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Glimpses of the Past Summary
Glimpses of the Past Summary of the Lesson
The martyrs are remembered every now and then. They lay their lives for the sake of the nation. Their sacrifices are unforgettable. A song sung by legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar brought tears in the eyes of then Prime Minister Shri Jawaharlal Nehru.
The lyrics were ‘oh my country members. The passionate song filled with national fervor even today.
The Britishers ruled over the country as their roots went deep down through the East India Company. They were heading throughout the entire nation from Calcutta.
However, the Indian Princess was deaf and short (sighted) about the encroachment of the Britishers. They asked favor of English Merchant to defeat other princely states.
Enmity amongst princely states helped the Britishers to spread their wings. Tipu Sultan of Mysore challenged the Britishers until his last breath for the nation. There was unrest amongst common people.
They were prepared to compromise with their freedom. However, with time they realized that they were ruled by the outsider people regret that Prince was at least their own countrymen.
The narrow-mindedness of the religious group did nothing for the upliftment of the society. The rituals like untouchability, child marriages were persisting. They were blot to the society.
Britishers were also desisting Indians. In totality, society was at its lowest. Britishers were interested in making easy profits at the earliest. They enforced them to pay arrears otherwise they would be put behind the bar.
The people were too submissive. So the Britishers forced them to buy manufactured goods made from England. That curbed the Indian cottage and small scale industries. They were ruined to the extreme.
The social movement started when Raja Ram Mohan Roy initiated an awareness program. He genuinely felt the faith in ancient culture. He worked against superstition and in favour of strengthening the culture.
His love for science and modem knowledge reflects through his speeches. He started the newspaper. He went to England to assess the strength of Britishers. He made them aware of their duties as they subjugated Indians.
This was the phase of oppression. In 1818, Britishers had passed the Third Regulation Act. Under it, an Indian could be jailed without a trial. Britishers were getting powerful and were flourishing through businesses.
Britishers forcefully exported goods from Britain worth seven crores by the year 1829. This led to the closing of f Indian industries. Indian weavers lost their livelihood and it was getting difficult for them to sustain against the cheap option.
In 1835, Lord Macaulay suggested bringing changes in the education system of India. They tried to replace with the English language because they realized that they need Indians to do the petty job for them.
As a result of it, a conscientious intellectual class emerged and wanted education for fellow countrymen. They were also aware of the pathetic condition, so they felt the need to represent the reality before the rulers.
It was 1856, when the Britishers conquered the whole of India. Indian social system was at its lowest. Jobs, lands, religion pursuing once faith, all these were snatched by them.
The spark talks about an era when the peasant lost their patience. They had to pay heavy taxes and were devoid of land. In 1855, the Santhalas felt oppressed because of new land rules.
They massacred Europeans and their supporters. Army men faced discrimination too in promotions and salary. So they were getting i disconcerted too. They wanted to uproot the British rule.
The uniforms of rebellious sepoy were stripped off disrespectfully. Britishers were callous towards the faiths of Indians. Irrespective of caste or religions, they decided to get united to take revenge.
They sent the message of rebellious attributes by sending chapattis and circulating lotus flowers. Emperor and patriots took steps to take revenge.
The first freedom movement started in 1857 in Meerut. Britishers called it a mutiny. It took a violent turn in Meerut, then the fire of sepoy marched towards Delhi under the aegis of Bahadur Shah.
The movement reached far and wide. Later landlords deprived of their lands also joined it to uproot the British Raj.
The fight for freedom also ignited the anguish of former rulers like Begum Hazrat whose estate was confiscated. Maulvi Ahmedulla of Faizabad motivated the fellow countrymen to rage war against oppressors.
The voices of rebellion also rose from every nook and comer be it Lucknow, Bareilly, Kanpur, Allahabad and many more. The rulers like Azimulla Khan, Tatya Tope, Peshwa Nana Sahab organized themselves to face the wrath of British rule.
The fighters were the patrons of the sovereignty of India. They stood fast to their aspiration to give a tough fight to the onslaughters who had taken away their motherland and exploiting every means to make money.
No wonder eighty-year-old Kunwar Singh of Bihar hit by a bullet laid his life for liberating his land.