WBBSE Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 5 Alternative Ideas and Initiatives (From mid-19th Century to the early 20th Century): Characteristics and Observations

Detailed explanations in West Bengal Board Class 10 History Book Solutions Chapter 5 Alternative Ideas and Initiatives (From mid-19th Century to the early 20th Century): Characteristics and Observations offer valuable context and analysis.

WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 5 Question Answer – Alternative Ideas and Initiatives (From mid-19th Century to the early 20th Century): Characteristics and Observations

Class 10 History Chapter 5 Question Answer WBBSE – Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark)

Question 1.
What Hicky had to affirm to the British Government before he was allowed to print and publish newspaper in Bengal ?
Answer:
In a pledge Hicky had to affirm that no story personal or domestic that can convey the smallest offence to any individual shall ever be inserted in the newspaper.

Question 2.
Why was Hicky’s newspaper closed by the Company’s government in 1782 ?
Answer:
Hicky’s paper was closed because in his paper he exposed many scandals disobeying the government rules.

Question 3.
Why is Hicky deserve credit as an editor of the newspaper ?
Answer:
Hicky deserves credit as an editor of the newspaper because he had not surrendered to the will of the rulers of the time.

Question 4.
Name one of the many newspapers that came to be published in the last two decades of the eighteenth century.
Answer:
In the last two decades of the eighteenth century many newspapers came to be published of which mention may be made of ‘The Calcutta Gazette’.

Question 5.
Why did Lord Wellesley think of imposing strict supervision on the press ?
Answer:
Being annoyed by the exposure and criticisms of many governmental actions in the newspapers lord Wellesley thought of imposing strict supervision on the press.

Question 6.
Which is admitted to be the first weekly newspaper published in Bengali language ?
Answer:
It has been admitted on all hands that the Bengal Gazette was the first weekly newspaper published in Bengali language.

Question 7.
What was the excellent job done by the Serampore missionaries in respect of educational and socio-cultural progress ?
Answer:
The Serampore missionaries by publishing journals and books in both English and Bengali languages did an excellent job in respect of educational and socio-cultural field.

Question 8.
What was the main feature of the repressive Act of 1857 in the matter of indian press ?
Answer:
The main feature of the repressive Act of 1857 was that it made no distinction between publications in Indian vernacular languages and English.

Question 9.
When did the Indian press get a new lease of life ?
Answer:
With the passing of the East India Company’s rule to the British Crown the Indian press got a new lease of life.

Question 10.
How did the Vernacular Press Act impact the vernacular press ?
Answer:
The Vernacular Press Act deprived the newspapers published in the vernacular languages of their right to criticize government.

Question 11.
How did the Baptist Mission and its Press help assimilation of Eastern and Western cultures in the country ?
Answer:
The Baptist Mission and its Press by printing books written in vernacular languages as also by publishing translations of works from English to Bengali facilitated assimilation of Eastern and Western cultures in the country.

Question 12.
How did printing press help the spread of education ?
Answer:
The printing press by publishing good number of books in a very short time helped the spread of education in the country. In Bengal who first conceived the idea of printing as a means of acquiring wealth.

Question 13.
What was the contribution of Upendrakishore Roy in the art of block-making ?
Answer:
The greatest contribution of Upendrakishore Roy was that he for the first time introduced the art of block-making not only in India but in the whole region of South Asia.

Question 14.
How did Upendrakishore Roy endeavour to introduce modern technique in the art of block-making ?
Answer:
In his endeavour to introduce modern technique in the art of block-making Upendrakishore imported books, chemicals and other equipments necessary for block-making from Britain.

Question 15.
How did Upendrakishore Roy excel in the art of printing ?
Answer:
Besides setting up modem printing press Upendrakishore Roy published articles from Britain that give proof of his in-depth knowledge about printing technology.

Question 16.
How did Mahendralal Sircar help the promotion of research and instructions in science ?
Answer:
Encouraged by Father Eugene Lafont Dr Mahendralal Sircar mooted the idea of promoting research and instructions in science, and the idea took a concrete shape in the foundation of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science.

