how did cultural processes help in creating a sense of collective belongingness in India ?
Answers
A sense of collective belongingness amongst Indians was a result of united struggles against colonial rule and the cultural processes through which Nationalism occupied people's imagination.
1. The identity of India as a nation closely came to be associated with the image of Bharat Mata, first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In addition, a hymn. 'Vande Mataram' was written by him and widely sung during the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal. Later painted by Abanindranath Tagore, the image of Bharat Mata was portrayed as an aesthetic figure, calm. composed, divine and spiritual. It was later circulated widely in popular print and a sense of devotion towards the mother figure was seen as evidence of one's nationalism.
2. A movement to revive Indian folklores, singing of folk songs and tales across villages by bards played an important role in preserving folk tradition and restoring a sense of pride in one's past. In Madras, for example, Natesa Sastri published a massive four-volume collection of Tamil folktales, titled, The folklore of Southern India. Also, icons and symbols played helped in unifying people. The tricolor flag (red, green, yellow), for example, which was designed during the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal and later on designed by Gandhiji (red, green, white) in 1921 with a spinning wheel represented the Gandhian idea of self-help. It thus gradually acquired the shape of a symbol of defiance.
3. A feeling of nationalism was also created by the reinterpretation of history. Although the British saw the Indians as backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves, many Indians, in response, began to look at the glorious achievements of the past. Writings about the success achieved in the field of ancient times when art and architecture, science and mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy. crafts and trade had flourished began to be written and preserved. These nationalist histories, in turn, played an important role in urging the readers to take pride in India's past and achievements in order to change the terrible conditions of life under British Rule.
The cultural processes helped in creating a sense of
collective belongingness in India:
a. Nationalism is a belief that all are a part of the
same nation which binds the people together and
make different communities, regions and language
groups united.
b. This came through the united struggles like the
different Non-Cooperation Movements, Civil
Disobedience movements, the wars like 1857,
history, fiction, folklores, folk songs, prints, icons
and symbols etc. all these helped in unifying the
Indians and inspired a feeling of nationalism in
them.
c. The image of India was first visualized as Bharat
Mata by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and
also a hymn ‘Vande Mataram’ was written by him in 1870s. This hymn was later included in
his novel Anandmath and sung in the swadeshi
movement in Bengal. The image of Bharat
Mata was portrayed as calm, composed, divine
and spiritual which acquired different forms in
different years by different artists. This image of
India developed the ideas of nationalism in India.
d. The Indian folklores were revived and the folk
tales were recorded and sung by bards which gave
a true picture of the traditional Indian culture
and tells how it was ruined by the Britishers.
e. A tricolor swadeshi flag, using red, green and yellow
was designed during the swadeshi movement in
Bengal which had 8 lotuses for the representation
of the 8 provinces and a crescent moon for
symbolizing the Hindus and the Muslims.
f. A tricolor Swaraj flag was designed by Gandhiji
in the year 1921 using the colours red, green and
white. A spinning wheel was in the Centre of the
flag which represented the Gandhian ideal of self-
help.