Modern History
Modern History
Modern History
Second Battle of Panipat was between Akbar and Hem Chandra Vikramaditya.
Hemu had won 22 battles, as Prime Minister and Chief of Army of Islam Shah (son
of Sher Shah Suri).
Bairam khan was the regent ruler who fought and won on behalf of Akbar.
First Carnatic War (1740-48)
The First Carnatic War was an extension of the Anglo-French War in Europe which
was caused by the Austrian War of Succession.
The First Carnatic War ended in 1748 when the Treaty of Aix-La Chapelle was
signed bringing the Austrian War of Succession to a conclusion.
Second Carnatic War (1749-54)
In 1748 Nizam-ul-Mulk, the Mughal governor of the Deccan and semi-independent
Nawab of Hyderabad died.
Dupleix was the French governor. He had successfully led the French forces in the
First Carnatic War.
Siege of Arcot – 31 August 1751, the English East India Company's forces led by
Robert Clive captured Arcot, the capital of the Nawab of Carnatic (Arcot), Chanda
Sahib.
Battle of Plassey 1757
Plassey (or Palashi) region of West Bengal.
Troops of the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive, came up against the
forces of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and his French
allies.
Siraj had confined 146 British prisoners in a small dungeon in Calcutta, out of which
123 prisoners died of suffocation. It is infamously known as the ‘Black Hole of
Calcutta’.
Mir Jafar had around one-third of the Bengali army.
He did not join the battle and contributed to Nawab's defeat.
Under compelling circumstances, the Nawab tried to escape with his army but was
killed by Miran, the son of Mir Jafar.
Third Battle of Panipat (1761)
The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha
Confederacy and the invading army of the Durrani Empire.
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King of Afghanistan – Ahmad Shah Abdali (Ahmad Shah Durrani) was supported by
Shuja ud Daulah (ruler of Awadh) and the Rohilla Afghans led by Nuja ud Daullah.
First Anglo Maratha War (1775-82)
The Treaty of Salbai was signed on 17 May 1782, by representatives of the Maratha
Confederacy and the British East India Company after long negotiations to settle the
outcome of the First Anglo-Maratha War it was signed between Warren
Hastings and Mahadaji Shinde.
Under its terms, the Company retained control of Salsette and Broach and acquired
guarantees that the Marathas would defeat Hyder Ali of Mysore and retake territories
in the Carnatic.
The Marathas also guaranteed that the French would be prohibited from establishing
settlements on their territories.
In return, the British agreed to pension off their protégé, Raghunath Rao, and
acknowledge Madhavrao II as peshwa of the Maratha Empire. The British also
recognised the territorial claims of the Mahadji Shinde west of the Jumna River and
all the territories occupied by the British after the Treaty of Purandar were given back
to the Marathas.
Third Anglo Maratha War (1817-19)
This time, Warren Hastings won. British captured almost of India with this victory.
PORTUGUESE
During the regime of King Emanuel, a seafarer Vasco-da-Gama started his voyage in
1497, and in May 1498 he landed at the coast of Calicut in today's Kerala.
He was cordially received by Zamorin of Kerala.
By 1503 the Portugues opened their three trading centers at Calicut, Cochin, and
Kananoor.
After the return of Vasco-da-Gama, the Portuguese government decided to send their
official envoys to India.
De-Almeida was the first Portuguese viceroy in India, he tried to initiate a blue water
policy.
In 1509 Albuquerque was appointed the new viceroy to India who is considered the real
founder of Portuguese power in India.
In 1510, he conquered Goa from the Bijapur ruler.
One of the major impacts of the Portuguese arrival in India is the promotion of cash
crops in India like cotton, spices, tobacco, cashews, etc.
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A Danish officer Reverend William Carey in 1799 created a printing press to publish
Bible and distribute it among the masses.
In 1819, he created Serumpur college for providing higher education in the western style.
In 1845, Denmark gave its territories in India to the British and winded from India.
At the end of the 18th century, Ranjit Singh, chief of the Sukerchakia misl, rose into
prominence. He captured Lahore in 1799 and Amritsar in 1802.
He soon brought all Sikh chiefs west of the Sutlej under his control and established his own
kingdom in the Punjab. Later, he conquered Kashmir, Peshawar, and Multan.