Question 17.
With what objective was the National Council of Education founded ?
Answer:
The objective in setting up the National Council of Education was to challenge the British control over education.

Question 18.
Why was a split erupted in the National Council ?
Answer:
A split in the National Council became inevitable as there developed two different opinions regarding the method of instruction.

Question 19.
What was the objective of the Society for the Promotion of Technical Education set up in Bengal ?
Answer:
The objective of the Society for the Promotion of Technical Education (SPTE) was to spread technical education among the masses in West Bengal.

Question 20.
What were Rabindranath’s points in his critique of colonial education ?
Answer:
The points raised by Rabindranath in his critique of colonial education were that in the primary and secondary level education emphasis was on imparting education through the medium of English that evoked no impression in the minds of the learners.

Question 21.
What was Rabindranath’s idea of education?
Answer:
Rabindranath’s approach to education was humanistic as he believed in an inner harmony amongst man, nature and god.

Question 22.
What Rabindranath had to say about creative learning ?
Answer:
In a natural environment living in harmony with nature children would be able to cultivate their natural creativity.

Question 23.
What model of school Rabindranath had before him in establishing school at Santiniketan ?
Answer:
In establishing school at Santiniketan, Rabindranath had before him the model of the ancient forest schools of the Vedic period in india.

Question 24.
What did Rabindranath say about the aim of the Visva-Bharati founded at Santiniketan ?
Answer:
Explaining the aim and function of the Visva-Bharati Rabindranath said that he had formed a nucleus of an international university for promoting mutual understanding between East and the West.

Class 10 History Chapter 5 Questions and Answers WBBSE – Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)

Question 1.
How could Hicky start printing a newspaper in Bengal?
Answer:
Hicky sent a proposal to the British Government in London for printing a English newspaper in Bengal. The British Government accepted the proposal. Simultaneously, in a pledge to the British Govt. Hicky had to affirm that no story that can convey the smallest offence to any individual shall ever be published in the newspaper.

Question 2.
Why was Hicky’s newspaper subjected to prosecution by the British Government?
Answer:
Hicky’s newspaper was published in Bengal at a time when the state of society was of a very low order. Hicky exposed many scandals of the time in his newspaper. This enraged the British and several prosecutions were instituted against Hicky.

Question 3.
Why is Hicky regarded as the pioneer of the Indian press?
Answer:
The British Government practically ruined Hicky and his paper was closed in 1872. Yet as an editor of the Hicky’s Bengal Gazette Hicky deserves credit as he had not surrendered to the will of the rulers of the time. Thus an apostle of the free press Hicky is the pioneer of Indian press.

Question 4.
Resolving the controversy which is finally regarded as the first weekly newspaper published in Bengali language?
Answer:
A controversy erupted as to which was the first Bengali news weekly published in india. One opinion is that the Bangal Gazeti of Gangakishore Bhattacharya is the first Bengali news weekly while others believe that the Samachar Dapart published under the editorship of J.C. Marshman is the first Bengali newsweekly. It is now admitted on all hands that Bangal Qazeti is the first weekly newspaper published in Bengali language.

Question 5.
How did the regulation adopted by John Adams’ government make a clear distinction between the Anglo-Indian and Indian press?
Answer:
The regulation adopted by John Adams’ government reimposed control of the press. In doing so while no restriction was imposed on the Anglo-Indian press the Indian press was subjected to various restrictions. This was how a discriminatory regulation was adopted by the colonial government of India.

Question 6.
Which was the first daily newspaper in Bengali language?
Answer:
The Sambad Prabhakar is the first vernacular daily run by the Indians. The newspaper was edited by Iswarchandra Gupta.

Question 7.
How did printed books become a medium for dissemination of knowledge ?
Answer:
Indeed, printed books became a medium for the dissemination of knowledge. For instance, in the Fort William College young civilians were taught various languages for which text books were supplied by the Serampore Press.

