Q.25 Evaluate the contribution of Folklore, songs, literature etc. in shaping the nationalism during freedom
struggle.
Answers
Answer:
With the growth of nationalism, the identity of India come to be visually associated with the image of Bharath Mata.
Abindranath Tagore painted his famous image of Bharath Mata, which was an ascetic, divine and calm figure.
Ideas of nationalism also derived villages to gather folk songs and legends.
It was essential to preserve one’s identity and restore a sense of pride in one’s past.
During the Swadeshi movement a tricolour flag was designed (red ,green and yellow) having 8 lotuses, depicting the 8 provinces of British India and a crescent moon representing Hindus and Muslims.
By 1921, Gandhiji designed the tricolour swaraj flag(red, green and white) with a spinning wheel(chakra) in the centre representing Gandhian Ideal is self-help.
The British saw India as backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves. In response, Indiana began looking into the past to discover India’s achievements.
They wrote about the glorious development in ancient times when arts, architecture, science, maths, religion/culture .etc. had flourished.
Rabindranath Tagore himself began collecting ballads, nursery rhymes and myths and lead the movement for folk revival. Similarly in Madras Natesa Sastri published a massive 4-volume collections of Tamil folk tales, The folklore of southern India.
Explanation: