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Swadeshi movement

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"Concentrate on Charkha and Swadeshi," Popular Bazaar poster in swadeshi movement, 1930s

The Swadeshi movement was a part of the Indian independence movement and the development of Indian nationalism.[1]

The movement started in 1905 against the Partition of Bengal. It was one of the most successful movements against the British rule, primarily organized and led by Aurobindo Ghosh, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal Lala Lajpat Rai, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Babu Genu. Swadeshi was a key focus of Mahatma Gandhi, who described it as the soul of Swaraj (self-rule). It was the strongest movement in Bengal and was also known as the Vande mataram movement in India. The movement ended in 1911.

Background

Etymology

The word Swadeshi is a conjunction (sandhi) of two Sanskrit words, "Swa" and "Desh", meaning "self"/"own" and "country" respectively. Swadeshi, as an adjective means "of one's own country".

History

  • 1850 to 1904: Developed by leaders like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gokhale, Ranade, Tilak, G. V. Joshi, and Bhaswat K. Nigoni. This was also known as the First Swadeshi Movement.
  • 1905 to 1917: Began in 1905, against the partition of Bengal ordered by Lord Curzon.
  • 1918 to 1947: Idea of Swadeshi was further shaped by Gandhi, leading to the independence Indian from British Rule..
  • 1991: Widespread curbs on international andion of then obsolete technology during the license-permit raj.
  • 1991 and onward: Begining of liberalization, privatization and globalization in independent India. Foreign capitals, technologies and many other goods were not excluded and the doctrine of export-led growth resulted in modern industrialism.

Baba Ram Singh Kuka of the Sikh Namdhari sect[2] was also credited for the Swadeshi movement as his own movements heightened around 1871 and 1872 which inspired benaglis and other Indians to fight against British rule.[3] Baba Ram Singh instructed Naamdharis to wear Indian clothes only and boycott foreign goods.[4] The Namdharis resolved the conflict in the peoples court and totally avoided British law and British courts. They also boycotted the educational system as Baba Ram Singh prohibited children from attending British School among other forms and measures he employed.[5]

Legacy and influences

Swadeshi After Independence

See also: Make In India

The Post-Independence "Swadeshi Movement" has developed differently than its Pre-Independence counterpart. While the Pre-Independence movement was essentially a response against colonial policies, the Post-Independence Swadeshi movement sprung forth as an answer to increasingly oppressive imperialistic policies in the post-Second World War climate. For a nation emerging from two centuries of colonial oppression, India needed keep up with the industrialized economies of the west. While rapid industrialization under the umbrella of "Five-year Plans" were aimed at enabling a self-sufficient India, the need to balance it with a predominantly agrarian economy was urgent. This need to preserve the old fabric of an agrarian country, while simultaneously modernizing, necessitated a resurgence of a slightly recast "Swadeshi Movement". Forerunners of this resurgent movement were noted journalists, writers, and critics, including S. R. Ramaswamy. Later, movement was joined by an indian social activist Rajiv Dixit, a famous yoga instructor Swami Ramdev and a social worker, Pawan Pandit.[7][8]

National Handloom Day

On August 7th, 2015, Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, instituted and celebrated first annual "National Handloom Day of India" to promote indigenous hand loom and khadi products. The date was chosen as on this date in 1905 that proclamation was made to commence Swadeshi movement to avoid foreign goods and use only Indian-made products[9] in order to escilate the development of India.

See also

Related independence topics
Legacy and impact
General topics

References

  1. ^ [L. M. Bhole, Essays on Gandhian Socio-Econic, Shipra Publications, Delhi, 2000. Chapter 14: Swadeshi: Meaning and Contemporary Relevance]
  2. ^ Anjan, Tara; Rattan, Saldi (2016). Satguru Ram Singh and the Kuka Movement. New Delhi: Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN 9788123022581.
  3. ^ McLeod, W. H.; French, Louis (2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 261. ISBN 9781442236011.
  4. ^ Clarke, Peter (2004). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Oxon: Routledge. p. 425. ISBN 9781134499700.
  5. ^ Kaur, Manmohan (1985). Women in India's freedom struggle. Sterling. p. 76.
  6. ^ Weber, Thomas (May 1999). "Gandhi, Deep Ecology, Peace Research and Buddhist Economics". Journal of Peace Research. 36 (3): 349–361. doi:10.1177/0022343399036003007.
  7. ^ MINISTRY of AYUSH Letter-https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-AY8yyuVlsOWWdkVEQ3Nmx3R0E
  8. ^ Swadeshi Movement. "The Third Swadeshi Abhiyan Started in the 20th century and the movement continues. the main faces of the movement". Swadeshi Movement. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  9. ^ Explained: Why is August 7 called National Handloom Day, Indian Express, 7 August 2020.

Further reading

  • Bandyopadhyay, Sekhar. From Plassey to Partition - A History of Modern India (2004) pp 248–62
  • Das, M. N. India Under Morley and Minto: Politics Behind Revolution, Revolution, and Reform (1964)
  • Gonsalves, Peter. Clothing for Liberation, A Communication Analysis of Gandhi's Swadeshi Revolution, SAGE, (2010)
  • Gonsalves, Peter. Khadi: Gandhi's Mega Symbol of Subversion, SAGE, (2012)
  • Trivedi, Lisa. "Clothing Gandhi's Nation: Homespun and Modern India", Indiana University Press, (2007)
  • Trivedi, Lisa N. (February 2003). "Visually Mapping the 'Nation': Swadeshi Politics in Nationalist India, 1920-1930". The Journal of Asian Studies. 62 (1). Association for Asian Studies: 11–41. doi:10.2307/3096134. JSTOR 3096134.
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