4. The Colonial Era in India

• A British business magnate stands like a giant with one foot at the top of Africa and the other at the bottom. This shows that Britain wanted to control the whole continent.
• He holds a telegraph wire stretched across Africa. The telegraph was then a new invention. It shows that new technology helped the colonisers control and communicate across vast lands.
• His huge size compared to the land shows the pride and power of the colonisers.

The cartoon expresses the greed of European powers to grab and rule entire continents.

• Britannia (the symbol of Britain) sits high on a rock, which shows her superior power.
• The East — India and China — are shown lower, bending and ‘offering’ pearls, jewels, a precious jar and bales of cotton.
• Mercury, the god of commerce, and the ships of the East India Company show that trade and naval power brought this wealth.
• The painting gives the message that Britain was great and the East willingly gave its riches to her.

Dadabhai Naoroji was a Member of the British Parliament in 1892. He knew that in Britain, the British claimed to follow justice, fairness and good government. But in India they drained wealth, imposed heavy taxes and allowed famines. So he called it ‘un-British’ — the British were not following their own ideals of fair rule in India.

No, the colonies did not really offer their wealth. Britain seized it by force and trickery — through wars like Plassey, heavy taxes, unfair trade and the drain of wealth. The painting hides this truth. The dark complexion of the Indians and their low, bent posture show the belief that white people were superior.

• Cotton — cloth made from the fibre of the cotton plant.
• Silk — fine, shiny cloth made from the thread of silkworms.
• Wool — cloth made from the hair of sheep, goats, etc.
• Jute — a rough plant fibre used for sacks and bags.
• Hemp — a strong plant fibre used for ropes and coarse cloth.
• Coir — fibre from the outer husk of coconuts, used for mats and ropes.
• Muslin — very fine, thin cotton cloth. Dhaka muslin was world famous.
• Embossed fabric — cloth with a design stamped on it so that it stands out in relief.

• Macaulay believed that European knowledge was far superior and Indian knowledge was worthless — though he admitted he knew neither Sanskrit nor Arabic.
• He wanted a class of Indians who would think like the English. They would serve the British as clerks and officials and support British rule.
• This is the ‘civilising mission’ — the colonisers claimed they were bringing ‘progress’ to ‘backward’ people. In reality, it cut Indians off from their own heritage and made them serve colonial interests.

The British Empire had colonies in so many parts of the world that at any time of the day, the sun was shining on some part of it.

It was correct at that time in terms of size. But the claim that it would last forever was wrong. After World War II, most colonies, including India in 1947, became free.

• In 1909, British India included present-day Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma).
• There were hundreds of princely states (shown in yellow), such as Hyderabad, Mysore and Kashmir. Today they are part of Indian states.
• Many names were different — Bombay (Mumbai), Madras (Chennai), Calcutta (Kolkata), Central Provinces, United Provinces, etc.
• Today India is divided into states and union territories, mostly on the basis of language.

The Santhals are shown dark-skinned, half-clothed and armed only with bows and arrows. The sepoys are shown in uniform with guns.

This would make the British public think that the Santhals were ‘wild’ and ‘primitive’, and that the British were bringing order. It hides the real reason for the revolt — the loss of their land and exploitation.

• Turmeric — yellow
• Madder (manjistha) roots — red
• Henna (mehndi) leaves — orange-brown
• Pomegranate rind — yellow
• Marigold flowers — yellow-orange
• Kattha and tea — brown
• Iron rust with jaggery — black

‘Re-opened’ is added because India was already connected to the world long before the Europeans came. India traded with the Greeks, Romans, Arabs and others for over two thousand years.

On repatriation: In my view, stolen artefacts should be returned to India. They belong to our heritage and were taken without permission. Today India has good museums and can preserve them. Some may argue they are safer abroad, but ownership matters more.

1. Colonialism is the practice where one country takes control of another region, sets up settlements there and imposes its political, economic and cultural systems.
2. Colonialism is the control of a weaker country by a stronger one to exploit its resources, markets and people.
3. Colonialism is foreign rule in which the colonised people lose their independence and their wealth is drained to the ruling country.

No, it was not true.

• India’s civilisation was much older than Europe’s.
• The British drained India’s wealth and caused terrible famines that killed millions.
• They ruined India’s textile and other industries.
• They dismantled village self-government and traditional schools.
• They used brutal force against rebels, burning villages and killing thousands.

So the real aim was exploitation, not civilising.

• The Portuguese used naval force and the cartaz system to control the spice trade. They also carried out religious persecution and forced conversions in Goa.
• The French trained sepoys and used puppet Indian rulers, but they lost to the British and remained limited to Pondicherry.
• The British came as traders but slowly became rulers. They used ‘divide and rule’, conspiracies (Plassey), the Doctrine of Lapse and subsidiary alliances. They controlled the whole economy and administration of India for nearly two centuries.

The railways and telegraph were paid for mostly by Indian taxes. But they were built mainly to serve British interests — to carry raw materials to ports, to spread British goods across India and to move troops quickly to crush rebellions. Even the costs of the British administration, army and lavish lifestyles of officials were paid by Indians. So Indians paid for the very system that kept them under control.

‘Divide and rule’ means keeping people divided so that they cannot unite against the ruler.

• The British supported one Indian ruler against another in their rivalries.
• They took advantage of succession disputes in royal families.
• At Plassey (1757), they won over Mir Jafar, the Nawab’s commander, against Siraj-ud-daulah.
• They encouraged tensions between religious communities.

Education: Before British rule, India had lakhs of village schools — pāṭhaśhālās and madrasās — that taught in local languages. After Macaulay’s Minute of 1835, English education was promoted to create clerks for the British. Traditional schools slowly disappeared.

Signs today: English is still seen as a language of prestige. There is a gap between English-educated people and others. Many students know little about India’s own knowledge traditions.

Timeline:

• Early 1857 — Mangal Pandey attacks British officers at Barrackpore.
• May 1857 — Sepoys at Meerut revolt and march to Delhi. Bahadur Shah Zafar is proclaimed leader.
• 1857 — The revolt spreads to Kanpur, Lucknow and Jhansi.
• September 1857 — The British recapture Delhi.
• 1858 — Jhansi is besieged. The Rani escapes and captures Gwalior.
• 18 June 1858 — Rani Lakshmibai is killed on the battlefield.
• November 1858 — Queen Victoria’s proclamation ends Company rule.
• 1859 — Tatia Tope is betrayed and hanged.

Example — The Santhal Rebellion (Hul), 1855–1856

• Trigger: Moneylenders and landlords, supported by the British, were taking away the ancestral lands of the Santhals.
• Leaders: The brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu.
• Demands: Return of their lands, an end to exploitation and their own government.
• British response: Very brutal. Villages were burnt and thousands of Santhals, including the leaders, were killed.
• How it is remembered: 30 June is observed every year as ‘Hul Diwas’ in Jharkhand and nearby regions, with songs and gatherings honouring the heroes.