Abstract:
British Influence on Indian society the
British people were instrumental in introducing Western culture, education, and
scientific techniques. Through those means, he gave a blow to traditional
Indian life and inspired the life and culture of his people. Undoubtedly, the
seventeenth century marked the region of Indian medieval pride. It gave way to
the eighteenth century, a spectacle of anarchy for corruption, misery, and
political chaos. After 1498, when Vasco de Gama set foot on Indian soil,
European powers entered Indian scenes one after another.
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| British Influence on Indian society and culture Queen Victoria |
Why did the British
influence?
Western
influence took place in India mainly through the British. Who was the pioneer
of a new technological and industrial civilization? He represented a new
historical force that was later to charge the world and was thus the
torchbearer of a revolutionary change.
India
considered the British authority made of its iron as suzerainty. Intellectually
indifferent, spiritually subjugated, and psychologically weak at the time,
India had to adapt to the British authorities. That is why the British
influence was continuous and permanent on the Indian people.
Promoting Religious and
Reform Movement:
Indian
reaction to Western influence was first seen in the field of religion. Of
course, Christianity was not a new thing in India before the arrival of the
British. During the rule of the East India Company, extensive Christian
missionary activities took place in India.
Complications
in Vedic religion led to the rise of secular religion and the influence of
Islam gave impetus to the Bhakti movement in the medieval period, the advent of
Western civilization. The reform movement evolved in modem time.
The first torchbearer of the Indian cultural renaissance was Raja Rammohan Roy. A
new chapter in the Indian Reform movement began in 1828, with the foundation of
the 'Brahmo Samaj'. It was a synthesis of some main elements in Hindu and
Christianity. To synthesize the culture of East and West, it
encouraged rationalism and social reforms.
Apart
from being a religious reformer, Rammohan is an ardent social reformer, staunch
patriot, pioneer of modem education, and father of the modern Indian
renaissance. was known. He was followed by Keshav Chandra Sen, who founded the
'Prarthana Samaj'.
In
the middle of the nineteenth century and a reaction among thoughtful men were
determined whether they remained far away from the traditions of their
ancestors. The head of this new school of thought, Swami Dayanand Saraswati,
founded the 'Raya Arya Samaj' and said clearly to all - "Return to the
Vedas".
He
advised people not to be influenced by religions like Islam and Christianity,
but to return to the pure teachings of the Vedas where the essence of Indian
culture lies. There was still a religious reaction to the Western and Christian
influence moving against surrender. Ram Krishna Paramahamsa and his great
disciple Swami Vivekananda preached the purest form of Hinduism.
Vivekananda
was a novel mixture of East and West and his words - "get up, wake up and
don't stop until the goal is met" form generates nationalism in people's
veins. Aurobindo, Vidyasagar, M.G. Ranade, etc. were other social reformers. In
this way, the Western influence was felt to a large extent as religious and
social reform movements were concerned.
Rules of law:
India's
political instability came to an end after the establishment of a systematic
and centralized government by the British. It dismantled the traditional
individual rule and later brought about the development of the 'rule of law'.
The multiplicity of government functions gave rise to an organized bureaucracy
that assumed autonomous gram panchayats.
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| British Influence on Indian society and culture |
The new concept of India introduced by the British authorities was 'equality before
the law'. This idea was certainly in variance with Hindu thought. The British
courts' insistence on treating the Brahmins as equals first angered Indians and
was accepted for a long time. A Brahmin, a Muslim, a Christian, and a member of
any sect - all became equal before the law. A hierarchy of judicial officers
was created to provide justice to one and all.
Constitutional
Development:
In
the field of the constitution, the idea of human equality, human rights, and
freedom was a gift of British influence. It was a cough, hurt, and groan under the
British nation, which found a soothing balm in the form of freedom of speech,
deeds, religion, and the like. Even Indians could criticize the activities of
the British government. The Government Acts of 1919 and 1935 were pointed in
these directions.
Reorganization of the
Indian Civil Service:
The
Indian Civil Service was carefully constructed during British rule in a
powerful and efficient bureaucratic force. In the last decade of the eighteenth
century, Cornwallis established himself for purity and reorganized the
administration, and filled all the leading positions with Britain's men.
With
the gradual march of time, other more specialized services were established and
popularized. Construction Department, Indian Police Service, Indian Forest
Service, Indian Medical Service followed each other in succession. Thus, the
British authorities began the process of transforming India into a modem state.
The current Indian administrative system is a legacy of British rule.
