History Project

Introduction:
The growth of Indian nationalism started in the nineteenth century. Political unification of India, fall of
India's old social and economic system, the beginning of modern trade and industry and the rise of new
social classes laid the basis of nationalism.
The social and religious reform movements and popular anti-British revolts contributed to the growth of
nationalism. The farmers were suffering under the new land tenure systems introduced by the British
government. The Indian industrialists were sad because of the economic policy of the British government.
All import duties on cotton tetiles were removed in !""#, which harmed the tetile industry.
The people of India became aware of the fact that the development of their country was not possible
unless British rule was ended. There was a series of famines, which too$ a toll of millions of human lives,
due to the indifference of the autocratic British administration.
Dadabhai Naoroji:
Aims:
%e was $nown for his moderate views but he changed the aims and ob&ects of the 'ongress by declaring
(wara& as its ultimate goal. %e was the first to tell that we should as$ for (wara&. The methods he adopted
for (wara& were boycott British imports, (wadeshi and national education. (wadeshi gave a flip to the
Indian economy. This was the time when most of the Indian industries were started. )adabhai edited a
newspaper called *ast +oftar ,spea$er of the truth-. %e also edited a maga.ine called dharma marg
darshan.
Beliefs:
%e believed that the British rule was not evil. The British rule would be better for India. %e felt western
education was good for India. %e was in favor of all reforms and scientific inventions that came to India.
%e believed that the British were economically eploiting India.
)adabhai /aoro&i had attempted to $eep the 0reedom movement on a moderate path during the formative
years of the 'ongress. %e had put his faith in the British. %e believed that if they were informed of India's
problems, they would reform their method of rule. %owever, his eperience of the British political system
and years of dealing with British officialdom led to increasing disillusionment.
Methods:
)adabhai wanted to win friends and sympathi.ers for India. %e &oined several learned societies, delivered
many speeches and wrote articles on the plight of India. )adabhai's fund-raising for his various pro&ects
brought him in contact with many wealthy people and rulers. 1ne of them, 2ulharrao +ae$war, the
2ahara&a of Baroda was always in trouble with the British because of his misrule of his territory.
Ironically, the +overnment had appointed an in3uiry into his misdeeds. The 2ahara&a as$ed for
)adabhai's help and persuaded )adabhai to become his Prime 2inister in !"45. 6ithin a year the whole
administration was reformed and efficiency was brought to the system. %is tas$ complete, )adabhai
resigned from his position in !"47.
Life:
)adabhai /aoro&i ,5 (eptember !"#7 8 9: ;une !<!4-, $nown as the +rand 1ld 2an of India, was
a Parsi intellectual, educator, cotton trader, and an early Indian political and social leader. %e was
a 2ember of Parliament ,2P- in the =nited >ingdom %ouse of 'ommons between !"<# and !"<7, and
the first Asian to be a British 2P.
/aoro&i is also credited with the founding of the Indian /ational 'ongress, along with A.1.
%ume and )inshaw ?dul&i 6acha. %is boo$ Poverty and Un-British Rule in India brought attention to the
draining of India's wealth into Britain. %e was also member of (econd International along with >auts$y
and Ple$hanov.
/aoro&i was born in 2umbai and educated at the ?lphinstone Institute (chool. %e was patroni.ed by
2ahara&a of Baroda (aya&irao +ae$wad III and started his public life as the )ewan ,2inister- to the
2ahara&a in !"45. In !"77, he was appointed Professor of 2athematics and /atural Philosophy at
the ?lphinstone 'ollege in Bombay, becoming the first Indian to hold such an academic position. %e
travelled to @ondon in !"77 to become a partner in 'ama A 'o, opening a @iverpool location for the first
Indian company to be established in Britain. 6ithin three years, he had resigned on ethical grounds. In
!"7<, he established his own cotton trading company, /aoro&i A 'o. @ater, he became professor
of +u&arati at =niversity 'ollege @ondon.
Work:
)adabhai /aoro&iBs wor$ focused on the drain of wealth from India into ?ngland through colonial
rule. 1ne of the reasons that the )rain theory is attributed to /aoro&i is his decision to estimate the net
national profit of India, and by etension, the effect that coloni.ation has on the country. Through his
wor$ with economics, /aoro&i sought to prove that Britain was draining money out of the India. /aoro&i
described C factors which resulted in the eternal drain. In /aoro&iBs boo$ DPovertyB he estimated a #::-
9:: million pounds loss of revenue to Britain that is not returned. /aoro&i described this as vampirism,
with money being a metaphor for blood, which humani.ed India and attempted to show BritainBs actions
as monstrous in an attempt to garner sympathy for the nationalist movement.
