Detailed explanations in West Bengal Board Class 10 History Book Solutions Chapter 7 Movements Organized by Women, Students, and Marginal People in 20th Century India: Characteristics and Analyses offer valuable context and analysis.
WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 7 Question Answer – Movements Organized by Women, Students, and Marginal People in 20th Century India: Characteristics and Analyses
Class 10 History Chapter 7 Question Answer WBBSE – Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark)
Question 1.
The emotional hymn Bande Mataram appears in which novel of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee?
Answer:
Bande Mataram hymn appears in the Anandamath novel authored by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
Question 2.
Who was the first lady President of the Indian National Congress ?
Answer:
Annie Besant became the first lady President of the Indian National Congress in 1917.
Question 3.
The first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress was :
Answer:
The first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
Question 4.
In what ways the Parsee and Christian women residing in Bombay participate in the Non Co-operation Movement ?
Answer:
The Parsee and Christian women residing in Bombay participated in the Non Co-operation Movement by advocating female education.
Question 5.
Who organized the Dipali Sangha in Dhaka, the capital of present Bangladesh?
Answer:
It was Leela Roy in 1924 organized the Dipali Sangha in Dhaka.
Question 6.
What was the Chhatri Sangha?
Answer:
The Chhatri Sangha was a female students’ organization of Calcutta founded in 1928.
Question 7.
What was the appeal made by Subhas Chandra Bose in the first meeting of the Azad Hind Fauj in Singapore ?
Answer:
In the meeting Subhas Chandra Bose appealed to the women to join as volunteers in the women regiment to be set up under the Azad Hind Fauj.
Question 8.
Who was to become the first martyr in Midnapur when he was arrested by the British police?
Answer:
In Tamluk of present Midnapur a student leader named Gunadhar Hazra became the first martyr when he was arrested by the British police.
Question 9.
Who made an abortive attempt on the life of Stanley Jackson in 1932 ?
Answer:
It was Bina Das who made an abortive attempt on the life of Stanley Jackson.
Question 10.
Who organized the Mahad Satyagraha ?
Answer:
It was B.R. Ambedkar who organized the Mahad Satyagraha in South Bombay.
Class 10 History Chapter 7 Questions and Answers WBBSE – Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)
Question 1.
When did for the first time the Indian womenfolk come forward to play an active role in the polities of the country ?
Answer:
The first occasion when the womenfolk of India came forward to play an active role in the country was the anti-Partition agitation. It was during the anti-Partition agitation that womenfolk, so long confined to household activities, came forward to play an active role in politics.
Question 2.
How did Saraladebi Choudhurani contribute to the cause of India’s freedom struggle ?
Answer:
Saraladebi’s single contribution lay in the formation of youth groups. Besides, Saraladebi by spreading the gospel of nationalism and maintaining close links with the revolutionary secret societies contributed to the cause of India’s struggle for freedom.
Question 3.
How did the womenfolk of Calcutta observed the day of Partition as the day of protest ?
Answer:
Throughout Bengal women observed the day of Partition as a ‘day of protest’. On the day of Partition about 500 women gathered on the day of Partition in North Calcutta to watch the foundation of the Federation Hall, which was a symbol of unity of the Bengali people.
Question 4.
How did Basanti Debi participate in the Non Co-operation Movement ?
Answer:
The Non Co-operation Movement was an opportunity when women were politicized with leadership abilities. During the Movement Bengali women under the leadership of Basanti Devi organized a demonstration before the shops selling foreign goods. Also Basanti Debi along with others hawked khaddar (homespun cloth) in the Calcutta streets.
Question 5.
How did Sarojini Naidu serve as an inspiration to the womenfolk of India join national movement ?
Answer:
On the call of Gandhiji Sarojini Naidu encouraged women to form their own political organization. Thus Rashtriya Stree Sangha came to be established which was to work within the Congress fold. However, entry of Sarojini Naidu to the high post as that of the President of the Indian National Congress served as an inspiration to the womenfolk to join national movement.
Question 6.
What was the nature of women participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement?
Answer:
Between 1930 and 1932 women in many places played an important role as they conducted picketing in front of the shops selling foreign goods. Calcutta women made and sold salt. The capital city also became the centre of revolutionary struggle when the women’s colleges became centres of recruiting women revolutionaries.
Question 7.
