Modern Indian Literature: Know In Art & Culture With Devdutt Pattanaik EP20 | UPSC Essentials
Summary
TLDRThis video script delves into the evolution of modern Indian literature during the colonial era, highlighting the pivotal role of the printing press and the British educational policies in shaping Indian thought. It discusses how literature, including works by women, became a catalyst for social reform and the independence movement, emphasizing the importance of understanding the context and biases in literary sources for a comprehensive view of history and culture.
Takeaways
- 📚 The script discusses the development of modern Indian literature, which is largely attributed to the arrival of colonial powers and the introduction of the printing press in India.
- 🌍 The printing press, initially used for religious texts in Europe, was adapted by the British in India to print science and technical books, facilitating the creation of clerks and spreading new ideas.
- 👥 The script highlights the role of literature in the Indian independence struggle, showing how education and exposure to Western ideas led to the emergence of nationalism and the desire for self-governance.
- 📖 It emphasizes the importance of considering the author's perspective when studying literature, as biases and the socio-political context can significantly influence the content and interpretation of texts.
- 👩🏫 The script notes the evolution of women's writing in India, from traditional forms to more modern expressions of agency and new ideas, influenced by Western literature and education.
- 👑 The British policy of educating Indians to serve as clerks inadvertently sparked a revolution in thought, leading to the questioning of the caste system and the promotion of egalitarianism.
- 📈 The script points out the limitations of literature as a historical source, cautioning against taking literary accounts at face value without corroboration from other disciplines like archaeology or art history.
- 🤔 It suggests using the '5W1H' approach (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How) to critically analyze literature, considering the author's intent, context, and potential biases.
- 📝 The discussion underscores the significance of literature in shaping the national movement in India, with various factions using it to express their views on reform, tradition, and social upliftment.
- 🌐 The script mentions the importance of understanding the structural changes brought by colonial rule, including new technologies and content, which led to shifts in Indian society and mindset.
- 💡 Lastly, the script encourages students to think critically about literature's role in culture and history, and to be aware of its limitations and the need for cross-disciplinary verification.
Q & A
What is 'Sultana's Dream' about?
-'Sultana's Dream' is a fantasy written by Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain in the 19th century. It envisions a world where women run all affairs and men live secluded lives.
How did the arrival of European powers impact Indian literature in the colonial period?
-The arrival of European powers, particularly the British, introduced the printing press and education, leading to the spread of new ideas, technologies, and subjects such as science and mathematics. This shift helped propel the modern literary movement in India.
What role did the printing press play in the development of modern Indian literature?
-The printing press, introduced by the Portuguese for missionary work and later used by the British to produce textbooks and technical books, was crucial in spreading education and new ideas. This led to a literary revolution in India by making knowledge accessible to a wider audience.
How did literature contribute to India's independence struggle?
-Literature played a significant role by spreading nationalist ideas and awareness about social and political issues. Newspapers and writings by figures like Surendranath Banerjee and Bal Gangadhar Tilak helped foster a sense of nationalism and resistance against British rule.
What impact did British education policies have on Indian society?
-British education policies aimed at creating clerks, but they also exposed Indians to new ideas about humanism, equality, democracy, and other Western philosophies. This led to social reforms, greater educational opportunities for different classes and castes, and a burgeoning sense of nationalism.
How did women's education and writing evolve during the colonial period in India?
-With the spread of education, initially among elite women and later among lower classes, women began to express their ideas and experiences through literature. They wrote about social issues, gender equality, and personal aspirations, contributing significantly to the cultural and intellectual landscape.
Can you name some notable women writers from pre-colonial and colonial India?
-Notable women writers include Andal and Mirabai from ancient times, Muddupalani from the 17th century, and Rasundari Devi and Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain from the colonial period.
What are the limitations of using literature as a source to understand history and culture?
-Literature can reflect the biases and perspectives of its authors, who often belong to privileged classes or groups. It's important to corroborate literary sources with other types of evidence, such as archaeological findings, epigraphy, and material culture, to get a more accurate picture.