6hen elected to Parliament by a narrow margin of 9 votes his first speech was about 3uestioning IndiaBs
place in India. By presenting himself as an Imperialist citi.en he was able to use rhetoric to show the
benefit to Britain that an ease of financial burden on India would have. %e argued that by allowing the
money earned in India to stay in India, tributes would be willingly and easily paid without fear of povertyE
he argued that this could be done by giving e3ual employment opportunities to Indian professionals who
consistently too$ &obs they were over-3ualified for. Indian labor would be more li$ely to spend their
income within India preventing one aspect of the drain. /aoro&i believed that to solve the problem of the
drain it was important to allow India to develop industriesE this would not be possible without the revenue
draining from India into ?ngland.
Legacy:
0irst Indian to become a professor of the collegeE
Instrumental in the establishment of the Indian /ational 'ongressE
6as President of the Indian /ational 'ongress thriceE
The 'ongress' demand for (wara& ,self-rule- was first epressed publicly by him in his
presidential address in !<:C.
)adabhai /aoro&i was instrumental in the establishment of the Indian /ational 'ongress founded by A.1.
%ume in !""7. Thrice he was elected to the post of the President of the Indian /ational 'ongress, in
!""C, !"<9 and in !<:C. )uring his third term, he prevented a split between moderates and etremists in
the party. The 'ongress' demand for (wara& ,self-rule- was first epressed publicly by him in his
presidential address in !<:C. )adabhai /aoro&i believed in non-violent and constitutional methods of
protest. %e died at the age of <# on ;une 9:, !<!4.
Bal Gangadhar ilak:
Aims:
Tila$ was one of the first and strongest advocates of F(wara&F ,self-rule- and a strong radical in Indian
consciousness. %is famous 3uote, F(wara& is my birthright, and I shall have itGF is well-remembered in
India even today. %e also formed a close alliance with 2uhammad Ali ;innah, later the founder of
Pa$istan, during the Indian %ome rule movement. Tila$ sought to widen the popularity of the nationalist
movement ,which at that time was largely confined to the upper classes- by introducing %indu religious
symbolism and by invo$ing popular traditions of the 2aratha struggle against 2uslim rule. %e thus
organi.ed two important festivals, +anesh and (hiva&i, in !"<9 and !"<7, respectively.
Beliefs:
%is philosophy towards life was li$e his philosophy towards politics. %e believed in unarmed movement
along with armed revolution. Tila$ opposed the moderate views of +opal >rishna +o$hale, and was
supported by fellow Indian nationalists Bipin 'handra Pal in Bengal and @ala @a&pat *ai in Pun&ab. In
!<:4, the annual session of the 'ongress Party was held at (urat ,+u&arat-. Trouble bro$e out between the
moderate and the etremist factions of the party over the selection of the new president of the 'ongress,
and the party split into the Garam Dal ,F%ot 0action,F or etremists-, led by Tila$, Pal, and @a&pat *ai,
and the Naram Dal ,F(oft 0action,F or moderates-.
Methods:
Tila$, who had started his political life as a 2aratha Protagonist, evolved into a nationalist during the
later part of his life, after associating himself closely with Bengal nationalists following the partition of
Bengal.
Tila$ was one of the first to maintain that Indians should cease to cooperate with foreign rule, but he
always denied that he had ever encouraged the use of violence. Tila$ was a critic of 2ahatma +andhi's
strategy of non-violent civil disobedience. %e favored political dialogue and discussions as a more
effective way to obtain political freedom for India.
Life:
Bal +angadhar Tila$ was born on ;uly #9, !"7C in *atnagiri, 2aharashtra. %e was a 'hitpavan Brahmin
by caste. %is father +angadhar *amachandra Tila$ was a (ans$rit scholar and a famous teacher. Tila$
was a brilliant student and he was very good in mathematics. (ince childhood Tila$ had an intolerant
attitude towards in&ustice and he was truthful and straightforward in nature. %e was among India's first
generation of youth to receive a modern, college education.
6hen Tila$ was ten, his father was transferred to Pune from *atnagiri. This brought sea change in Tila$Bs
life. %e &oined the Anglo-Hernacular (chool in Pune and got education from some of the well $nown
teachers. (oon after coming to Pune Tila$ lost his mother and by the time he was siteen he lost his father
too. 6hile Tila$ was studying in 2atriculation he was married to a !:-year-old girl called (atyabhama.