What incident immortalized Midnapur in the freedom movement during the Quit India Movement ?
Answer:
The incident that immortalized Midnapur in the history of the freedom movement during the Quit India Movement was the heroic feat of Matangini Hazra, a 73-year-old lady. In September 1942 Matangini Hazra urged the crowd onward and refused to stop. In fact she led the crowd in capturing the court and Police Station of Tamluk.
Question 8.
Would you say that there had been no encouragement from any quarter to encourage the women to join the revolutionary struggle ?
Answer:
Indeed, the revolutionary secret societies made no concerted efforts to encourage the participation of womenfolk as Gandhiji had done in regard to non-violent activities. As the ideology of the time was too conservative women were, initially, not included in the gupta-samitis (revolutionary secret societies).
Question 9.
What was the real motive of the Dipali Sangha behind the ostensible purpose of spreading education.
Answer:
Behind the ostensible purpose of spreading education amongst women the real intention was to initiate the members of the sangha to revolutionary ideal. Besides, even more remarkable was its work in the sphere of women’s rights movement.
Question 10.
What was the most remarkable of the work of the Dipali Sangha of Dhaka ?
Answer:
Dipali Sangha of Dhaka deserves credit for organizing the first female students’ movement in present Bangladesh. However, the most remarkable of Dipali Sangha’s work for the advancement of women was in the field of women’s rights.
Question 11.
How did Pritilata Waddedar bring an end to her life after an attempt to revolutionary attack ?
Answer:
Pritilata Waddedar was the young women who took part in the Chittagong Armoury Raid. After Pritilata sustained a bullet injury she handed over her revolver to a fellow revolutionary and herself put an end to the life by consuming potassium cynide on the failure of the mission.
Question 12.
How did Kalpana Datta join the revolutionary group of Surya Sen ?
Answer:
Kalpana Datta, Bina Das and many others were all major actors in the armed movement of the 1930s. Kalpana Datta became a member of the Chittagong branch of the Indian Republican Army and became a part of the armed resistance group led by Suiya Sen (Masterda).
Question 13.
Who was Captain Lakshmi Sehgal ?
Answer:
Encouraged by the call given by Subhas Chandra Bose to oppose the British Lakshmi Sehgal joined the Azad Hind Fauj as a volunteer. Having a mandate from Subhas Chandra Bose Lakshmi Sehgal, later Captain Sehgal, set up an all-women regiment of Azad Hind Fauj which was to be called Rani of Jhansi Regiment.
Question 14.
What role did the student community play in the freedom movement ?
Answer:
During the freedom movement the student community played a vital role in lodging protest against the misdeeds of the colonial British rulers. In fact, from the anti-Partition agitation down to the Quit India Movement a remarkable role was played by the student community of the country for wresting freedom from the colonial rulers. In 1946 a series of protest meetings and processions were organized by the students.
Question 15.
How did the student community respond to the visit of the Simon Commission ?
Answer:
Responding to the call for a countrywide demonstration against the visit of the Simon Commission the student community of the country organized massive protest. The students of Bengal as also in other parts of the country raised the slogan Go back Simon. The students wore tri – colour badges and organized strike.
Question 16.
How did the student community of Bengal participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement ?
Answer:
Between 1930 and 1933 as many as fifteen thousand students in Bengal were imprisoned by the British on the charge of violating Section 144 for picketing in front of business establishments. In Midnapur, West Bengal, the students played a remarkable role paralyzing schools and colleges. The students also encouraged lakhs of peasants to offer Satyagraha.
Question 17.
How did the students of Bengal organize open rebellion during the Quit India Movement ?
Answer:
During the 1940s the students of Bengal went into action in defence of civil rights. As a protest against the imposition of the Section 144 of CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) the students did not hesitate to defy the restrictive orders. Students like Pulin Sen, Birendranath Sasmal, Srimati Abha Maiti and others of Midnapur found in Gandhiji’s an opportunity for open rebellion.
Question 18.
Why was the Anti-Circular Society established ?
Answer:
The Carlyle Circular (1905) issued by the British government threatened punitive measures against the students participating in politics. As a protest the Anti-Circular Society was formed by Sachindra Prasad Basu. Apart from encouraging the students to participate in the anti-British movement the Anti-Circular Society also made necessary arrangements for education of the students who were expelled from schools and colleges by the British authorities.