Question 8.
How did the Baptist Mission facilitate assimilation of Eastern and Western cultures ?
Answer:
The Baptist Mission and its Press printed and published text books and other works in vernacular language as also in English. Books translated from English to Bengali were also included in the list of publications. All this facilitated assimilation of Eastern and Western cultures in India.

Question 9.
How did the printing press help the spread of education?
Answer:
The educated middle class of the towns needed the help of study materials. Printing press fulfilled their demand. While the copyists, after hard toil, could at best produce two books in a year, in the printing press volumes of books could be produced within a very short time.

Question 10.
How did a Bengali individual use printing as a commercial venture?
Answer:
Gangakishore Bhattacharya was an employee (compositor, who composed matter using types) of the Sreerampore Mission Press. He was the first who conceived the idea of printing in the current language as a means of acquiring wealth. That is to say, he used the printing machine as a commercial venture.

Question 11.
Would you say that Upendrakishor had an extraordinary depth of knowledge in printing technology?
Answer:
Upendrakishor was a man of extra-ordinary talents. His technical articles on block-making were published in the Penrose Annual Volumes published from Britain. The articles give ample proof of the depth of knowledge he had acquired in printing technology.

Question 12.
How did the first non-official scientific institution come to be established in Calcutta ?
Answer:
Contemporary educated Bengali middle class desired to be at the forefront of scientific knowledge and discoveries. It was to this end that the first non-official scientific research institution came into being. This was the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science which was established in 1876.

Question 13.
How was the Science College of the University of Calcutta established without any government aid?
Answer:
The Science College under the University of Calcutta was established without any aid from the colonial British Government. In the establishment of the Science College was possible due to the generous donation of about 37 lakhs of rupees made by Sri Rashbehari Ghosh and Sri Taraknath Palit.

Question 14.
How did the national education movement inaugurate in Bengal?
Answer:
The Swadeshi and Boycott movements, opposition to the government Circulais as also the efforts of Satischandra Mukheijee and his Dawn Society initiated the national education movement in Bengal. The movement was given a practical shape through the foundation of the National Council of Education.

Question 15.
How did the national education movement of Bengal spread in other parts of the country?
Answer:
The national education movement of Bengal soon spread to other provinces of the country. The Andhra National Council of Education, Ayodhyanath National High School at Masulipattam and in Allahabad signify the extension of the idea of national education born in Bengal.

Question 16.
What according to Rabindranath should be the aims of education?
Answer:
Rabindranath believed that the purpose of education was not merely to enrich ourselves through the fullness of knowledge. Rather, according to him, the purpose also was to establish bond of love and friendship between man and man. In a word, Rabindranath’s approach to education was humanistic.

Question 17.
What was the aim of Rabindranath in founding the school at Santiniketan?
Answer:
The Santiniketan school of Rabindranath, called Brahmacharyasram, was founded with the following aims. To ensure that the students were taught the importance of indian heritage and to give it a humanistic outlook. The school was also to provide all round development of the learners.

WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 5 Questions and Answers – Analytical Answer Questions (4 Marks)

Question 1.
Why did the Company’s government in India ruin Hicky’s newspaper despite the government giving a nod to the proposals of him ?
Answer:
The British Government in London allowed Hicky to print and publish newspaper in Bengal. Yet at a point of time his paper, Hicky’s Bengal Gazette was closed. The reasons are not far to seek.

• The printing press was established in Bengal at a time when state of society in Bengal was of a very low order.
• The British administrators were annoyed as Hicky exposed many scandals of the administration.
• In fact, it has always been the sacred duty of the newspapers to criticize the misdeeds of the government and publish the scandals.
• It goes to the credit of Hicky that despite his being an Englishman he did not hesitate to expose the colonial government in his newspaper.
• Moreover, Hicky deserves special credit as he did not surrender to the will of the colonial government.

