decided to support Britain. They believed that if India supported Britain, Britain would grant India independence after the war. However, the Indian National Congress soon realized that Britain would never do so, and Indian leaders became dissatisfied and began exploring other avenues. This discontent led to the emergence of the Home Rule Movement. Between 1915 and 1916, two Home Rule Leagues were established: the Pune Home Rule League founded by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the Madras Home Rule League founded by Annie Besant. The Home Rule League functioned as a subsidiary organization of the Indian National Congress. The movement aimed to achieve self-rule, but it did not advocate the use of violence.

During the Home Rule Movement, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant designed a flag in 1917. This flag consisted of five red and four green horizontal stripes, and also featured seven stars. However, this flag did not gain widespread popularity.

Introduction

Mrs. Annie Besant was from Ireland. She was a leader of the Theosophical Society in India. She was deeply influenced by Indian civilization and culture. Therefore, she left Ireland and settled in India, eventually coming to consider India her home. At that time in Ireland, the Irish Home Rule League had been established under the leadership of Irish leader Redmond. The objective of this league was to achieve self-government for Ireland through constitutional and peaceful means. In 1913, when Annie Besant went to England, the Irish Home Rule League asked her to launch a Home Rule movement for independence in India. Mrs. Annie Besant wanted India to have the same level of self-government as other British colonies, meaning she wanted India to achieve dominion status. With this objective in mind, upon returning to India, she joined the Congress Party and, by uniting both moderate and radical leaders, launched the Home Rule movement.

Objectives of the Home Rule Movement

The Home Rule Movement was a constitutional movement. The main objectives of this movement were as follows:

(1) Its main objective was to achieve self-government in India. Annie Besant wanted India to have the same degree of self-government as other colonies in the British Empire. Explaining the objective of the Home Rule Movement, Annie Besant wrote in the first issue of her weekly journal 'Commonweal': “By political reform we mean the establishment of self-government from village panchayats to district boards and municipalities, provincial assemblies and a national parliament. This national parliament would have the same powers as the legislatures of self-governing colonies. Whatever name it may be given, and when representatives of self-governing states are admitted to the British Parliament, India should also have representatives in that Parliament.”

(2) The objective of this movement was neither to drive the British out of India nor to hamper their war efforts. On the contrary, they argued that a self-governing India would be more helpful to the British during the war. Indians were supporting the British in the war because they hoped that the British would grant them self-government after the war. Annie Besant believed that if the British government granted self-government during the war, Indians would support the British war efforts with greater enthusiasm and more resources. Annie Besant believed that a subjugated India could not be as helpful to the British Empire as a free India. Thus, the objective of this movement was indirectly to support Britain in the war.

(3) Another objective of the Home Rule Movement was to prevent Indian politics from taking a radical turn. Annie Besant carefully studied the political trends in India and concluded that if a peaceful and constitutional movement was not started, revolutionary and terrorist elements would dominate Indian politics. To achieve this objective, she considered starting a peaceful and constitutional movement as the best way. According to Dr. Zakaria, “Her plan was to keep the radical nationalists separate from the revolutionaries. She wanted to pacify the Indians by giving them self-government within the British Empire.” To achieve this objective, she launched the Home Rule Movement with the aim of reducing the influence of revolutionaries in Indian politics.

(4) Indian politics had become stagnant during the war, and the national movement had stalled due to a lack of active programs and effective leadership. Therefore, it was essential to awaken the Indian people from their lethargy. To achieve this objective, Annie Besant launched the Home Rule Movement. Annie Besant stated, "I am an 'agitator' for India; my work is to awaken the sleeping Indians, so that they may rise and work for their country." The Home Rule Movement differed from the earlier liberal movement. It was not merely a demand for self-rule for India, but rather a demand for a fundamental right—that self-rule was the birthright of the Indians. Tilak had said, "Freedom is my birthright, and I shall have it." Annie Besant asserted that Home Rule was India's right, and it was absurd to claim that it should be granted as a reward for loyalty. As a nation, India was demanding its rightful place within the British Empire. India had made this demand before the war, would make it during the war, and would continue to make it after the war. But this right was being demanded not as a reward, but as a birthright; there should be no misunderstanding about this.

Background, Commencement, and Progress of the Movement

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was released from prison on June 16, 1914, after completing his six-year sentence. He had spent most of his imprisonment in Mandalay (Burma). Upon returning to India, he found that the country had undergone significant changes. Arvind Ghosh, the revolutionary leader of the Swadeshi movement, had renounced worldly life and was residing in Pondicherry. Lala Lajpat Rai was in America. The Indian National Congress was still reeling from the shock of the Surat split, the repressive actions of the British against revolutionaries, and the disillusionment of the moderate nationalists following the constitutional reforms of 1909.

Tilak believed that the first step should be to bring the extremists back into the Congress. He was convinced that the Indian National Congress had become synonymous with the Indian national movement, and that no national movement could succeed without its support. To win over the moderates, gain their trust, and prevent future repressive actions by the British government, he stated, "I openly declare that we want the same kind of administrative reforms in India as the nationalists in Ireland are demanding. We have no intention of ending British rule. I have no hesitation in saying that the violent incidents that occurred in various parts of India are not only against my ideology, but they have also slowed down our political progress." He reiterated his loyalty to the British government and urged the Indian people to support the British government during this crisis.

Now, all the leaders of the moderate faction felt that what they had done in Surat in 1907 was wrong. They were also dissatisfied with the Congress's inactivity. Tilak's appeal influenced them. Furthermore, Annie Besant was constantly pressuring them to revive the nationalist political movement in the country. Annie Besant had recently joined the Congress. In 1914, she was 66 years old. Her political career began in England, where she was involved in promoting free thought, socialism, Fabianism, and Theosophy. In 1893, she came to India with the aim of working for the Theosophical Society. She established her headquarters in Adyar, a suburb of Madras, and began propagating Theosophy in 1907.  Soon, she gained considerable support, particularly from educated people in communities that had not yet experienced a cultural renaissance. In 1914, Annie Besant decided to broaden the scope of her activities and planned to launch a movement for self-rule in India, modeled after the Irish Home Rule League. She felt that this required the support of the Congress and the cooperation of the extremist faction. To gain the support of the extremists, she felt it was necessary to bring them into the Congress. Annie Besant tried to persuade the moderate leaders of the Congress to allow Tilak and his extremist associates to join the organization. However, the 1914 Congress session thwarted her efforts. Ferozshah Mehta and his supporters in Bombay, along with the moderate leaders from Bengal, succeeded in excluding the extremists. Thereafter, Tilak and Annie Besant decided to pursue their political movement independently, while simultaneously exerting pressure on the Congress to readmit the extremists.