Question 19.
Which of the revolutionaries did assist Surya Sen in organizing the Chittagong Armoury Raid?
Answer:
The most important revolutionary attempt of Surya Sen was the raid that he organized upon the Chittagong Armoury on 18 April 1930. In organizing the Chittagong Armoury Raid Surya Sen was assisted by revolutionaries like Loknath Baul, Ganesh Ghosh and others.
Question 20.
What was the Corridor Warfare ?
Answer:
The encounter that took place between the British Police and the three revolutionaries, Benoy-Badal-Dinesh, at the Writers’ Buildings, Calcutta, became famous in history as the Corridor Warfare. On 8 December 1930, the three revolutionaries entered the Writers’ Buildings and fatally shot Colonel Simpson, the then Inspector-General of Prisons.
Question 21.
What was the revolutionary feat of Bina Das ?
Answer:
Bina Das was a major actor in the armed movement of the 1930s. In 1932, Bina Das made an attempt on the life of Stanley Jackson, the then Governor of Bengal, though the attempt had failed.
Question 22.
Why was the ‘Rashid Ali Day5 observed ?
Answer:
The British Government had imposed seven years’ rigorous imprisonment sentence on Captain Abdul Rashid Ali, an officer of the Indian National Army. On 11 February 1946 the students of Calcutta observed the Rashid Ali Day as a protest against Rashid’s imprisonment and raised the demand for his release.
Question 23.
Why was the Mahad Satyagraha organized ?
Answer:
Mahad Satyagraha was organized under the leadership of B.R. Ambedkar in March 1927. The Satyagraha was organized on the demand to allow the dalits to use the water of a disputed tank at Mahad town in Maharashtra.
Question 24.
Why was the Poona Pact (1932) signed ?
Answer:
The ‘Communal Award’ (1932) of the British sought to create divisions in different Indian communities. Even the Award attempted to create division amongst the Hindus. The Poona Pact was signed between Ambedkar and others representing the Hindu Depressed Class and Rajendra Prasad and others representing Caste Hindu to foil British attempt to create divisions within the Hindu community.
Question 25.
Why is Harichand Thakur important ?
Answer:
Harichand Thakur is important as he tried to unite the Namasudras in the struggle against the exploitation of the Brahmin priests as also Brahmin zamindars. In fact, it was through the introduction of Mathua religion by Harichand Thakur that the Namasudras emerged as a united power.
Question 26.
Why is Guruchand Thakur remembered ?
Answer:
Guruchand Thakur is remembered because it was he who devoted himself to the uplift of the Namasudras. Also it was he who was responsible for the spread of education amongst the Namasudras. As such he is regarded as the ‘father of the Namasudra renaissance’.
WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 7 Questions and Answers – Analytical Answer Questions (4 Marks)
Question 1.
How did womenfolk participate in the anti-Partition agitation ?
Answer:
One of the remarkable features of the anti-partition agitation was the participation of women. Yet it was limited in extent, as pointed out by Professor Sumit Sarkar, with the exception of Saraladebi Choudhurani, no one dreamt of including women in the movement.
- Saraladebi spread the gospel of nationalism in Punjab and maintained close links with the Suhrid Samiti of Mymensingh (in present Bangladesh), a secret revolutionary society.
- Recent researches, however, revealed that apart from Saraladebi there were many other women who were drawn into the political struggle during the anti-partition agitation.
- The day of Partition (16 October 1905) was observed by the women throughout Bengal as the day of protest.
- In Dacca, an eleven-year old little girl, Ashalata Sen, under the inspiration of her grandmother, Nabashashi Sen, went visiting house after house encouraging women to join the Swadeshi cause.
- A report published in the Bamabodhini Patrika stated “Women like men are organizing meetings in towns as well as villages to express sorrow at the partition of Bengal, and are taking the swadeshi vows ” Women also played an important role in the revolutionary phase of the anti partition movement.
Question 2.
How did the womenfolk participate in the Non Co-operation Movement ?
Answer:
The interest in politics that the Swadeshi Movement had roused amongst women continued in the following decades.
- During the Non Co-operation days the Bengali women were led by Basanti Devi, the wife of Chittaranjan Das (C.R. Das). Under her leadership a demonstration of women was organized before the shops selling foreign goods.