Question 2.
Why was censorship imposed on the press by Lord Weflsleve’
Answer:
Since the publication of Hicky’s Bengal Gazette there had always been a swing from liberty to control by the colonial government in India. Starting from Warren Hastings the Governor-Generals were very much sensitive to the criticisms published in the press. It was Lord Wellesley who imposed press censorship for keeping the public in dark about the misdeeds of the government.

• Criticisms and exposures by the independent papers aroused anger and fear of the rulers.
• Lord Wellesley became furious when Mr. Bruce, the editor of Asiatic Minor, published an article in which he had made a comparative study
  of the strength of the Europeans and the native population.
• In imposing press censorship Wellesley practically gave effect to the sentiments of many Governor-Generals before him.
• In 1799 Wellesley put into action a set of rules that shackled the press. It was notified that no newspaper could be published unless it had been inspected by the government censor officers.

Question 3.
How did the British Government gag the print media 1857 and after?
Answer:
Under the East India Company’s government the administrators were very sensitive to the criticisms of the press. As such restrictions were imposed from time to time which prevented the newspapers to publish criticisms of the government. However, after the take-over of the indian government by the British Crown there was a change in the scenario.

• The Revolt of 1857 gave a stunning blow to the indian press in general. Lord Canning’s ‘Gagging Act’ was directed against the newspapers published in indian languages.
• However, with the assumption of the indian government by the British Crown in 1858 the indian press and for that matter the Bengali press got a new lease of life.

Question 4.
How did the printing press help the dissemiting knowledge?
Answer:
With the introduction of printing press it was possible to print and publish books that helped dissemination of knowledge.

• In this respect the elementary Bengali text-book that deserves special mention for learning Bengali language was the Varna Parichay by swarchandra Vidyasagar.
• The Baptism Mission was founded in Serampore in 1800. It started printing books in Bengali and English.
• The Fort William College was an institution that helped the spread of knowledge in various languages. The Serampore Press printed and published books for supply to the College.
• The printing press also helped the middle class who needed study materials for acquisition of knowledge.

Question 5.
Write is short what you know about the initiatives of Upend & shore Roy in respect of printing press ?
Answer:

• Upendrakishore Roychowdhury, popular as ‘Upendrakishore Roy’ was a famous writer, painter, violin-player, technologist and an entrepreneur. As a painter he pioneered the art of engraving in the country. Also he was the first to attempt colour printing.
• After attaining mastery over the technique Upendrakishore successfully introduced modern block-making, including half-tone and colour blocks.
• In 1895 he started a business of block-making. At the same time he went on publishing books though he did not have at that time any printing machine of his own.
• In 1913 Upendrakishore was able to set up a modern printing press. The press was named U.N. Roy & Sons in Calcutta.
• The printing press set up was probably the finest in India but in the whole of South Asia region.
• All that is mentioned above give ample proof how Upendrakishore ventured the commercial use of the printing press.

Question 6.
Narrate the background in which the indian Association for Cullivation of Science came to be established.
Answer:
Nineteenth century was a turning point in the history of the cultivation of scientific knowledge in Bengal. Bengal being the seat of the British government in india various sorts of activities of the British had its beginning in Bengal. In Bengal the British experimented with various technologies that they had imported.

The educated Bengalee middle class also desired that they should also be at the forefront of scientific knowledge and discoveries. It was in this background that the first non-official scientific research institution, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science came to be established in 1876.

Question 7.
What the contributions of the Indian Association for the ultivatin of Science?
Or
What the importance of the lACS in the progress of research in science and technology?
Answer:
In tune with the thoughts of Dr. Sircar the lACS focused on fundamental research in basic sciences.

