(Online Course) GS Concepts : Mordern Indian History - Indian Society in the Early 19th Century

Topic: Indian Society in the Early 19th Century

Question : Give a brief description of the Indian Society in the early nineteenth century?

Answer:

Society and, religion in India have passed through numerous phases of change. In the long and chequered history of India there had been periods of progress regeneration and reform, as well as periods of decay, dissolution and degeneration. The eighteenth century witnessed the latter tendencies. While in Europe it was the age of enlightenment, but in India, it was a period of stagnation. Indian society, as a whole remained detached from and indifferent to the political developments. The innumerable village communities over the length and breadth of the land led their self-contained and more or less secluded life as before. Social rigidity and irrational social practices became conspicuous feature of the eighteenth century India. The disease was more aggravated by the outer aspects of contemporary religions which became even more dogmatic. In the eighteenth century, idolatry and fatalism had been extended to extremes Islam, too, had become an intolerant religion in the heyday of Islamic glory, the Sufi preachers preached tolerance, but from the later part of the seventeenth century the Muslim rulers assumed religious bigotry as a part of their State Policy. With religions attaching more importance to external form than to inner reality, religious superstitions, began to pervade all aspects of social life. Infanticide, child marriage, polygamy, the burning of widows and other social evils, were all interpreted as religiously valid, and hence there was no qualm of conscience even in most horrible performances. Similarly, such social systems as caste, untouchability, seclusion of women and slavery were all considered as sanctified by the shastras, and therefore, absolutely valid and estimable. Thus the eighteenth century was an age of intolerant institutions and irrational customs. That was the last great epoch of social inequality in India. With the impact of westem ideas and the rise of Hindu reform movements in the subsequent century, caste was assailed and there began a slow slackening of rigid attitudes towards untouchability. However, in spite of reform movements, throughout the nineteenth century the caste inertia continued without any spectacular improvement in the position of the untouchables.

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