- Basanti Devi became the President of the Bengal Provincial Congress in 1921. Her participation in politics protest encouraged others to join the Non Co-operation.
- Following Gandhiji’s doctrine of reviving the village economy, Urmila Debi devoted herself primarily to the setting up of an organization for popularizing spinning and weaving among women.
- Sarojini Naidu became the Congress President in 1926. She was the first Indian woman to become the Congress President. Entry of Sarojini Naidu to the high post served as an inspiration to the womanhood of India.
Question 3.
Write in short about the participation of women in the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Answer:
The Non Co-operation Movement was abruptly called off by Gandhiji because of the Chauri Chaura incident. Yet Indian women’s interest in politics did not subside.
a. During the era of Civil Disobedience Movement women in many places of the country played an important role as they conducted picketing in front of the shops selling foreign goods.
b. Women’s participation in the Movement, however, took various forms. While Parsee and Christian women residing in Bombay advocated female education, the Gujarati women, under the influence of Gandhiji, aimed at the attainment of Swaraj and women’s freedom.
c. In Bengal, women leaders like Kumudini Bose, Latika Ghosh and Hemalata Tagore made sincere efforts promoting women’s welfare and training of women in some useful crafts.
d. In U.P. Swarup Rani Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru’s mother, burdened with age did not hesitate to vote for khadi in the streets. Thus Gandhiji’s Civil Disobedience found wonderful response from the Indian womenfolk.
Question 4.
What was the nature of women’s participation in the Quit India Movement ?
Answer:
Women’s participation in the Quit India Movement took various forms in rural and urban areas of the country. While in the rural areas the peasant women protested against prevalent land-system in city areas the message of fight for freedom was propagated through radio transmitter.
- In the rural areas the peasant women joined the men in lodging protest against the hike in land-revenue and other taxes imposed illegally. Also the women protested against the landholders’ rights.
- In Midnapur district of West Bengal, during the course of the Quit India Movement, the peasants attacked the police stations, even the communication network was disrupted by destroying telegraph lines.
- In Midnapur Srimati Matangini Hazra, a 73-year old widow, gave the lead in capturing the court and the police station of Tamluk.
- Usha Mehta, a patriot to the very core of her heart, set up a radio transmitter, known as the Voice of Freedom. Her intention was to circulate the information of war of freedom amongst the people of the country.
- It is quite evident from what is stated above that the women of India played a commendable role in the Quit India Movement.
Question 5.
In what way the participation of women in revolutionary struggle was different from that of the non-violent struggle ?
Answer:
In the revolutionary struggle participation of women presented a different picture than that of non-violent struggle. The difference between the two may be summed up as follows :
a. Women’s involvement in the non-violent struggle had the support and encouragement of Gandhiji. But the women who participated in the armed struggle joined it of their own. That is to say, there had been no encouragement from any quarter to enthuse the women to join the revolutionary struggle.
b. In fact, the revolutionary secret societies made no concerted efforts to encourage the participation of women as Mahatma Gandhi had done in regard to the non-violent activities.
c. Another important point to be noted is that direct participation of women in the revolutionary movement was not feasible also due to certain constraints.
d. However, in general the indirect participation of women helped the revolutionaries silently from the background. In the above context the revolutionary activities of Pritilata Waddedar, Kalpana Datta and many others may be remembered.
Question 6.
How did the students participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement ?
Answer:
At the call of Mahatma Gandhi the student community of Bengal participated in a big way to the Non Co-operation Movement.
a. Thousands of students left government schools and colleges and joined national schools and colleges. Gandhiji had no hesitation in saying that he had no doubt that the ‘students of Bengal would give the lead in our sustained struggle for freedom.’
b. In 1921 when the Prince of Wales came to Calcutta a large number of students demonstrated before the Prince showing him black flags.
c. The day of his visit was also marked by a complete strike in all the schools and colleges.
d. The students’ movement during the Non Co-operation did not remain confined to Calcutta alone. In Tamluk, in Medinipur district of West Bengal, a student leader named Gunadhar Hazra became the first martyr when he was arrested by the British police.
Question 7.
In what context was the Anti-Circular Society formed in 1905 ?
Answer:
It is well known that the student community of Bengal took an active part in the Anti-Partition Movement. The British Government with a view to keeping the students away from politics took up various measures.
