Discuss the importance of the major political
and socio-economic developments that influenced the Indian writers in English.
Indian writing in English is primarily a result of the English
colonial rule in India spanning almost two centuries. There is an undeniable
relation between the literary work and the historical background out of which
it arises. In spite of the western imperialism and colonialism the Indian
culture has grown incredibly over the past two hundred years. It is a well
known fact that the Englishmen came to India on the pretext of trade and
immediately realized that a stable political control would substantially
increase their profits. The Industrial Revolution in England could only sustain
itself through the capital made in the Indian territories in the form of
revenue collection. They then commenced to annex different territories in and
around India and set up a colonial empire. The British rule completely ruined
the agricultural self-sufficiency of the farmers and the trade of silk cloth
saw a downslide due to the English factory produced cloth more easily and
cheaply available. The weavers and artisans lost their job and had to sustain
themselves by working in cotton plantations. The old existing order underwent a
complete and systematic destruction and overhaul bringing misery, poverty and
death to millions of Indians.
After a few years of colonial rule and consolidation, the
English empire got embroiled in a hotly debated and discussed issue of
introduction of the English language in educational institutes. In a watershed
decision English was introduced in the Indian education system, and was
understood to be a different epistemological template in which not only the
language but lifestyle and culture was imposed. Many reformers especially Raja
Rammohun Roy, the founder of the Brahmo Samaj, vociferously supported the
teaching of the move to bring about economic reforms that would provide new
employment opportunities in the administration that required the knowledge of
the English language. A systematic enterprise detailed by Macaulay, a member of
colonial Indian parliament, than began in which “mimic men” were produced
through the education system in India, who were “a class who may be
interpreters between us and the millions who we govern; a class of persons,
Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in
intellect.” The
old methods of teaching were made redundant and died a slow death as the
earlier system of education was insufficient to cope with the changing social,
economic and political circumstances. As it is apparent with scorn and despise
towards Indian languages, the sole purpose regarding English was to strengthen
their rule and brainwash the colonized; and not to empower or produce scholars.............................................................
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