The old Sikh chiefs were transformed into big zamindars and jagirdars.
He did not make any changes in the system of land revenue promulgated earlier by the
Mughals. Army along European lines. He also recruited Gurkhas, Biharis, Oriyas, Pathans,
Dogras, and Punjabi Muslims. He set up modern factories to manufacture cannons at
Lahore and employed Muslim gunners to man them.
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The Treaty of Amritsar (1809) was signed on April 25, 1809, between Maharaja Ranjit
Singh ( (1780 – 1839) and the British East India Company. It was a pact between Charles
T. Metcalfe and Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
As per the provisions of the Treaty of Amritsar (1809), the river Sutlej was the boundary
between the British and the state of Punjab. The treaty settled Indo-Sikh relations for a
generation.
The outbreak of the first of Anglo-Sikh wars has been attributed to the action of the
Sikh army crossing the river Sutlej on December 11, 1845. This was seen as an
aggressive maneuver that provided the English with the justification to declare war.
Treaty of Lahore 1846 was signed by the sikh. It was a humiliating treaty. Henry
Hardinge was the governor general back then. It provided for the stationing of a British
resident at Lahore.
The state of Punjab was annexed by Lord Dalhousie in 1849
TIPU SULTAN
He was born in November 1750 to Haidar Ali and Fatima. A well-educated man, he could
freely converse in Arabic, Persian, Kanarese and Urdu.
He organised his army on the European model with Persian words of command. Like his
father, Tipu realised the importance of a naval force. In 1796, he set up a Board of Admiralty
and planned for a fleet of 22 battleships and 20 large frigates. Three dockyards were
established at Mangalore, Wajedabad and Molidabad. However, his plans did not fructify.
Tipu was a patron of science and technology. He is credited as the ‘pioneer of rocket
technology’ in India. He wrote a military manual explaining the operation of rockets. He
was also a pioneer in introducing sericulture (silk) to the Mysore State.
Tipu was a great lover of democracy and a great diplomat. He gave his support to the French
soldiers at Seringapatam in setting up a Jacobin Club in 1797. He ordered a salute of 2,300
cannons and 500 rockets to celebrate the occasion. Tipu himself became a member of the
Jacobin Club and allowed himself to be called Citizen Tipu.
His desire to change with the times was symbolised in the introduction of a new
calendar, a new system of coinage, and new scales of weights and measures. His personal
library contained books on such diverse subjects as religion, history, military science,
medicine, and mathematics. He showed a keen interest in the French Revolution. He planted
the Tree of Liberty at Seringapatam.
He tried to do away with the custom of giving jagirs, and thus improve state income.
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century
between the Kingdom of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented
chiefly by the Madras Presidency), Maratha Empire, Kingdom of Travancore and the Nizam of
Hyderabad on the other. Haider Ali and his successor Tipu Sultan fought a war on four fronts with the
British attacking from the west, south and east, while the Nizam's forces attacked from the north.
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come to his aid. Haidar Ali took the help of the French to set up an arms factory at
Dindigul (now in Tamil Nadu), and also introduced Western methods of training for
his army. Haidar Ali’s friendship with the French caused even more concern to the
English. They therefore tried to capture Mahe, which Haidar regarded to be under his
protection. Haidar considered the English attempt to capture Mahe a direct challenge
to his authority.
o Haidar forged an anti-English alliance with the Marathas and the Nizam. He
followed it up by an attack in the Carnatic, capturing Arcot, and defeating the
English army under Colonel Baillie in 1781.
o Haider Ali died of cancer on December 7, 1782. His son, Tipu Sultan, carried on the
war for one year without any positive outcome. Fed up with an inconclusive war,
both English and Tipu Sultan opted for peace, negotiating the Treaty of
Mangalore (March, 1784) under which each party gave back the territories it had
taken from the other.
Third Anglo Mysore War (1790-92)
o With the support of the Marathas and the Nizam, the English attacked Seringapatam.
Tipu offered serious opposition, but the odds were against him. Consequently, he had
to pay heavily under the Treaty of Seringapatam.
o The war ended after the 1792 Siege of Seringapatam and the signing of the Treaty
of Seringapatam, under this treaty, nearly half of the Mysorean territory was taken
over by the victors. Baramahal, Dindigul and Malabar went to the English, while
the Marathas got the regions surrounding the Tungabhadra and its tributaries and
the Nizam acquired the areas from the Krishna to beyond the Pennar.