- Circulars were issued forbidding the students to associate themselves with any political movement.
- Even the slogan Bande Mataram was declared to be a punishable offence.
- Carlyle Circular (1905) threatened punitive measures to those institutions which failed to prevent their students’ participation in politics.
- But all this could not dissuade the students from participating in the anti-Partition agitation. It was in such a context that Anti-Circular Society (1905) was organized by Sachindra Prasad Basu.
- The purpose of the Society was to encourage the students to participate in the Movement against the Partition of Bengal. Moreover the Society also made necessary arrangements for imparting education to the students who had been expelled from schools by the government authorities.
Question 8.
Why was the Dawn Society established ?
Answer:
Satish Chandra Mukheijee sincerely believed that the object of the English education was very narrow. According to him, it served no better purpose than creating some job-seekers.
- Describing the University of Calcutta as the Goldighir Golamkhana, meaning “House of producing slaves of the College Square’, Satish Chandra set up an institution named the Dawn Society.
- The idea behind was to provide opportunities to the Bengali students to become real men through all-round physical, mental and spiritual development.
- It may be said that the Swadeshi and Boycott movements, as also opposition to government circulars made the Dawn Society initiate the national education movement in Bengal.
- The initiative was given a practical shape through the foundation of the National Council of Education in 1905.
Question 9.
Write in short about the revolutionary feat of the Bengal Volunteers.
Answer:
At a time when the Chittagong Armoury Raid created a nation-wide stir, the members of the Bengal Volunteers also known simply as ‘BV’ of Dhaka (Dacca) set an example of terrorist action.
a. In fact, the Bengal Volunteers founded under the initiative of the revolutionary Hem Chandra Ghosh, was responsible for a good number of revolutionary acts. Benoy Krishna Bose, Badal Bose (alias Sudhir) and Dinesh Gupta, the three members of the Bengal Volunteers are popular by the short trio Benoy-Badal-Dinesh.
b. After committing a series of terrorist killings and bombing, the three were again involved in killing Colonel Simpson, the then Inspector of Prisons.
c. On 8 December 1930 the three revolutionaries entered the Writers’ Buildings and fatally shot Simpson. The encounter that took place between the police and the revolutionaries became famous in history as the Corridor Warfare.
d. In the encounter all the three were cornered. Badal Bose and Benoy Bose were killed by the police. Dinesh Gupta, however, was brought to trial and hanged to death by a judgment of the Court.
Question 10.
Write in short about the development of the dalit politics under Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
Answer:
Ambedkar’s maiden entry into Indian politics came about 1919 when he was called to appear before the Franchise Committee working for the implementation of the Reform Act of 1919 (Montague-Chelmsford Reforms). There he argued in favour of communal representation for the dalits.
- Ambedkar’s next major advocacy for the dalit issue was to the Simon Commission in 1928. But before that he organized the Mahad Satyagraha in 1927 which was a great and most sensational struggle.
- Mahad town in Colaba district of south Bombay was the venue of a conference of Dalits. It was in this conference that plan for a satyagraha was chalked out.
- The Mahad Satyagraha may have failed to assure water to the dalits from a disputed tank, yet it did succeed in winning for Ambedkar an unquestioned leadership of the Mahars.
- Dr. Ambedkar’s nomination to the Round Table Conference in 1930 in London was an acknowledgement of the leadership that he had gained. In the Conference Dr. Ambedkar expressed that he wanted the dalits to be politically empowered.
Question 11.
What did inspire the Namasudras of Bengal to hold their heads high?
Answer:
The Namasudras constituted the second largest Hindu caste group in Bengal under the British rule. They lived in the rural areas of the districts of Faridpur, Bakherganj, Jessore, Khulna, etc. (all these are now under the territorial limits of Bangladesh), and Nadia, North 24- Parganas, etc. of West Bengal.
a. In the Bengali Hindu society the Namasudras were looked down upon. They had no social dignity nor did they have any religious rights. As untouchables they had no right even to enter religious places.
b. They were also not allowed to live in a village that had a Brahmin majority. Thus the Namasudras were exploited and suffered from all sorts of social disabilities. It was in this context that a movement was launched in 1872 by Harichand Thakur.
c. What inspired the Namasudras to hold their heads high was the influence of the Bhakti movement. The movement had been started in Bengal by Sri Chaitanya and his disciples during the 15-16 centuries.
d. The avowed goal was the social and spiritual uplift of the down trodden.
e. Another major influence of the Namasudras was that of a sect that developed around Sahlal Pir in rural East Bengal. The Sahlal sect challenged the hierarchy of caste. All these profoundly impacted the Namasudras. They became conscious of their dignity and self respect.