• Till the early decades of the twentieth century the TACS was the only institution in India where higher research in physical sciences could be pursued.
• Students from different parts of the country flocked to Calcutta for work in the creative atmosphere of the TACS.
• It goes to the credit of the Association that many distinguished scientists of modem india like L. Srivastava, C. Prosad, Meghnad Saha and a host of eminent scientists of India carried on their research in the Association and thereby enriched the research culture of the institution.
• In the early years of the lACS the list of lecturers included luminaries of the era like Father Lafont, Jagadish Chandra Bose and others.
• Apart from the scholars the great public figures of contemporary Bengal who were closely associated with the lACS included Gurudas Banerjee, Rajendralal Mitra, Surendranath Banerjee, etc.
• The lACS entered a new phase when C.V. Raman joined it. He worked at lACS and it was here that he discovered the Effect, known as the Rarnan Effect, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
• The TACS offers fellowship to young researchers. Besides it publishes results of the researches in its journal.

Question 8.
In what context was the National Council of Education founded Bengal?
Answer:
Immediately before the Partition of Bengal (1905) Lord Curzon by the University Act of 1904 infringed upon the autonomy of the University of Calcutta. This gave rise to tremendous dissatisfaction in the literary circle of Bengal.

• The nationalists of contemporary Bengal thought of establishing an education system over which only the Indians would have the full control.
• The idea behind was that a people’s education must be in the hands of the people concerned. The idea took a concrete shape in the formation of the National Council of Education.
• The objective in setting up the institution was to challenge the British rule over education. Besides, the institution was to offer education to the masses on ‘national lines and under national control’.

Question 9.
Why did a spilt develop in the National Council?
Answer:
The University Act of 1904 taken by the Indian nationalist as an arbitrary act on the part of the British government to dominate over educational institutions. This led to the setting up of the National Council of Education.

• The objective of the National Council of Education was to challenge the British rule over education. Besides, the institution was to offer education to the masses on ‘national lines and under national control’.
• A split in the National Council became inevitable when there developed two opinions regarding the method of instruction.
• The majority members wanted a three-dimensional instruction,literary-scientific-technical
• The minority group thought that this was too ambitious a project and favoured technical education with a sprinkling of science teaching.

Question 10.
What was Rabindranath’s ideas about the colonial system of education?
Answer:
Rabindranath’s critique of colonial education came to be spelled in articles published in journals like Bhandar and Bangadars had. His points in his critique of colonial education may be put forward in the following:

• In the colonial system primay and secondary level education was designed through the English language. According to the Poet English is so fundamentally different from Bengali that English words and expressions did not evoke any joy in the learning.
• Under the colonial system education was external to the child’s living world. It could not touch the core of his life. The ideas that came to the learners through English language could never get assimilated in their life.
• Rabindranath founded his own school based on his ideas of education at Santiniketan in 1901. Here he followed the model of ancient forest schools of india.

Class 10 History Chapter 5 Questions and Answers West Bengal Board – Explanatory Answer Questions (8 Marks)

Question 1.
How did printing press and newspapers emerge in India ? How did the British try to gag the press ?
Answer:
a. Introduction : It first occurred in the mind of Mr. James Augustus Hicky, who came to Calcutta as a trader, that ‘great benefit might arise from setting on foot a public newspaper in the country (Bengal).

b. Hicky’s Proposal : Accordingly, Hicky sent to England proposals for printing a newspaper in Bengal, to be published every Saturday under the title The Bengal Gazette.

c. British Approval: The British Government in England gave a nod to the proposals of Hicky. Simultaneously, in a pledge to the British Government Hicky affirmed that no story personal or domestic that can convey the smallest offence to any individual shall ever be inserted in the newspaper.

d. First Printing Press and Newspaper : Hicky set up his printing press in 1780, and in the same year brought out the first newspaper of india, (the actual name in which the newspaper was published was Hicky’s Bengal Gazette) in Bengal.

e. British Action against the Press : The printing press came to be established in Bengal at a time when its state of society was of a very low order. The fact is important because several prosecutions were instituted against Hicky as his paper exposed many scandals. He was practically ruined as in 1782 the paper was closed, types were seized.

f. Pioneer of the indian Press : It must, however, be admitted that Hicky is the pioneer of the Indian press. As an editor he deserves credit for he had not surrendered to the will of the rulers of his time.

g. Censorship Imposed on the Press : Since the publication of Hicky’s Bengal Gazette there had always been a swing from liberty to control by the colonial government in India.