After passing the 2atriculation ?amination Tila$ &oined the )eccan 'ollege. In !"44, Bal +angadhar
Tila$ got his B.A. degree with a first class in mathematics. %e continued his studies and got the @@.B.
degree too.
Work:
After graduation, Tila$ began teaching mathematics in a private school in Pune and later became a
&ournalist. %e became a strong critic of the 6estern education system, feeling it demeaning to Indian
students and disrespectful to India's heritage. %e came to the conclusion that good citi.ens can be molded
only through good education. %e believed that every Indian had to be taught about Indian culture and
national ideals. Along with his classmate Agar$ar and great social reformer Hishnushastry 'hiplun$ar,
Bal +angadhar Tila$ founded I)eccan ?ducation (ocietyJ to impart 3uality education to India's youth.
The very net year after the )eccan ?ducation (ociety was foundedE Tila$ started two wee$lies, '>esari'
and '2ahratta'. '>esari' was 2arathi wee$ly while '2ahratta' was ?nglish wee$ly. (oon both the
newspapers became very popular. In his newspapers, Tila$ highlighted the plight of Indians. %e gave a
vivid picture of the people's sufferings and of actual happenings. Tila$ called upon every Indian to fight
for his right. Bal +angadhar Tila$ used fiery language to arouse the sleeping Indians.
Legacy:
'onsidered as 0ather of Indian /ational 2ovementE
0ounded I)eccan ?ducation (ocietyJ to impart 3uality education to India's youthE
6as a member of the 2unicipal 'ouncil of Pune, Bombay @egislature, and an elected '0ellow' of
the Bombay =niversityE
0ormed %ome *ule @eague in !<!C to attain the goal of (wara&.
Bal +angadhar Tila$ &oined the Indian /ational 'ongress in !"<:. %e was a member of the 2unicipal
'ouncil of Pune, Bombay @egislature, and an elected '0ellow' of the Bombay =niversity. Tila$ was a
great social reformer. %e issued a call for the banning of child marriage and welcomed widow remarriage.
Through the celebrations of +anapati 0estival and the birthday of the (hiva&i he organi.ed people.
Lala Laj!at "ai:
Aims:

As a political man, @a&pat *aiBs inclination was always towards etremism. %e was one of the trio 8 Bal,
Pal and @al, who organi.ed the ?tremist group in the Indian /ational 'ongress. %e assisted +o$hale to
?ngland in !<:7. Their sole aim was to ma$e the ?nglish public aware about the problems and aspirations
of the Indians. But they were highly disappointed. This was so because the British +overnment was too
busy with their affairs. The ?nglish newspapers were not li$ely to print the situation and condition of
India. %ence @a&pat *ai as$ed his countrymen to stri$e a blow against the British +overnment in order to
grab independence. In !<:4, Bal +angadhar Tila$ proposed @a&pat *aiBs name for the Presidency of the
(urat 'ongress, but *ai himself withdrew his name. In !<!5 he went to ?ngland and later to the =nited
(tates in order to uphold IndiaBs case and create IndiaBs opinion against imperialism. In !<#: he was
elected to preside over the special session of the 'ongress at >ol$ata.
Beliefs:
%e believed that Fa nation that does not protect its own orphan children cannot command respect at the
hands of other people.F 6hen people fleeing the famine reached @ahore, they spent their first night at
@ala&i's house.
@ala&i believed that it was important for the national cause to organi.e propaganda in foreign countries to
eplain India's position because the freedom struggle had ta$en a militant turn. %e left for Britain in April
!<!5 for this purpose. @ala&i wrote numerous articles and delivered many speeches. A couple of months
later, 6orld 6ar I bro$e out between ?ngland and +ermany and @ala&i was not allowed to return to India.
@ala&i immediately made plans to go to =.(.A. to galvani.e more political support for India's cause.
Methods:
%is activities were multifarious. %e was an ardent social reformer. %e founded the Indian %ome *ule
@eague of America in 1ctober !<!4, in /ew Kor$ and, a year later, he also set up, with himself as
)irector, the IIndian Information BureauJ in /ew Kor$ to serve as a Publicity 1rgani.ation for India.
@ala @a&pat *ai returned to India on 0eb.#:, !<#: as a great hero.