Class 10 History Chapter 7 Questions and Answers West Bengal Board – Explanatory Answer Questions (8 Marks)
Question 1.
How did women participate in the Anti-Partition Movement ?
Answer:
a. Introduction : Twentieth century was marked by the struggle for independence in full swing. It was during the Anti-Partition Movement that women of the country played a significant role.
b. Saraladebi Choudhurani and the Anti-partition Movement: One of the remarkable features of the Swadeshi, an integral part of the anti-partition movement, was the participation of women. Saraladebi firmly believed that the improvement of health of the youths was a primary condition for the success of the national movement. In this endeavour she formed her area (club for physical fitness). Saraladebi spread the gospel of nationalism in Punjab and maintained close links with the Suhrid Samiti of Mymensingh (in present Bangladesh), a secret revolutionary society.
c. Other Women of Calcutta : Apart from Saraladebi there were many other women who were drawn into the political struggle during the anti-partition agitation. Srimati Hemantakumari Choudhuiy was the one who edited the journal Antahpur between 1901 and 1904.
d. On the Day of Partition : The women folk in general also did not turn a deaf ear to the anti-partition movement. The day of Partition (16 October 1905) was observed by the women throughout Bengal as the day of protest. About five hundred women gathered on the day of Partition in North Calcutta to watch the foundation of the Federation Hall, which was a symbol of unity of the Bengali people.
e. Women of the Other Parts of Bengal: In Dhaka, an eleven-year-old little girl, Ashalata Sen, under the inspiration of her grandmother, Nabashashi Sen, went visiting house after house encouraging women to join the Swadeshi cause (From the Seams of History : pi 85 : Ed. Bharati Roy).
f. Other Instances : There are several other instances where even the housewives came out into the open and led processions on the streets. In Barisal, for example, Manorama Basu, a young housewife, led a procession of women.
g. Women of the Revolutionary Phase : A report published in the Bamabodhird Patrika stated “Women like men are organizing meetings in towns as well as villages to express sorrow at the partition of Bengal, and are taking the swadeshi vows ” Women also played an important role in the revolutionary phase of the anti-partition movement.
Question 2.
What was the role of womenfolk in the Non Co-operation and the Civil Disobedience Movements ?
Answer:
i. Non Co-operation Movement : The interest in politics that the Swadeshi Movement had roused amongst women continued in the following decades. In fact the Non Co-operation Movement promised a more active role for women.
a. Basanti Debi : In Bengal, the events took a dramatic turn when C.R. Das, the most important leader of the Congress at the time, decided to sell homespan cloth (khaddai). This was a move to test government’s ban on political demonstrations. Women volunteers, led by Basanti Devi, the wife of Chittaranjan Das, took to the streets and were arrested. Subsequently, under her leadership a demonstration of women was organized before the shops selling foreign goods.
b. Inspiration for Women : Basanti Devi became the President of the Bengal Provincial Congress in 1921. Her participation in politics protest encouraged others to join the Non Co-operation.
c. Urmila Debi : Following Gandhiji’s doctrine of reviving the village economy, Urmila Debi devoted herself primarily to the setting up of an organization for popularizing spinning and weaving amon? women.
d. Sarojini Naidu : Sarojini Naidu became the Congress President in 1926. She was the first Indian woman to become the Congress President. Entry of Sarojini Naidu to the high post served as an inspiration to the womanhood of India.
e. Hemantakumari Choudhury : Many other women were drawn into the Non Co-operation Movement at the call of Gandhiji. Hemantakumari Choudhury became famous as the editor of the women’s journal Antahpur. Later on she became an active Gandhian nationalist and participated in the Non Co-operation.
ii. Civil Disobedience Movement: The Non-Cooperation Movement was suspended by Gandhiji in 1922. But its suspension found its stronger follow-up in the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930). Participation of women in the Civil Disobedience constituted an important chapter in the history of women’s struggle in the freedom movement.