VELLORE MUTINY
The Vellore mutiny took place 1806 was organized by the sepoys. Muslim sepoys
were asked to shave their facial hairs and the Hindu sepoys were forbidden from
wearing any religious marks on the forehead during the service. On the eve of the
Mutiny at Vellore Fettah Hyder, the first son of Tipu, tried to ally against the
English and sought the help of the Marathas and the French. But, there was no
proper leadership. V.D. Savarkar calls the Vellore Mutiny of 1806 the prelude to
the first War of Indian Independence in 1857.
Mysore, Hyderabad, and Awadh, were forced to accept it. The policy remained in effect
until the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The Subsidiary Alliance was a policy introduced by Lord
Wellesley, the Governor-General of India from 1798 to 1805.
Under the system, the allying Indian state’s ruler was compelled to accept the permanent
stationing of a British force within his territory and to pay a subsidy for its maintenance. The
British would protect them from external aggression. The Indian ruler had to agree to the
posting of a British resident in his court. The Indian ruler could not employ any European
in his service without the prior consultation with the Company. Nor could he go to war or
negotiate with any other Indian ruler without consulting the governor-general.
British would adopt a policy of non-interference in the internal matters of the allied
state.
To keep the Napolean from reviving and expanding his influence in India.
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Because we believed in loyalty towards salt. We did not have a notion of a nation.
THEN HOW WE DEFEAT THEM LATER?
Because they are the one who developed the feeling of nationalism and unity among us.
The person who is considered to be the founder of British empire in India was a 21-year-old clerk
named Robert Clive.
Better to die like a soldier than live a miserable life under British rule – Tipu Sultan.
First supreme court established in Calcutta.
The Natal Indian Congress (NIC), founded by Mahatma Gandhi, was an organization formed with the
aim of fighting discrimination against Indians in South Africa. Mahatma Gandhi was the founder &
Honorary Secretary of Natal Indian Congress. Abdoola Hajee Afam Jhaveri (Dada Abdulla) was
elected as the president of the organization. Membership of the Congress was restricted to the trading
class since a minimum of £3 annual subscription was a condition of membership.
Company territory in India were called “British possession in India” for the first time.
British Parliamentary control over the company.
It established six commissioners for the affairs of India, popularly known as the Board of
Control, including two cabinet ministers. The Board of Control was to guide and control the
work of the Court of Directors and the Government of India.
The Act placed the Government of India in the hands of the Governor-General and a
Council of three so that if the Governor-General could get the support of even one member, he
could have his way.
The Act clearly subordinated the Bombay and Madras Presidencies to Bengal in all
questions of war, diplomacy, and revenues.
Lord Cornwallis made commander in chief of all British troops in India.
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Monopoly in trade over Indian & Chinese goods ended.
But trade in TEA and trade with China was still exclusive to the Company.
Beginning for the spread of education.
The Act directed the Company to spend a sum of one lakh of rupees for the purpose.
But even this petty amount was not made available by Company authorities till 1823.
Influenced by Raja Rammohan Roy, the government declared the practice of sati illegal and
punishable by criminal courts as culpable homicide. Applicable in the first instance to the
Bengal Presidency alone, but was extended in slightly modified forms to Madras and
Bombay Presidencies in 1830.
The consent of the Governor General was made necessary for all legislative proposals.
The Charter Act decreed that all recruits to the Civil Service were to be selected through
open competitive examination and not by the directors of the East India Company.
The number of Directors was reduced from 24 to 18. Six of them were to be nominated by the
Crown.
It began on May 1857, in the town of Meerut. The Revolt spread to different parts of the
country: Kanpur, Lucknow, Benares, Allahabad, Bareilly, Jagdishpur, and Jhansi.
At Kanpur, the leader was Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the last Peshwa, Baji Rao II.
At Bareilly, Khan Bahadur, a descendant of the former ruler of Rohilkhand.
At Delhi, the symbolic leadership belonged to the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, but the real
command lay with a court of soldiers headed by General Bakht Khan.
At Lucknow, Begum Hazrat Mahal and her son Birjis Qadir.