How did Indian writers react to British racial policies and discrimination?
-Indian writers, like Surendranath Banerjee, often highlighted racial discrimination and second-class treatment by the British. Their writings and actions fostered a sense of nationalism and the demand for equal rights and self-governance.
What new ideas and philosophies influenced Indian literature during the colonial period?
-Ideas and philosophies such as humanism, equality, democracy, the French and American Revolutions, and Western scientific and technical knowledge significantly influenced Indian literature, contributing to social reform and political awakening.
Outlines
📚 The Emergence of Modern Indian Literature
The first paragraph discusses the development of modern Indian literature influenced by the arrival of colonial powers and the introduction of the printing press. It highlights the shift from religious texts to scientific and secular writings aimed at creating clerks, which led to a broader education and literacy among different social classes. The paragraph also emphasizes the importance of literature in expressing women's agency and the impact of new ideas from the West on Indian thought during the colonial period.
🌟 Literature's Role in India's Freedom Struggle
This paragraph explores the significant role of literature in India's struggle for independence. It explains how the British introduced education and the printing press to create clerks, but this inadvertently led to the spread of new ideas and the emergence of nationalism among the educated Indian population. The paragraph also touches on the social and political movements that arose from the educated class, including the works of social reformers and the polarization between reformists and traditionalists.
👩💼 Women's Writing in Modern India
The third paragraph focuses on the evolution of women's writing in India during the colonial era. It discusses how the spread of education among women led to new forms of literary expression and the emergence of women's voices in literature. The paragraph mentions the first Indian women poets and writers who expressed their aspirations and experiences, challenging traditional roles and contributing to the discourse on gender equality and societal norms.
🤔 Understanding Literature's Limitations
In this paragraph, the limitations of literature as a historical and cultural source are examined. It cautions readers to be aware of the biases and perspectives of the authors, and the importance of considering who, when, where, and for what purpose a piece of literature was written. The paragraph also underscores the need to corroborate literary evidence with other forms of evidence, such as archaeology and art history, to gain a more accurate understanding of the past.
🔍 The Importance of Source Collaboration in Literature Study
The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of using a collaborative approach when studying literature. It suggests applying the 'five Ws' (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How) to systematically analyze literature and understand its context. The paragraph concludes by encouraging students to engage with the material, ask questions, and seek a comprehensive understanding of literature's role in shaping culture and history.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Colonial Period
💡Printing Press
💡Modern Indian Literature
💡Cultural Expression
💡Sultana's Dream
💡Education
💡Nationalism
💡Social Reform
💡Literary Movement
💡Women's Writing
💡Bias in Literature
Highlights
Sultana's Dream, a 19th-century fantasy by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, imagines a world where women are in charge and men live secluded lives, reflecting the emerging female agency of the time.
The arrival of the colonial powers in India, particularly the British, brought the printing press, which was pivotal in the development of modern Indian literature.
The British used the printing press to reproduce scientific and technical books, creating a need for educated clerks and propelling the modern literary movement in India.
The printing press's introduction to India bypassed the Ottoman Empire, contributing to the Islamic world's lag in modernity.
Literature and education under colonial rule led to a social revolution, with education becoming accessible across different castes and classes.
Thomas Babington Macaulay's educational policy aimed to create Indians who thought like Europeans but retained their Indian identity.
Modern Indian literature was significantly influenced by new ideas such as humanism, equality, and the rise of democracies, introduced through Western education.
The educated class in colonial India, initially created to serve as clerks, became the bedrock of the Indian independence movement.
Surendra Nath Banerji's experiences with racial discrimination in the civil service sparked his advocacy for nationalism and Indian self-governance.
The emergence of newspapers in various Indian languages facilitated the spread of nationalist ideas and the awakening of political consciousness.
Rabindranath Tagore and Dadabhai Naoroji were among the influential figures who contributed to the shaping of modern Indian literature and nationalism.