- Picketing : Between 1930 and 1932 women in many places played an important role as they conducted picketing in front of the shops selling foreign goods.
- Various Forms : Women’s participation in the Movement, however, took various forms. While Parsee and Christian women residing in Bombay advocated female education, the Gujarati women, under the influence of Gandhiji, aimed at the attainment of Swaraj and women’s freedom.
- The Bengali Women : In Bengal, women leaders like Kumudini Bose, Latika Ghosh and Hemalata Tagore made sincere efforts promoting women’s welfare and training of women in some useful crafts.
- Women of U.P. : In U.P. Swarup Rani Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru’s mother, burdened with age did not hesitate to vote for khadi in the streets. Thus Gandhiji’s Civil Disobedience found wonderful response from the Indian womenfolk.
Question 3.
Write about Women’s participation in the Quit India Movement. What was the nature of Women’s participation in the armed revolutionary struggle ?
Answer:
i. Quit India Movement : Women’s participation in the Quit India Movement took various forms in rural and urban areas of the country. While in the rural areas the peasant women protested against prevalent land-system in city areas the message of fight for freedom was propagated through radio transmitter.
a. Women in Different Organizations : By the time Quit India Movement had begun womenfolk became members of different student, peasant and labour organizations.
b. Peasant Women : In the rural areas the peasant women joined the men in lodging protest against the hike in land-revenue and other taxes imposed illegally. Also the women protested against the landholders’ rights.
c. Midnapur in the Quit India Movement : In Midnapur district of West Bengal, during the course of the Quit India Movement, the peasants attacked the police stations, even the communication network was disrupted by destroying telegraph lines.
d. Matangini Hazra : The incident that immortalized Midnapur in the history of the freedom movement was the lead given by Srimati Movements organized by women, students and the marginal Matangini Hazra, a 73-year old widow in capturing the court and the police station of Tamluk.
e. Usha Mehta : Usha Mehta, a patriot to the very core of her heart, set up a radio transmitter, known as the Voice of Freedom. Her intention was to circulate the information of war of freedom amongst the people of the country. Usha persisted with her task of broadcasting until she was arrested by the British police (12 November 1942) on the charge of sedition.
ii. Nature of Women’s Participation in the Armed Struggle : In the revolutionary struggle participation of women presented a different picture than that of non-violent struggle.
a. No Encouragement to Women : Women’s involvement in the non violent struggle had the support and encouragement of Gandhiji. But the women who participated in the armed struggle joined it of their own. That is to say, there had been no encouragement from any quarter to enthuse the women to join the revolutionary struggle.
b. Difference with Non-violent Struggle : In fact, the revolutionary secret societies made no concerted efforts to encourage the participation of women as Mahatma Gandhi had done in regard to the non-violent activities.
c. Certain Constraints : Another important point to be noted is that direct participation of women in the revolutionary movement was not feasible also due to certain constraints,
- Women were not allowed by their male relatives to join the revolutionary secret societies,
- The risk was too high to allow women to participate in revolutionary feats on an equal basis with men.
- However, in general the indirect participation of women helped the revolutionaries silently from the background.
- In the above context the revolutionary activities of Pritilata Waddedar, Kalpana Datta, Bina Das and many others may be remembered.
Question 4.
In what background was the Anti-Circular Society formed? What was the genesis of the National Council of Education?
Answer:
i. Anti-Circular Society : It is well known that the student community of Bengal took an active part in the Anti-Partition Movement. The British Government with a view to keeping the students away from politics took up various measures.
- Circulars were issued forbidding the students to associate themselves with any political movement.
- Even the slogan Bande Mataram was declared to be a punishable offence.
Carlyle Circular (1905) threatened punitive measures to those institutions which failed to prevent their students’ participation in politics. - But all this could not dissuade the students from participating in the anti-Partition agitation. It was in such a context that Anti-Circular Society (1905) was organized by Sachindra Prasad Basu.