The ruler of Afghanistan, Dost Mohammad supported the East India Company against the
rebels.
South of the river Narmada made no movement of importance. Central and Eastern Bengal
were undisturbed and Nepal rendered the British valuable assistance in putting down the
revolt. The Bombay and Madras armies remained loyal to the British.
Thus, the revolt was only local and not nation-wise.
Act for the Good Government of India, transferred the powers to the British Crown.
Governor-General became Viceroy of India, as the direct representative of the British Crown in India. Lord
Canning thus became the first Viceroy of India.
It ended the system of double government by abolishing the Board of Control and Court of Directors.
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It created a new office, Secretary of State for India, vested with complete authority and control over
Indian administration.
The secretary of state was a member of the British cabinet and was responsible ultimately to the British
Parliament.
It established a 15-member Council of India to assist the secretary of state for India.
In 1876 the Sovereign was given the title of Empress of India (or Kaiser-i-Hind) and a proclamation to that
effect was made in a Darbar held at Delhi on 1 January, 1877. Since that time it became customary in India,
to use the title 'Queen Empress' and 'King Emperor'.
FACTORIES ACT
The first Factory Act 1881 primarily dealt with the problem of child labour.
These laws did not apply to British-owned tea and coffee plantations where the labour was
exploited ruthlessly and treated like slaves.
ARAVIPPURAM MOVEMENT
Aravipuram Movement was launched by Sri Narayana Guru on Shivaratri day of 1888. In 1888, he
installed an idol of Siva at Aravippuram in Kerala in an effort to show that the consecration of god’s
image was not a monopoly of the brahmins.
Indians were first nominated to the Imperial Legislative Council through the Indian
Councils Act of 1861.
This act marked a significant step towards Indian participation in legislative affairs
under British rule.
In 1862, Viceroy Lord Canning appointed three Indians- Maharaja Sir Narendra
Singh of Patiala, Raja Deo Narain Singh of Benares, and Raja Sir Dinkar Rao
Raghunath of Gwalior to the newly constituted Legislative Council.
Between 1862 and 1892, forty-five Indians were nominated to the Legislative
Council.
Key provisions included:
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o Introduction of Non-Official Members to be nominated by the Viceroy or
provincial governors.
o Representation of Communities including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and
others.
III
In line with the government policy contained in Montagu’s statement of August 1917, the government
announced further constitutional reforms in July 1918, known as MONTAGU-CHELMSFORD OR
MONTFORD REFORMS.
The Indian National Congress met in a special session at Bombay in August 1918 under the
presidentship of Hasan Imam to consider the reform proposals. It condemned them as
disappointing and unsatisfactory.
Some of the veteran Congress leaders led by Surendanath Banerjea were in favour of
accepting the government proposals and left the Congress at this time. They founded the
Indian Liberal Federation.
GOI Act 1919 or Montague Chelmsford Reforms. Introduced parliamentary system and
union & state list in India and also voting rights to women.
The first woman to stand for election was Kamala Devi Chattopadhaya.
Subjects were divided into two lists:
‘Reserved’ subjects: Subjects such as law and order, finance, land revenue,
irrigation, etc.
‘Transferred’ subjects: Such as education, health, local government,
industry, agriculture, excise, etc.
The Governor could overrule the ministers on any grounds that he considered
special.
The Act introduced dyarchy.
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The legislature had virtually no control over the Governor-General and his
Executive Council. On the other hand, the Central Government had unrestricted
control over the provincial governments.
The legislators could ask questions and supplementary questions, pass adjournment
motions and vote on a part of the budget, but 75% of the budget was still not votable.
Some Indians found their way into important committees including finance.
The Council of State had a tenure of 5 years and had only male members, while the
Central Legislative Assembly had a tenure of 3 years.
It provided for the establishment of a public service commission so a Central Public
Service Commission was set up in 1926 for recruiting civil servants.
IV
The discussions of the Third Round Table Conference 1932. It led to the issue of a white paper in
1933, and declared a dyarchy at the center.
Lord Curzon (1899-1905) became the youngest Viceroy of India at the age of 39.
Passed the Indian Universities Act in 1904 which made the universities and colleges
completely under the Government's control.
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), popularly known as Pusa Institute, began in
1905 at Pusa (Bihar).