The polarization between reformists and traditionalists in the 19th century shaped the political discourse and the national movement in India.
Women's writing in modern India, such as Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's work, signifies the empowerment and the expression of female agency.
Education and literature in colonial India led to the emergence of women as poets, writers, and public intellectuals, challenging traditional roles.
Rasri Devi's autobiography, 'Amar Jiban', exemplifies the aspirations of women who balanced traditional roles with the pursuit of education and self-expression.
The limitations of literature as a historical source must be considered, including author biases, the context of writing, and the need for corroboration with other evidence.
The importance of cross-referencing literary sources with archaeological, artistic, and material evidence for a comprehensive understanding of history and culture.
The application of the five W's (Who, What, When, Where, Why) approach to critically analyze literature and understand its context and impact.
Transcripts
[Music]
beam shavat husse who writes um
sultana's dream and it's a fantasy about
a world where women run all the when
women run the Affairs of and Men live
secluded lives this is being written in
the 19th century so you have these new
writings emerging in the 19th century
and women are coming out uh and
expressing themselves expressing their
agency so on this topic of literature
and culture we have reached to a point
where we are now going to talk about the
Modern India or the colonial period
let's know more in our today's episode
of art and culture with d patnayak
[Applause]
[Music]
hello everyone I am mana sastav and you
are watching upsc Essentials of the
Indian Express where like always we are
in conversation with davat patnayak d
that talks about art and culture and
those relevant topics which are
important for your exams but also life
in general so in the previous episodes
you've seen that we've covered
literature and culture and we have
talked about ancient India the medial
India and today we're going to talk
about Modern India or the the colonial
times so D that let's begin with a very
General yet very important question that
how this modern Indian literature
developed in India and really this is
the result of the arrival of colonial
power into India that is European pass
so the Portuguese came to India in the
16th century followed by the Dutch and
then the French and the English they all
came to India in the 17th century 18th
century and with them came new
technologies the technology which came
with them was the printing press
remember the printing press was invented
in China about 2000 years ago but about
500 years ago in the 15th century it
reaches Europe and the uh the Europeans
really use the printing press to uh
print the Bible and the Bible gets
accessible to everybody in Europe uh and
that creates a huge social revolution in
Europe and then the printing press in
the 16th century just barely 100 years
after that comes to India on its way to
Africa but remains in Goa for some
reason and this is when the Bible starts
being printed in India and really by
missionaries uh to promote missionary
work in the the 17th century you find
this in Goa you find
um Bible being translated into conani
it's called the kristap puran in conani
and basically printing was used to
missionary work by the Portuguese people
in the 16th century but when the British
come they do something different they
realize that they want clerks they want
babo and therefore they want to start
schools in India and therefore the
printing press is used to reproduce
science
uh text books in India um so technical
books science books start appearing in
India they're printed in Kolkata in
alabad in lakau in the 19th century so
suddenly the printing press and the so
the the technology of the printing press
and the shift in focus from religion and
conversion to um science and language
and Mathematics to create clerks by the
British is what really propels the
modern literary movement in India
remember the printing press was not
allowed to uh enter the Ottoman Empire
one of the reasons why uh the Islamic
World fell back in the world of
modernity so from Europe it came to
India but it bypassed the Muslim world
the ottoman World Egypt Persia Iran Iraq
turkey all these places where the
ottoman Empires safaid Empires existed
they did not like the pr press because
they thought the calligraphers would
lose their jobs and because of that
knowledge remained limited because when
you write it down calligraphy it's only
available for the elite but when the
printing technology comes to India one
the technology two the content moves
from religious to Scientific secular
mathematical writings purpose is
different not to convert people but to
create clerks um something shifts in
society no now people are educated men
are educated women are educated upper
class men are educated low world class
men educated different casts are
educated and that creates a revolution
that's how uh modern literature began in
India so you have to understand these
structural changes that happened with
the new rulers of India bringing new