Social sector:
In
the social sector, British influence proved beneficial. Prohibition of the Sati system, the abolition of child marriage, the beginning of widow remarriage, checking of
infanticide, polygamy, untouchability, etc. erased centuries-old social evils
from Indian society.
Besides,
there were some other commendable measures of the British underlining the
difference between caste and gender, which encouraged Indians to incorporate
all these ideas while making their constitution. Thus, many social evils came
to their logical end long before India became independent. Thus, Catholicism
was introduced into Indian society by the British authorities.
Economic Zone: British Influence on Indian society
In
the economic zone, the British people were considered exploitative from the
beginning. Before British colonialism, India had abundant trade of silk,
cotton, salt, sugar, etc., but British rule ruined India's basic economic
structure. The Indian rural economy was adapted to the new methods of
industrial Britain.
It
completely changed the community structure and the Indian way of life. In the
industrial sector, Indian manufacturing skills, spinning, weaving, ivory, gold
and silverwork, filigree, and luxury goods suffered a setback due to British
industrial policy. Indian traditional agriculture turned into cash crops like
indigo and tobacco cultivation, which left a stigma of poverty on Indian
farmers.
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| British Influence on Indian society and culture |
Besides,
raw materials from India were exported to England, called ‘The Drain of Wealth’
by Dada Bhai Naoroji. This made India poor. The other side of society should
also be taken into consideration. The influx of the western capital, the
development of a modem banking and communication system, the establishment of
textile, jute, sugar, cement, glass, and other factories led to rapid
industrialization in India that brought modem industries into existence.
Development
of modem industry and commerce regarding urbanization. Besides, the artistic
skills of Indians for elegance, balance, and beauty increased and this improved
their outlook and taste. The demand for Indian coffee and tea in European
countries led to plantations and India's heritage enabled it to cater to a
large part of its economy.
Modern Transport and
Communication System:
Rapid
industrialization of transport and communication brought a modern system.
During the period of Lord Dalhousie, the first railway line was constructed and
the train ran between Bombay and Thane in 1853. The Calcutta-Raniganj railway
line was then built and later on the Madras-Arcot railway. Similarly, since the
time of Lord William Bentinck, highway construction activities were carried
out. In 1839, the Grand Trunk Road was built, which connected Delhi and
Calcutta, later it was connected with Lahore and Peshawar.
Lord
Dalhousie also promoted the activity of the Department of Posts by introducing
the Penny Postal System in India. Furthermore, he had a significant
contribution in bringing the telegraph system to India, all these modem systems
of transport and communication suddenly took India into a modem world. The
impact of this modernization was felt at every stage of Indian life to a large
extent. It served as a boomerang for British officers in India.
Education:
The lasting influence of the West on Indian culture was the introduction of the
English education system in this country. In the eighteenth century, India was
intellectually stable. He was untouched by the new scientific development of
the West.
The
historic decision taken by Lord Macaulay in 1835 was a turning point in India's
history that opened the floodgates of European thought and literature to Indian
intellectuals. It broke the intellectual isolation of the Indian mind and
brought it into contact with Western science, literature, philosophy, history,
and so on. Macaulay's 'Downward Filtration Theory', 'Wood's Dispatch' in 1854,
and 'Hunter Commission' in 1882 expanded the intellectual horizons of Indians.
It erased the mantra of mythological geography, mythological history, and
pseudoscience from the Indian mind and introduced them to a new scientific
knowledge of the West. This was indeed a lasting influence of the West of
Indian culture.
Redistribution of India's
glorious past:
The
British help in redefining India's glorious past is certainly memorable. The
distinctive contribution of European scholars to Indian historiography was the
conceptual study that began in 1784 with the foundation of the Asiatic Society
of Bengal by Sir William Jones. A band of British scholars was then drawn to
research on Indian history and culture.
Sir
William Jones, by identifying Chandragupta Mauray, established the first definite point on Indian chronology with Sandrakottas of Greek historians.
James Princep, by his careful examination of Asokan inscriptions, was able to
understand it. Other European scholars such as V. A. Smith, MacDonnell, Elphinstone,
Grand Daff, Colonel Tod, etc., did their research on Indian history and
culture.
His approach was sometimes referred to by His Excellency, Mahamaho Upadhyay, H.P.
Shastri, R.G. Bhandarkar, K.P. Jaiswal, H.C. Raychaudhuri, and many others. In
this way research on Indian history was carried forward by Western and Indian
scholars.
Besides,
the establishment of the Archaeological Department by Lord Curzon created
another milestone to open new horizons in 1921-22 from their excavations in
Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. Unearthed the remains of a rich culture. This changed
the course of Indian history.
