Indian National Movement: The Beginnings Quiz

Answer: Continued social reform through legislation

This one fact caused great consternation among the liberal, educated middle classes in India. They believed that the British rule in India was a godsend, as the social reforms carried out prior to the Revolt of 1857, had removed several social evils such as sati, thagi and had allowed widows remarriage. From here on, the British followed an almost "faissez faire policy" towards Indian customs and traditions.

They were quick to denounce it as backward and superstitious, yet were unwilling to do much to change them either. Social legislation came almost to a standstill after the brilliant start made by more enlightened Governor Generals like Lord William Bentinck.

Answer: Lord Canning

Lord Canning was the last Governor General (1852-1857) and the first Viceroy of India 1857-1862). He is best known for having suppressed the Revolt of 1857 or as the then British historians referred to it, the Sepoy Mutiny.

Answer: Brahmo Samaj

The Brahmo Samaj was started by Raja Ram Mohan Roy as a means to reform Hinduism. Its membership mainly consisted of educated, urban middle-class Indians, who formed a very small section of the society then, and were not exactly the most influential either.

The movement itself sought to change Hinduism by incorporating many Christian ideals and Western rational thought, but never gained the status of a large scale movement.

Answer: Landholders' Society

The Landholders' Society was formed in 1838 by the Zamindars, or the landowning élite in India's rural areas, to air their grievances and sort out whatever problems they had with the British. However, its core interest was the interest and the welfare of the Zamindars whose status was almost like that of the barons of medieval England.

Answer: Devendranath Tagore

Devendranath Tagore, the grandfather of Rabindranath Tagore, India's first Nobel Prize winner (for Literature), was one of the founding fathers of India's first truly political organization which actually represented the interests of the common people. Comprised mainly of the intelligentsia, it was a very vocal organization and active in making demands of the British Government. Devendranath's son and Rabindranath Tagore's father, went on to become the second head of the Bramho Samaj.

Answer: Poona Sarvajanik Sabha

The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (Poona People's Organization) was a socio-political organization aimed at the "upliftment" of the "untouchables" in Indian society and a general social reform as well. Jyotiba Phule is credited with having started numerous schools and colleges for the backward castes and the "way in bringing about general 'upliftment' of large sections of the "untouchable" castes.

Answer: False

The founder of the Young Bengal Movement was the brilliant lecturer, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, born to Indian and Portuguese parents. He was a teacher of English in the famed Kolkata Hindu University, but lost his position because of his radical teachings which advocated a complete rejection of the East in favour of total acceptance of the West. Part of this belief was the adoption of Christianity and the concerted breaking of all Orthodox taboos, which greatly angered the Orthodox Bengalis. Although the Young Bengal Movement never really took off and died with his premature death at 30, he is best remembered for his beautiful poem, 'To India - My Motherland'.

Answer: Dadhabhai Naoroji

Dadhabhai Naoroji's classic work, exposed the British economic exploitation of India through the 'Drain Theory', which showed that wealth from India was being removed to Britain through various means and channels, much to the detriment of the Indian masses.

This book shows painstaking research and careful analysis. The British officials at that time, did not actually contradict the conclusions of the book, but justified the drain with the claim of "good governance", that the loss of wealth was just a small price to pay in return for good government, which supposedly the Indians were incapable of giving themselves.

Answer: Ilbert Bill

The Ilbert Bill was actually a progressive legislation introduced by Lord Ripon, an enlightened "Gladstonian". The Vernacular Press Act, sought to control and regulate the mushrooming local language newspapers, which were spreading discontent with the British rule among the masses, whereas the Arms Act was a blatantly racialist act, which prevented Indians from carrying arms without a license, whereas Europeans were not bound by it.

Answer: Europeans could be tried by Indian judges even without a jury

The Ilbert Bill, introduced by Lord Ripon, the Viceroy of India from 1880 to 1884, was meant to bring Indian judges on parity with European judges, by allowing them to try Europeans on an equal basis as Indians. This caused a huge negative reaction from the European community on racialist lines, and some even threatened to assassinate the Viceroy.

This consequently saw the bill being withdrawn and passed with greatly diluted provisions. The reactions of the Europeans in India, convinced the Indian middle class, that political agitation from then on had to be on a national, not a regional level to tackle the British rule.