technology bringing new content bringing
new subjects into India and that changes
the mindset of course we always talk
about m in 1835 his minutes about how he
wanted Indians to be look like Indians
but think like Europeans to serve as
Clerks and we can get very angry with
this but really this sort of sparked a
revolution in Indian thought because we
got access to new ways of thinking new
knowledge new skills maths science
literature new ways of looking at the
world new philosophies like humanism
equality
egalitarianism um new ideas came into
India in the schools and colleges people
were talking about the French Revolution
the American Revolution egality um the
end of monarchies the rise of
democracies all this shaped modern
literature so in this answer of D we get
to know about the causes the impact the
significance so all three aspects of
what is expected in an answer in in in
one go in one package so uh that way it
is very very uh important and also
remember that you know when we talking
about how the literature developed
modern literature we're talking about
technology we're also talking about the
content of the text we also talking
about the British rule and now speaking
about the British rule if DAV that you
can elaborate for our students that how
uh you know this this modern Indian
literature played such an important
significant role in The Independent
struggle so how did literature play an
role in the India's Freedom struggle
right um the British sort of introduced
education into India it was a shift in
policy from what the Portuguese were
doing they interested in printing press
for missionary activities but the
British brought the printing press and
education into India and schools and uh
in order to create clerks
now as time progressed more and more
clerks came into so the lot of Education
happened lots of people were being
educated and they were being exposed not
only to maths and science but also to
new ideas that were emerging in the west
and you have um a gentleman like
Surendra Nat banerji who was is an IC
Indian civil servant uh but you find him
in trouble like he is uh at first he's
not given admission uh into the Civil
Service on grounds of his age and then
he's kicked out uh considering that he's
not good enough you know basically for
racial grounds he's kicked out of the
Civil Service he gets very angry and he
realizes that he'll always be a second
class person although British talk about
equality really Indians will be second
and he starts talking about nationalism
and the idea of nationhood starts to
emerge amongst these educated people
that the British created for clerks and
that's how the literary Mission starts
but people start writing and they start
producing newspapers so you have Bengali
newspapers and marati newspapers like TR
starts caser in Maharashtra you have
newspapers uh appearing in uh Bengal you
have English papers appearing newspapers
knowledge being spread people having
opinions about social matters and
gradually the idea of nationalism
becomes important you have tagore
writing about nationalism you have Dad
naroi writing about the drain of wealth
Theory um you have uh so you see the the
knowledge which came into India with the
new uh British rule um the literature
which came into India the education
system which came into India was
primarily meant to create clerks but it
had two major impacts one was a social
impact people said that everybody should
be educated upper class lower class
upper class lower cast uh across
religions women should be educated so
there was a social movement that was
happening but at the same time a
political movement also emerged people
started realizing about racism how they
would always be treated as second class
citizens by the rulers of the land the
idea of nationhood emerged the idea of
democracy Liberation equality emerged
these ideas of Justice emerged uh many
of the Indians were trained as lawyers
um they studied the law and then they
challenged the racial presumption of the
law and this is how uh the independence
movement started you have one group of
what is called the social reformers who
spoke about nationalism but you also
have traditionalists who spoke about
nationalism so if rajar Raman Roy was a
social reformer who spoke about Hinduism
in the early part of the 18th century
but the latter part of early part of the
19th century uh in the latter part of
the 19th century you have Chandra Nat
Basu uh talking about traditionalism and
using the word hindutva for the first
time which Savar uses later in the early
20th century so you have even at the
early stage as political movement
emerged the polarization between those
who say the new India should have
reformist ideas social upliftment and
the traditionalists who believe that
India should go back to the old ways of
varash Dharma which was perfect in its
way and women's education was not
necessary we forget that tur was against
women's education he believed in swaja
he believed in self rule he uh so you
have these new ideas emerging and that's
how the literature the caser newspaper
emerges which talks about nationalism at
one level but it also says that women
should not be educated and uh it talks