Also, HE PARTITIONED BENGAL on 16 October 1905 to dethrone INC, the big zamindars
who had hitherto been loyal to the Raj, now rebelled.
The militant nationalists led by Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lajpat Rai and Aurobindo Ghosh
were, however, in favour of extending the movement to the rest of India into a full-fledged
political mass struggle. The Moderates were hesitant. The party split with serious consequences
for the Swadeshi Movement.
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of a newspaper and to forfeit the security and annual the declaration of Registration of an
offending newspaper.
The aggrieved party could appeal to a Special Tribunal of the High Court against orders of
forfeiture within two months.
Further, the printer of every newspaper was required to supply to the Government free of charge
two copies of each issue of the newspaper published.
LUCKNOW PACT
LUCKNOW SESSION 1916
Mansabdari system was of the Mughals. The Mansabdari system was a grading system used
by the Mughal rulers to fix the rank and salary of a Mansabdar. They were nobles who
occupied various positions in the administration of the Mughal Empire. They were appointed
and dismissed by the Mughal Emperor.
Jagirdari falls under mansabdari system. They were those mansabdars, who were given
salary in lieu of their military services rather than jagir (land).
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Ryotwari system was introduced as an experiment in Karnataka. Thomas Munroe. 1792.
In this system, the peasants or cultivators were regarded as the owners of the land. They had
ownership rights, could sell, mortgage or gift the land. The taxes were directly collected by
the government from the peasants. The rates were 50% in dryland and 60% in the wetland.
Zamindari system came in Kolkata. Lord Cornwalis. 1793. The Zamindari System was a
land tenure system prevalent in India during the British colonial period. Under this system,
the British East India Company and later the British Raj granted large tracts of land to
intermediaries known as zamindars, responsible for collecting revenue from the peasants
working on the land.
Mahalwari system was introduced by Holt Mckenjie in western UP in 1833. (this was
introduced in UP as the word “lambardar” or the village head man is always used by Bir Pal
sir). This had elements of both the Zamindari and the Ryotwari systems.
Iqtadari System was based on the division of territories between Sultans and Nobility. The
land was divided into small tracts and they were given to the nobles, the officers, and the
soldiers. The areas directly under Sultan came to be known as Khalisa and the rest of the
areas were known as Iqra.
Satyendra Nath Tagore was first Indian civil servant.
Lord Cornwalis created the modern Indian civil services. He is the father of Indian civil services.
British rule began in India from Kolkata in 1770, they annexed Mysore in 1800 then
they annexed Maratha in 1820 and finally stopped after annexing Punjab in 1849.
The Naga and Giri sanyasis would often gang up with Muslim Fakirs to revolt against British. An
example of hindu-muslim unity.
Father of Indian Renaissance is Raja Ram Mohan Roy. (means revival of India). He founded
Brahmo Samaj. They did not believe in idolatory worship.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar founded the newspaper “Somprakash”. He was a friend of the british.
Daya Nand Saraswati founded Arya Samaj. Go back to Vedas.
Ramakrishna param hansa’s favorite disciple was Narendra Nath Dutt who later came to be
known as Swami Vivekanand and founded Rama Krishna mission.
Annie Besant propagated the theosophical society in India.
MG Ranade wrote “A theist confession of faith”. He also founded Poona Sarvajanik Sabha”
which later played an important role in founding the Indian National Congress.
Fatimi Begum & Savitri Bai Phule were first female Indian teachers.
Jyotiba Phule wrote “Gulamgiri”. Founded satya shodak samaj.
Kandakuri Veersalingam founder of Telugu renaissance.
First newspaper published in India was Bengal Gazette by James Augustus Hicky.
Middle class emerged in India. This class was a unifying factor for people through class,
caste creed and religion.
Drain of Wealth theory given by Dada Bhai Naoroji.
First meeting of INC – 28 th December to 31st December 1885. President and co-founder Womesh
Chunder Bannerjee at Gokuldhas Sanskrit college, Bombay. Retired british civil servant Allen
octavian hume founded INC.
Balshastri Jambhekar is known as the Father of Marathi Journalism. He started the newspaper
Darpan.
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Joseph Kaka Baptista gave the slogan “ Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it ”. Lokmanya
Balgangadhar Tilak just made the quote famous.
