HST 329 The making of modern India (1707-1947)

Introducing Dates 1498: Vasco- Da Gama Reaching India 1757: The beginning of the British Empire 1857: The end of the English East India Company Rule and the introduction of the direct rule by the British Crown. 1947: The departure of colonial rulers from the Indian subcontinent and the birth of the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Meaning of Modern 1. Individual at the center of Society, Economy and Polity 2. Rational Economic Human 3. Socially Conscious Individual Capable of Making Choices in Life 4. Willingly enters into Contractual Relationship with the State.

Modern Era as a Historical Epoch Transition towards Democracy Movements towards Industrialized Market Driven Economy Freedom to Make Social Choices Rise of Individual as Agents of Change in Human History

What is modern India? POLITICAL FEATURES A democratic political system struggling to accommodate contradictory pressures from diverse political pressure groups and parties ranging from religious nationalists to moderate ‘secular’ nationalists and Parliamentary Communists. Insurgent activities in the peripheral regions with significant impact on the functioning of state. SOCIAL FEATURES Highly diverse region with a very large population trying to achieve social synthesis. A society marked by caste, class and gender inequity trying to address social inequality through affirmative action. Trying to build a socially inclusive society based on citizens’ rights. ECONOMIC FEATURES Rich-Poor Nation trying to remove poverty through a combination of state and market driven measures. Mobilizing Resources to move the majority of labor force from agricultural to industrial and service sectors of the economy.

India A Young Populous Nation Although India occupies only 2.4% of the world's land area, it supports over 17.5% of the world's population numbering 1,166,079,217 persons ( CIA Fact Book July 2009) . Almost 40% of Indians are younger than 15 years of age. About 72% of the people live in more than 638,000 villages, and the remainder in more than 5,100 towns and 380 urban settlements (Census of India,2001 ). A 1992 study of India's population notes that India has more people than all of Africa and also more than North America and South America together. Between 1947 and 1991, India's population more than doubled.

India: The World’s Largest Democracy India, a union of states, is a Sovereign, Secular, Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government. The Indian polity is governed in terms of a constitution which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950.

India: A Dynamic and Rapidly Changing Economy The economy of India is the tenth largest in the world, with a GDP of US $1.16 trillion(2008). India was the second fastest growing major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 9% at the end of the first quarter of 2007–2008 (http://www.indianembassy.org/newsite//Doing_business_In_India/India_at_glance.asp) . The country's economy is diverse and encompasses agriculture, handicrafts, industries and a multitude of services. By 2025 the Indian economy is projected to be about 60 per cent the size of the US economy. The transformation of global economy into a tri-polar economy will be complete by 2035, with the Indian economy only a little smaller than the US economy but larger than that of Western Europe. The very nature of the economy classifies it as a rich poor economy presided over by top heavy state.

India a Land Of Diversity The major official language of the Indian Union is Hindi, which is the primary tongue of 30% of the people. Besides Hindi, other official languages include: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Sanskrit, and Hindustani (a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India). 700 dialects are also spoken. Religion Hindus 80,5 p.c, Muslims 13,4 p.c, Christians 2,3 p.c, Sikhs 1,9 p.c, Buddhists 0,8 p.c, Jains 0,4 p.c, Other religions & persuasions – mainly tribal religions, but also including 69.601 Zoroastrian individuals – 0,6 p.c (according to Census of India 2001). [Diversity] India’s Caste System and affirmative action programs India’s Gender Imbalance and measures to undertake it India’s Muslim Population and Social Conflicts. India’s problems with neighbors.

How did it come into its present shape? The processes of State formation extending over two thousand years Colonial Encounter 1757-1947. Civil Rebellions and Nationalist Movements from 1757 to 1947. Nationalist Empire and Diverse Groups of Indigenous ‘Tribal’ People Economic, Social and Political Transformations encompassing complex societal pressures emanating from diverse sources.

A glance at the syllabus Conceptual approaches Analysis of Events Essay based Seminar Presentations Three in-Class Exams Participation in class discussions