it favors cast and says about how
brahmans should uh get certain benefits
and non- bramman shouldn't so you have
the tiux writings on this but you have
this counter movements by uh rades and
golay who say that no India should
progress India should transform uh new
ideas should come in we should talk
about liberalism so all this is
happening in the 19th century Which
shapes the national movement in India
thank you D I think uh this is a very
important question which is answered not
only because of its content but also uh
its relevance in the examination because
there's one thing that a question can be
directly asked on literature then you
have to definitely write about
literature uh role literature's role in
modern Indian period or indep dependent
struggle but also when a question comes
on the Freedom Movement or independent
struggle even then you have to have at
least one paragraph on the role of
literature and printing press so things
can be directly asked and used or it
have to be indirectly you know mentioned
as the F of your answer so that way uh
these things have to be kept in mind and
make sure that you make them a part of
your notes and then final answers in
your examination
now having said that let's move on to
the next question and the next question
is related to women writing um
literature so they that if you can throw
light on uh what and how and who among
women wrote uh in Indian literature in
the modern period so women's writing in
India now this becomes interesting it's
not that women did not write before uh
the British came to India there is a lot
of women's right writings in India
before uh in ancient times for example
you have andal writing bti poetry you
have mirabai writing bti poetry um you
have a Coran called mudal writing
radhika Sanam in ra rather erotic work
uh in the 17th century and this is
printed by another corisan called
Bangalore ratama in the 19th century
which creates a huge outrage uh uh in
India but you know you have these
women's writings happening before um
there is um Raman chandra's Raman
written by women there are women bti
poets like mtab by janabai um so women
were writing before but a new form of
writing emerges with with the in
colonial times as education reaches
India and education at first is
available only to Elite women so the
zamidar the rich men they have these
governances educating women in their
houses the kings are allowing uh
governors to teach writing and reading
to the women of the palace so it's a
class thing but missionaries meanwhile
are also spreading education in the
lower casts and lower classes and you
have savitri b f j f in Maharashtra
talking about how um everybody should be
educated not just the elite classes not
the traditionally educated people uh not
just the brahmins and the kest but
everyone should be educated so women
should be educated and so suddenly
women's education is becoming important
at a social level so it's not just class
women but also lower class women in the
18th century women start reading novels
and when novels is you know Jane
Austin's novels these novels start
reaching India and these educated women
start reading these books and their mind
starts to get new ideas they start
talking about gender equality
opportunities age of consent when should
you marry do you have right to say uh
you know uh no to your husband these
ideas start emerging in India and you
have um women writing novels
and this creates uh changes the way uh
you know um uh India functions uh
because women start having opinions so
you have uh you know one of the earliest
uh Indian women poet is a lady called um
so you have tat uh the India's first uh
poetist who writes in English um then um
rasra Devi writes Amar jivan her
autobiography where she talks about how
she has 12 children and when she has
free time from doing household shows she
educates herself and therefore this idea
of aspirational women who follow their
traditional roles they mothers they take
care of the house but they also want to
educate themselves so you have uh rasri
Davi writing Amar Jan in Bengali writing
about a biography so suddenly women are
expressing themselves um you have
um beam shikat Hussein who writes um
sultana's dream and it's a fantasy about
a world where women run all the when
women run the Affairs of and Men live
secluded lives this is being written in
the 19th century so you have these new
writings emerging in the 19th century
and women are coming out uh and
expressing themselves expressing their
agency and new ideas emerging there is
uh there are women who are educating as
doctors um you have cases uh they're
becoming lawyers these ideas are
emerging and that starts happening in
the 19th century because of education so
a lot of things get cleared Crystal
cleared by that answer of D so women's
uh writing uh during the Modern India
period uh is not just limited to
understand the empowerment of women but
also from the perspective of what it's
contributing so in terms of new ideas uh
helping us to understand Society uh
history culture and so on and definitely
remember
the names which are very important for
your answers in your Mains or as for for
your prelims the questions which are
framed around them now let's move on to