- The purpose of the Society was to encourage the students to participate in the Movement against the Partition of Bengal. Moreover the Society also made necessary arrangements for imparting education to the students who had been expelled from schools by the government authorities.
ii. Genesis of the National Council of Education : Satish Chandra Mukherjee sincerely believed that the object of the English education was very narrow. According to him, it served no better purpose than creating some job-seekers.
a. Describing the University of Calcutta as the Goldighir Golam-khana, meaning ‘House of producing slaves of the College Square’ Satish Chandra set up an institution named the Dawn Society.
b. The idea behind was to provide opportunities to the Bengali students to become real men through all-round physical, mental and spiritual development.
c. It may be said that the Swadeshi and Boycott movements, as also opposition to government circulars made the Dawn Society initiate the national education movement in Bengal.
d. The initiative was given a practical shape through the foundation of the National Council of Education in 1905.
e. In August 1906 the National Council of Education was established. Virtually all the distinguished personalities of the country were involved in the Council. The objects of the National Council of Education were stated to be as follows :
- To organize a system of education on national lines and under national control.
- The medium of instruction was to be the vernacular language.
- For the progress of technical education the Bengal Technical Institute was to be set up.
Question 5.
Write what you know about the debate between Gandhiji and Ambedkar regarding the dalit rights.
Answer:
There is little doubt that both Gandhi and Ambedkar were very much aware of the problem of untouchability or the dalits. Yet there was sharp difference between the two regarding the dalit issue.
a. That there was little in common in the perception between Gandhiji and Ambedkar came to the forefront in the early 30s of the nineteenth century.
b. Gandhiji refused to view the dalits as a minority who should be given political safeguards. Rather he considered it essentially a social problem, and that was to be tackled by the Hindu community itself. Contrarily, Ambedkar describing the dalits as ‘slaves’ advocated for communal representation of the Dalits on the ground that ‘untouchability constitutes a definite set of interests which the untouchables alone can speak for.’
c. Throughout 1920s Ambedkar had a soft spot for Gandhi as he took him as one different from the elitist Brahmanic leaders he (Ambedkar) Movements organized by women, students and the marginal hated. The real break between the two surfaced during the events of the Round Table Conference of 1932.
d. In the two Round Table Conferences Ambedkar ended up supporting separate electorate for the untouchables (dalits). But this proved to be too much for Gandhiji. For him the untouchables were a part of Hinduism, and a separate electorate for them would create a division in Hinduism. In his own words ‘it would create a division in Hinduism which I cannot possibly look forward to with any satisfaction what so ever’ (Writings and Speches (Vol II) : Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar : p 662-663j.
e. Subsequent Communal Award and Gandhi’s fast unto death led to the Poona Pact of 1932. It must, however, be remembered that Ambedkar’s agreement in signing the Poona Pact was by no means due to his ‘change of heart’. It was Gandhi’s ‘pressure tactics’ that compelled Ambedkar to soften his stand and accept the compromise formula of the Poona Pact. Later on Ambedkar expressed his unhappiness over the issue and this in the long run increased his bitterness towards Gandhiji.
Question 6.
How did the Namasudra or Mathua Movement progress under the leadership of Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur ?
Answer:
a. Introduction : In the Bengali Hindu society the Namasudras were looked down upon. They had no social dignity nor did they have any religious rights. As untouchables they had no right even to enter religious places. Also they were not allowed to live in a village that had a Brahmin majority. Thus the Namasudras were exploited and suffered from all sorts of social disabilities. It was in this context that a movement was launched in 1872 by Harichand Thakur.
b. Harichand Thakur : Harichand Thakur tried to unite the Namasudras in the struggle against the exploitation of the Brahmin priests as also the Brahmin zamindars. Harichand also introduced the Mathua religion through which the Namasudras emerged as a united power. Behind the movement’s superficial religiosity the emphasis was essentially secular. The primary aims of the movement were :
- Attainment of perfect peace of mind
- Eradication of social inequality, and
- To uplift the downtrodden. Harichand also gave as many as twelve instructions to his followers. After the death of Harichand the leadership of the Mathuas passed on to his son, Guruchand Thakur.
c. Guruchand Thakur : Under the leadership of Guruchand Thakur the Mathua Movement progressed a lot. It was he who was responsible for the spread of educational institutions for the Namasudras. Besides, Uttaloni Sabha (uplift meeting) and Harisabhas were organized for social uplift of the Namasudras.
According to Professor Debi Chatterjee, Guruchand Thakur may well be regarded as the father of the Namasudra renaissance’. He was able to inspire among the Namasudras a sense of urgency regarding the spread of education. In 1907 under the leadership of Guruchand Thakur a delegation met the Governor of Bengal and Assam and appraised him about the plight of the Namasudras