• Criticisms and exposures by the independent papers aroused anger and fear of the rulers.
• Lord Wellesley became furious when Mr. Bruce, the editor of Asiatic Minor, published an article in which he had made a comparative study of the strength of the Europeans and the native population.
• In imposing press censorship Wellesley practically gave effect to the sentiments of many Governor-Generals before him.
• In 1799 Wellesley put into action a set of rules that shackled the press. It was notified that no newspaper could be published unless it had been inspected by the government censor officers.

Question 2.
How did printing press and printed text help dissemination of knowledge?
Answer:
a. Introduction : Introduction of printing press helped the increase in the quantity of books. The manuscripts totally dependent on the care of the scribe and copyist, prior to the emergence of printing press, had always been inaccurate. Thus printing press helped dissemination of knowledge with important cultural consequences.

b. Newspapers and Books Published in Indian Languages : During the 20s of the nineteenth century newspapers and books began to be published in indian languages. The missionaries of Srerampore did excellent job on the educational, cultural and social field by publishing both English and Bengali journals and a number of books in Indian languages.

c. Fort William College : In 1800 was founded the Fort William College by Lord Wellesley in Calcutta. The College made important contribution to Bengali language and literature. Without the facility of publication that the College offered it would have been impossible for many of the early Bengali authors to get their works done and published. The College made printing and publishing in the classical and vernacular languages possible in the country in a wide scale.

d. Publication of Elementary Text-books : Printing press did a great job in disseminating elementary education to the learners. The elementary text-book that deserves special mention is that of Varna Parichay by Iswarchandra Vidyasagar. Besides, national literature in the form of novels, essays, etc. also played an important role in the dissemination of knowledge.

e. The Asiatic Society : The Asiatic Society founded by William Jones in 1784 became publishing partner of many actors of socio-religious and cultural reform movements of Bengal. It began publishing in-depth studies in South Asian literature and languages in the late eighteenth century. It also published translation of many important texts originally written in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and other languages.

f. Calcutta University Press : The University of Calcutta established in 1857 initiated its publishing department, popularly known as ‘Calcutta University Press’ (CUP) in 1908. The CUP contributed immensely to the dissemination of knowledge by publishing works of contemporary relevance.

g. Visva-Bharati Granthana Vibhaga : Visva-Bharati was founded by Rabindranath at Santiniketan in 1921. In 1923 Visva-Bharati Granthana Vibhaga (Visva-Bharati Publishing Department) was established to publish all literary works of Rabindranath himself and other eminent people. Tagore’s literary works and creative writings, particularly poems, songs, dance-dramas, etc. got immensely popular not only in Bengal but also in other parts of the country and globally.

h. Books published by different institutions : After the introduction of printing in Bengal different institutions started publishing books which went a long way in disseminating knowledge. Apart from the institutions mentioned above there were many publishing houses that published books on different subjects that helped spread of education and thereby disseminated knowledge.

Question 3.
What was Upendrekishor Roy’s contributions in the art of block-making? What was his initiative in the sphere of commercial printing ?
Answer:
a. Introduction : Upendrakishore Roy Choudhury alias Upendrakishore Roy was a famous writer, painter, technician and a composer at the one and the same time. Upendrakishore spearheaded the cultural rejuvenation of Bengal. As a painter Upendrakishore pioneered the art of engraving in the countiy. Also he was the first to attempt colour printing. He began all this at a time when engraving and colour printing had been developing in the Western countries.

b. Contributions in the Art of Block-making : Upendrakishore was the man who first introduced the art of modem block-making no only in India but in the whole region of South Asia. Upendrakishore learnt the process of block making in stages.