Nationalism:
Western
influence on Indians was responsible for awakening nationalism in them. Passing
through the high ideals of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" of the
French Revolution of 1789, Russia's proletarian revolution in 1917, and the American freedom struggle of 1776. Indians were overloaded with a sense of
nationalism.
On
the other hand, that nationalism led to the Indian National Congress, which
continued the struggle against the British Raj until it was removed from the
Indian soil. An angel named Bal Gangadhar Tilak – “My freedom is my birthright
and I shall have it”, will inspire millions of Indians to take me into the
freedom struggle against the British Raj.
Art and Architecture:
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| British Influence on Indian society and culture |
The western influence spread to every sphere of Indian life. It was also expanded into the
fields of art and architecture. No doubt, Indian artists have retained their
traditional values but they cannot stand apart from the British model of
architectural design.
The
British built many forts, buildings, churches, factories, and bungalows.
Victoria Memorial at Fort William, St. George, Bombay Government Office, Lahore
Railway Station, Calcutta, but few examples of European architectural style.
Later, Indian artists created a novel blend of the Hindu, Mughal, and Victorian
styles reflected in their architectural designs.
Food, dress, and style:
Western
influences on Indian food, dress, and style were felt to a large extent. Bread,
toast, fruit, mix, eggs boiled in tiffin that Europeans were eating was
followed by educated Indians. Tea, coffee, dining table, bar, etc. were used by
Indians. Educated Indians also used full pants, shirts, shoes, ties, etc. Modem
manners like gestures such as 'Good morning', 'Good afternoon', 'Good night',
'Goodbye', 'See you', 'Good luck', 'Ta-ta', 'Goodbye' etc. in Indian culture
The contributions of the West were.
Literature:
The
influence of Western literature on Indian literature was profound. The making
of poetry was a Rig Vedic practice. However, with the influence of Indian
writing on English literature, novels, short stories, essays, and modem plays,
Shakespeare became an integral part of the Indian studies curriculum and his
compositions were translated into several Indian languages.
Similarly,
other Western literature, especially novels, were translated into Indian
languages. In the light of Western literature, Indians attempted to write and
thus Indian literature was enriched by Western influence.
Psychological view:
Western
influence in Indian tradition led to behavior change among Indians. Being
self-contained and an agricultural community, the Indians were conservative,
hospitable, tolerant, and to some extent fatal. He became rebellious,
self-reliant, and vindictive in the grip of British rule. With a tune marching
slowly along, he began his struggle for independence against the British Raj.
In
his psychological approach, he was now bold enough to face any obstacle that
came his way. Thus, British rule certainly contributed to change the
psychological outlook of Indians in a more positive direction.
Development of the
scientific soul of research:
British
rule contributed greatly to the development of the scientific spirit of
research in the country. The Archaeological Department of India helped a lot in
adding a new dimension to historical research in the country. Ramanujam's
discovery in the field of mathematics, Contribution of. S.N. Bose, C.V. Raman, and Meghnad Shah in the
field of Physics; P.C. Ray, J.C Ghosh, and S.S Bhatnagar in the sphere of
Chemical Science was notable. Philosophers such as S. Radhakrishnan and B.N.
Seal carved a distinctive name for him in the field of philosophy. Thus, due to
Western influence, the soul developed and developed scientific research.
Dance and Music:
Of
course, two hundred years of British rule in India could not bring any drastic
change in their dance and music. However, some changes were seen in popular
music, especially in Indian cinema. Modem music compositions adopted Western
techniques. Among Indian composers, Akbar Khan occasionally added a certain
amount of harmony and western melodies to his improvisations. Over time,
Western dances copied largely in Indian cinemas.
Negative Aspects of
Western Influence:
If
western influence is the best in Indian society, it has done the most damage to
its culture. The policy of 'Divide and Rule', which the British Government
adopted on the Indian soil, brought about a sharp divide between Hindus and
Muslims, which eventually destroyed Political unity, which resulted
in the creation of India and Pakistan. Subsequently, it created a clerical attitude that stalled India's progress for a long time.
Furthermore, it introduced sophistication in food, dress, and manners, which buried the Indians to a great extent. In these ways, it cast its ugly shadow on the culture of India. Western influence brought radical changes in Indian society and culture. The new technologies, institutions, knowledge, values, and attitudes that the British brought with them greatly changed Indian society and culture. Due to Western influence, India was more progressive in outlook and outlook. In every way possible, Western influence uplifted Indian society and enriched Indian culture.
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