%e plunged into +andhiBs non-cooperation movement, which in Pun&ab, under @a&pat *aiBs leadership
spread li$e wildfire in the province, and he soon came to be $nown as IThe @ion of Pun&abJ. %e traveled
far and wide in India and his elo3uence brought hundreds to the congress fold.
@ala @a&pat *aiBs supreme sacrifice came when he led a procession in @ahore on 1ct.9:, !<#" to boycott
the (imon 'ommission. The procession was sought to be bro$en up by the police and @a&pat *ai received
lathi blows on his chest. As a result, he passed away on /ovember !4, !<#".
Life:
@ala @a&pat *ai was born on ;anuary #", !"C7 in village )hudi$e, in present day 2oga district of Pun&ab.
%e was the eldest son of 2unshi *adha >ishan A.ad and +ulab )evi. %is father was an Aggarwal Bania
by caste. %is mother inculcated strong moral values in him.
@ala @a&pat *ai &oined the +overnment 'ollege at @ahore in !"": to study @aw. 6hile in college he came
in contact with patriots and future freedom fighters li$e @ala %ans *a& and Pandit +uru )utt. The three
became fast friends and &oined the Arya (ama& founded by (wami )aya /and (araswati. %e passed his
Ha$ilship ?amination in (econd )ivision from +overnment 'ollege in !""7 and started his legal
practice in %issar. Besides practicing, @ala&i collected funds for the )aya /and 'ollege, attended Arya
(ama& functions and participated in 'ongress activities. %e was elected to the %issar municipality as a
member and later as secretary. %e shifted to @ahore in !"<#.
Work:
The @al-Bal-Pal trio formed the etremist faction of the Indian /ational 'ongress, as opposed to the
moderate one led first by +opal >rishna +o$hale. @ala&i actively participated in the struggle against
partition of Bengal. Along with (urendra /ath Baner&ee, Bipin 'handra Pal and Aurorbindo +hosh, he
galvani.ed Bengal and the nation in a vigorous campaign of (wadeshi. @ala&i was arrested on 2ay 9,
!<:4 for creating FturmoilF in *awalpindi.
@ala&i believed that it was important for the national cause to organi.e propaganda in foreign countries to
eplain India's position because the freedom struggle had ta$en a militant turn. %e then left for Britain for
this purpose. %e founded the Indian %ome @eague (ociety of America and wrote a boo$ called FKoung
IndiaF. The boo$ severely indicted British rule in India and was banned in Britain and India even before it
was published. %e was able to return to India in !<#: after the end of 6orld 6ar.
After his return, @ala @a&pat *ai, led the Pun&ab protests against the ;alianwala Bagh 2assacre and the
/on-'ooperation 2ovement. %e was arrested several times. %e disagreed with +andhi&i's suspension of
/on-'ooperation movement due to the 'hauri-'haura incident, and formed the 'ongress Independence
Party, which had a pro-%indu slant.
Legacy:
Popularly $nown as @ala @a&pat *aiE
0ounded the Indian %ome @eague (ociety of AmericaE
Became 'ongress President in !<#:.
*ai has been described as Fa pillar of etremist nationalism in IndiaF.
The @ala @a&pat *ai Trust was formed in !<7< on the eve of his 'entenary Birth 'elebration, to promote
education. A statue of @a&pat *ai stands at the central s3uare in (himla, India ,having been originally
erected in @ahore and moved to (himla in !<5". Also many institutes, schools and libraries in his
hometown of ;agraon, district @udhiana are named after him. 0urther, there are several roads named after
him in many metropolis and other towns of India.
@a&pat *ai's mother, +ulab )evi, died of tuberculosis in @ahore. In !<#4, @a&pat *ai established a trust in
her memory to build and run a tuberculosis hospital for women, reportedly at the location where she had
died. This became $nown as the +ulab )evi 'hest %ospital and opened on !4 ;uly !<95.
#onclusion:
By !<#:, 2ohandas >. +andhi had become a leader in the Indian independence movement and in the
Indian /ational 'ongress, which had become the most important Indian political organi.ation.
+andhi persuaded the 'ongress to adopt his program of nonviolent disobedience, also $nown as
nonviolent nonco-operation. +andhi's program as$ed Indians to boycott British goods, to refuse to pay
taes, and to stop using British schools, courts, and government services.
As a result, some Indians gave up well-paying &obs that re3uired them to cooperate with the British.
+andhi changed the Indian /ational 'ongress from a small party of educated men to a mass party with
millions of followers.