• Upendrakishore was a prolific writer. While reproducing some illustrations using woodcut line blocks in his book Chheleder Ramayana Upendrakishore found that these were very poor. This encouraged him to learn modern technology in block-making.
• In his endeavour to learn the modern technique Upendrakishore imported books, chemicals and other equipments necessary in block – making from Britain.
• After attaining mastery over the technique Upendrakishore successfully introduced modern block-making, including half-tone and colour blocks.
• Upendrakishore was a man of extra-ordinary talents. His technical articles about block-making were published in the Penrose Annual Volumes published from Britain. The articles give ample proof of the depth of knowledge he had acquired in printing technology.

c. Initiative in the Sphere of Commercial Printing: In 1895 Upendra- kishore started a business of block-making. Simultaneously, Upendrakishore went on publishing books though he did not personally have any printing machine. He used to get the books printed from other printers.

• In 1913, however, Upendrakishore was able to set up a modem printing press. The press was named U.N. ROY 8s SONS, and was located at Garpar area of North Calcutta (near present Manicktola).
• One opinion suggested that the printing press set up by Upendrakishore was probably the finest press in the contemporary South Asia.

Question 4.
How was the indian Association for the Cultivation of Science founded ? What was its contributions ?
Answer:
a. Foundation of the IACS : The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science is the oldest scientific research institute of India. Inspired by the new technologies introduced by the British, Dr. Mahendralal Sircar thought of doing something for the scientific progress of the country. He was friendly with Father Eugene Lafont, who was also interested in promoting science in India. Thus encouraged by Father E. Lafont, Dr. Mahendralal Sircar founded the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) in 1876 in Calcutta.

b. Help from Different Quarters : In his effort to the promotion of research and institutions in science Dr. Sircar received help in every respect from different quarters. The Leading educationists as also the prominent citizens of Calcutta came forward in the venture. Such people not only helped Dr. Sircar with counsel and encouragement but contributed enthusiastically so that an institution could be set up.

c. Setting up of IACS : It was in this manner that India’s first non¬official (non-government) scientific research institution, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science came into existence. With its foundation began the scientific movement in the country under Indian initiative. Dr. Sircar was the first Secretary, and renowned persons like Keshab Chandra Sen and Iswarchandra Vidyasagar were the members of the Board of Trustees.

d. Contributions of the IACS : In tune with the thoughts of Dr. Sircar the IACS focused on fundamental research in basic sciences.

• Till the early decades of the twentieth century the IACS was the only institution in India where higher research in physical sciences could be pursued.
• Students from different parts of the country flocked to Calcutta for work in the creative atmosphere of the IACS.
• It goes to the credit of the Association that many distinguished scientists of modem India like L. Srivastava, C. Prosad, Meghnad Saha and a host of eminent scientists of India carried on their research in the Association and thereby enriched the research culture of the institution.
• In the early years of the IACS the list of lecturers included luminaries of the era like Father Lafont, Jagadish Chandra Bose and others.
• Apart from the scholars the great public figures of contemporary Bengal who were closely associated with the IACS included Gurudas Banerjee, Rajendralal Mitra, Surendranath Banerjee, etc.
• The IACS entered a new phase when C.V. Raman joined it. He worked at IACS and it was here that he discovered the Effect, known as the Raman Effect, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
• The IACS offers fellowship to young researchers. Besides it publishes results of the researches in its journal.

Question 5.
Write in short about the foundation of Calcutta Science College. What you know about Basu Bigyan Mandir ?
Answer:
a. The Calcutta Science College : In 1914 the University College of Science and Technology was founded. The College subsequently came to be known as ‘Rajabazar Science College’ or simply ‘Science College’. However, the official name of the Science College is Rashbehari Sikska Prangan in the memory of Sri Rashbehari Ghosh.

b. Its Foundation : The Science College was founded by Sri Asutosh Mukherjee who was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta at that time. While the University of Calcutta was established by the fund made available by the colonial British Government, in the case of Science College no such fund was provided.