the last question and today's last
question is uh D that I want to talk
about literature as source so we have
seen um such all you know wonderful
things about literature understanding
literature how should we go about it
what is the content uh but at the same
time this these literature have some
caveats they have some limitations so
why is it important to understand those
limitations what are those limitations
if you can tell our students so um
literature is a very important source of
understanding culture and history but we
have to be a little careful because
remember uh when I'm writing something I
use my imagination and I can write
anything I want and therefore biases
come in bigotry comes in uh so for
example most of the Vic literature the
shastra literature is written by
brahmins and Brahman men and therefore
the privilege they give themselves a
privileged position that brahans are the
most important people men are important
than women so we must always ask the
question who is writing this and when
are they writing it and where are they
writing it who is writing when is he
writing where is he writing and for what
benefit is he writing so therefore when
you read a piece of literature if you
ask these questions you understand a lot
about that uh culture uh it's also
important like if a man is writing he'll
write differently when a woman is
writing differently if uh Greeks are
writing about India it's going to be
very different than Indians writing
about India when Chinese write about
India they bring their own biases into
the picture when Buddhists write about
India they bring a different view the
brahans write a different view when a
dalit writes about India he writes a
very different view um uh when you read
a Brahman document which says that
Buddha and the tankar rishabha are
avatars of Vishnu you don't take them
literally you understand that there is a
politics going on an appropriate is
going on there is a conflict happening
when you hear stories of shankaraya for
example written in the 15th century you
have got this Sanskrit work which talks
about how shankaracharya defeats
Buddhist Scholars you have to counter it
with taran's writing in the 16th century
Buddhist scholar who talks about how
Shankar aara is defeated by Buddhists
now which is true which is true did
shankaracharya defeat the Buddhist as
per the Brahman documents but the
Buddhist documents say that the
shankaracharya was defeated by the
Buddhist so now you have two pieces of
literature which one do you trust um and
that's important kerol Pati is a work
written in the 17th century which tells
the history of Kerala in a very
organized way and it says how pararam
brought um brahans to Kerala and
civilize the land now uh is it history
or is it just fantasy or is it a way of
justifying Brahman control of lands in
Kerala so literature has to be read very
carefully who is writing the story when
is is he writing where is he writing for
what is he writing and we must
collaborate written sources with other
information uh epigraphic evidence
architecture art um material evidence is
very very important for example the Vic
literature is oral Traditions but we
don't have much material evidence about
it so when they are talking about it the
only information we have is that in the
gtic plane these po these poetries are
being written but if they talk about
palaces but we don't get any evidence of
a palace as per archaeology then did
palaces exist really or in the
imagination of these poets so when you
study literature it's important they
give you a window to the Past a window
to our culture how human beings not just
created the world but also how they
imagined the world but we have to always
corroborate this information from texts
by other uh other subjects like as I
said archaeology art history now DNA
studies are telling us some things we
have to study that so lots of things
have to be collaborated to make sense of
what is written thank you D for
mentioning that collaboration of sources
um which is very important and students
should know that even in history when we
study history we have so many sources
and their collaboration becomes uh so
important at the same time when you are
talking about how to ask literature
questions okay so I'm reminded of this
five W1 of approach in journalism and so
I ask a lot of students to follow this 5
W1 Edge approach while studying current
affairs also so five ws what when
where uh who and then there is of course
how so this makes understanding of uh
current affairs quite systematic and
simple now I believe we've covered
almost every aspect of literature and
culture in these past three four
episodes uh students can write to us uh
they can mail me on Manus Shasta at
indianexpress.com or you can comment in
the comment section of the YouTube uh
please subscribe the indianexpress
channel or the page of the YouTube and
U uh do connect me connect with me on
live on the live session at 8:00
p.m. every every Thursday that's all for
today thank you Dad for enlightening our
students on this vast vast topic and uh
always remember think smart work hard
conquer your goal bye-bye Mana shast
signing
off
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