Write a speech on importance of national movement and its relevance today
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East India Company came to India as trading body but found a suitable atmosphere to have its foothold in the country. After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 A.D., there was no central government in India and the whole country was parceled out in small states, each claiming to be independent of the other.
Each small state, though ill-equipped and quite incapable of defending itself, was engaged in constant wars with the other, thus, wasting its energies and resources in internal feuds and providing every greedy eye a temptation to take advantage of the situation. Out of this situation keen to take advantage were the Portuguese, the French and the East India Company.
In the struggle for supremacy that followed the East India Company could practically wipe out both other contenders for power, namely, the French and Portuguese and ultimately became supreme power in India. One after the other, the Company defeated weak princely states, got diwani and other rights and fortified its territories.
As the territories increased with that the revenues and trade too increased and both the high officers and petty servants of the Company began to mint money by illegal means and methods. British armies tried to suppress every rising in the country.
Unfortunately the Company had no means of knowing the aspirations and wishes of the people, who were deliberately not associated in law making process and running of administration of their own country.
There was brewing and growing discontentment among the masses who were being ruthlessly exploited and economically reduced to poverty. This found an organised expression in the Rising of India in 1857, though characterised by British rulers as a sepoy rising organised by disgruntled and discontented princes. It was, however, definitely an expression of disapproval of East India Company’s rule in India.
But unfortunately the rising had no leadership and no regular programme of action. Had there been an organised forum and well chalked out programme, perhaps there would have been different shape of the whole movement. But all the more it sowed the seeds of that great national movement, which followed after few decades.
It was as a result of this partially organised movement with deep seeded discontentment that Company had to wind up from India and India’s administration was transferred from Company to the Crown.
Take over from the Company:
There was much hope that after the transfer of power from the Company to the Crown, an era of liberal administration will start. Indians will be associated in the running of their own administration. The people of India will not be discriminated again on the basis of their colour and creed for joining administrative and other services and in holding offices.
For all practical purposes their ability will be the sole guiding criteria. But as the time passed it became amply clear that policy of discrimination and exploitation was not to be abandoned but going to stay as an integral part of Crown’s administration in India.
But Crown’s mind was filled with the horrors of 1857 and did not wish that those ugly events should again be repeated. It was, therefore, thought essential to have a system by which view points of Indians were amply known to the rulers. Since Crown was not prepared to directly associate Indians in high powered legislative and other official bodies, the other way out found was to create some unofficial forum, where Indians could ventilate their grievances, no matter whether these were redressed or not.
This forum was found in 1885 when with the help of a retired British civil servant Indian National Congress was founded. This body subsequently led national struggle and national movement in the country. It inculcated, promoted and prompted feelings of nationalism in India.
Nationalism – Definition and Meaning:
Nationalism is a very vague term and in fact it is very difficult to define it precisely and accurately. But in this there is close identification of individual with the State. The people who inhibit a territory love that as their mother land. They place the land of their birth above everything else and are prepared to make supreme sacrifice to defend and preserve its dignity.
Each small state, though ill-equipped and quite incapable of defending itself, was engaged in constant wars with the other, thus, wasting its energies and resources in internal feuds and providing every greedy eye a temptation to take advantage of the situation. Out of this situation keen to take advantage were the Portuguese, the French and the East India Company.
In the struggle for supremacy that followed the East India Company could practically wipe out both other contenders for power, namely, the French and Portuguese and ultimately became supreme power in India. One after the other, the Company defeated weak princely states, got diwani and other rights and fortified its territories.
As the territories increased with that the revenues and trade too increased and both the high officers and petty servants of the Company began to mint money by illegal means and methods. British armies tried to suppress every rising in the country.
Unfortunately the Company had no means of knowing the aspirations and wishes of the people, who were deliberately not associated in law making process and running of administration of their own country.
There was brewing and growing discontentment among the masses who were being ruthlessly exploited and economically reduced to poverty. This found an organised expression in the Rising of India in 1857, though characterised by British rulers as a sepoy rising organised by disgruntled and discontented princes. It was, however, definitely an expression of disapproval of East India Company’s rule in India.
But unfortunately the rising had no leadership and no regular programme of action. Had there been an organised forum and well chalked out programme, perhaps there would have been different shape of the whole movement. But all the more it sowed the seeds of that great national movement, which followed after few decades.
It was as a result of this partially organised movement with deep seeded discontentment that Company had to wind up from India and India’s administration was transferred from Company to the Crown.
Take over from the Company:
There was much hope that after the transfer of power from the Company to the Crown, an era of liberal administration will start. Indians will be associated in the running of their own administration. The people of India will not be discriminated again on the basis of their colour and creed for joining administrative and other services and in holding offices.
For all practical purposes their ability will be the sole guiding criteria. But as the time passed it became amply clear that policy of discrimination and exploitation was not to be abandoned but going to stay as an integral part of Crown’s administration in India.
But Crown’s mind was filled with the horrors of 1857 and did not wish that those ugly events should again be repeated. It was, therefore, thought essential to have a system by which view points of Indians were amply known to the rulers. Since Crown was not prepared to directly associate Indians in high powered legislative and other official bodies, the other way out found was to create some unofficial forum, where Indians could ventilate their grievances, no matter whether these were redressed or not.
This forum was found in 1885 when with the help of a retired British civil servant Indian National Congress was founded. This body subsequently led national struggle and national movement in the country. It inculcated, promoted and prompted feelings of nationalism in India.
Nationalism – Definition and Meaning:
Nationalism is a very vague term and in fact it is very difficult to define it precisely and accurately. But in this there is close identification of individual with the State. The people who inhibit a territory love that as their mother land. They place the land of their birth above everything else and are prepared to make supreme sacrifice to defend and preserve its dignity.
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