As such the Science College was completely unaided institution. In fact, it was the great visionary, Asutosh Mukherjee, using the generous donation from Taraknath Palit and Sri Rashbehari Ghosh that the College could be established. Both of them together made a generous donation of 37 lakhs of repees and a plot of land on which the College came up.

c. Academic Achievement : The first batch of teachers included Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, the Nobel laureate Sir Chandra Sekhar Venkata Raman, popularly known as ‘C. V. Raman’, Sisir Kumar Mitra, etc. The legendary 1915 M.Sc. batch comprised Satyendranath Bose, Meghnad Saha, Jnanchandra Ghosh and others.

d. Basu Bigyan Mandir : Basu Bigyan Mandir also known as the Bose Institute is a research institute. The institute provides facilities for researches in various subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, Environmental Science and many others. In 1917 the institute was founded by Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose who pioneered the modem scientific research in India.

Also the Bose Institute was the first to introduce the concept of inter-disciplinary research in India. Presently the Institute has three campuses. The main campus, however, is situated at the former residence of Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose, near the Science College, Kolkata.

Question 6.
Write in brief about the National Council of Education. In what context was the Bengal Technical Institute founded ?
Answer:
a. National Council of Education : Immediate before the Partition of Bengal (1905) Lord Curzon by the University Act of 1904 infringed upon the autonomy of the University of Calcutta. This gave rise to tremendous dissatisfaction in the literary circle of Bengal.

• The nationalists of contemporary Bengal thought of establishing an education system over which only the Indians would have the full control.
• The idea behind was that a people’s education must be in the hands of the people concerned. The idea took a concrete shape in the formation of the National Council of Education.
• The objective in setting up the institution was to challenge the British rule over education. Besides, the institution was to offer education to the masses on ‘national lines and under national control’.

b. A Split in the National Council and the foundation of the Bengal Technical Institute : A split in the National Council became inevitable when there developed two opinions regarding the method of instruction.

• The majority members wanted a three-dimensional instruction, literary-scientific-technical.
• The minority group thought that this was too ambitious a project and favoured technical education with a sprinkling of science teaching.
• The two groups fell apart with the minority group setting up a separate institution of its own.
• The rival institute was named Society for the Promotion of Technical Education in Bengal (SPTE).
• The SPTE was set up in the house of Sri Taraknath Palit with financial support from him. It was the SPTE that founded the Bengal Technical Institute on 25 July 1906. The objective of the institute was to spread technical education among the masses in West Bengal.

Question 7.
Write a short essay on Rabindranath’s ideas on education in his critique of colonial education in the country.
Answer:
a. Introduction : Western influence on Bengali life, literature and thought was already half a century old when Tagore was born. The young Tagore grew up in an atmosphere thick with western influence. But Western education led, paradoxically, to a rediscovery of the national heritage, and the growth of national consciousness.

b. Rabindranath’s critique of colonical education : Rabindranath’s critique of colonial education came to be spelled in articles published in journals like Bhandar and Bangadarshan. His points in his critique of colonial education may be put forward in the following :

(i) In the colonial system primary and secondary level education the emphasis was on imparting education through the medium of English. English is very different from Bengali, and to Rabindranath the English words could hardly evoke any impression in the mind of the learner. Obviously, the Poet felt that the child found no joy in learning, he could not think for himself, he simply used to memorize a lifeless vocabulary.

(ii) Under the colonial system, education was delinked to child’s living world. It did not touch the core of his life. It was the realization of Rabindranath Tagore that the quality of life did not change under the colonial system of learning through the medium of English. Rabindranath insisted on simultaneous learning of ideas as well as linguistic skill.

c. Rabindranath’s Ideas on Education : Elaborating his own ideas about the aims of education Rabindranath said that the fundamental purpose of education was not “…merely to enrich ourselves through the fullness of knowledge…”. Rather he believed that the purpose also was to establish bond of love and friendship between man and man.

Thus it may be said that Rabindranath’s approach to education was humanistic. He believed in an inner harmony amongst man, nature and god. In Rabindranath’s idea of education teachers had to be imaginative. The teachers should understand the child, and help the child to develop curiosity in them.

Tagore further felt that the creative learning could be encouraged only within natural environment. Living in harmony with nature, children would be able to cultivate their natural creativity.