Jana gana man written by Tagore. Vande Mataram was compiled by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
Abanindranath Tagore was the first Indian to draw Bharat Mata.
Phoenix farm and Tolstoy farms in south Africa are analogous to ashrams created by Gandhi ji in
India.
Vasudev Balwant Phadke is the father of India armed rebellion.
Anushilan Samiti or Gym Society 1902, a group of extremist people which carried out
assassinations of britishers. Yuganter was its magazine edited by Barindra Ghosh.
“Hindutva” term was coined by Chandrnath Basu.
VD Savarkar was himself an atheist. He only believed in the Hindu way of living, thus, he
defined “hindutva” as the Hindu way of living.
Ghadar movement was initiated by the NRIs specially living in USA and Canada. The Hindi
association of Portland released a weekly Hindu newspaper named “Ghadar” . Some
revolutionaries came back to India, smuggled weapons in Punjab and formed the Ghadar
Movement. Ghadarites help the freedom struggle go international.
Khudai khitmatgar (red shirts movement) was a group founded by Khan Abdul Ghaffar
khan. He belonged to NWFP and was known as Frontier Gandhi.
WWI
The Indian response to WWI was the Home rule movement. Annie Besant became the first
women prez of INC.
Rowlatt bill was introduced after WWI. People were expecting constitutional concessions rather
it further crushed liberties.
Khilafat movement to start non-cooperation against british for their disrespect towards sultan of
turkey.
An unarmed but large crowd gathered on 13 April 1919 at Amritsar in the Jallianwalla Bagh, to
protest against the arrest of the leaders Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal and was also celebrating
baisakhi.
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General Reginald Dyer opened fired at them.
Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood.
In February 1919, Mahatma Gandhi founded the Satyagraha Sabha whose members took a
pledge to disobey the Rowlatt Act and thus to court arrest and imprisonment.
The Hunter Committee was appointed by the Government to enquire into the Punjab
disturbances.
CR. Das moved the main resolution on non-cooperation – The programme of non-cooperation
included within its ambit the surrender of titles and honours, boycott of government-affiliated
schools and colleges, law courts, and foreign cloth, and could be extended to include resignation
from government service and mass civil disobedience including the non-payment of taxes.
Panchayats were to be established for settling disputes, hand-spinning and weaving were to be
encouraged.
Mahatma Gandhi was hesitant to begin a full-fledged civil disobedience or a no-revenue
campaign during the Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM) because of the violence.
A new constitution of the Congress, the handiwork of Gandhiji , introduced a Working
Committee of fifteen members to look after its day-to-day affairs. This proposal was first
made by Tilak in 1916.
Provincial Congress Committees were now to be organized on a linguistic basis so that they
could keep in touch with the people by using the local language.
Formation of village and mohalla or ward committees in INC. The membership fee was reduced
to four annas per year to enable the poor to become members.
Decision was taken to create the All-India Tilak Memorial Swaraj Fund (in the memory of
Bal Gangadhar Tilak) to raise funds for the Non-Cooperation Movement. Bombay played a
central role in the collection of funds for it and earned itself the sobriquet “Bombay the
Beautiful” by Gandhi in the Young India magazine on July 6, 1921.
Lord Reading (1921-26) was the viceroy during the Chauri Chaura incident (February 5,
1922) and the subsequent withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Gandhiji withdrew it because the action at Chauri Chaura was a symbol and an indication of the
growing militancy and radicalization of the Indian masses.
Bardoli resolution of the Congress Working Committee on 12 February 1922 announced the
withdrawal from non-cooperation movement and asked the peasants to pay taxes and
tenants to pay rents.
Disappointed due to withdrawing from the NCM, GOI 1919 and the wish to fight the 1923
elections.
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No-changers included Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, C Rajagopalachari, etc.
The others who wanted to enter the legislative council and obstruct the British government from
within were called the Pro-changers. These leaders included C R Das, Motilal Nehru,
Srinivasa Iyengar, etc.
In 1922, in the Gaya session of the Congress, C R Das moved a proposal to enter the legislatures
but it was defeated. Das and other leaders broke away from the Congress and formed the Swaraj
Party.
C R Das was the President and the Secretary was Motilal Nehru.
Prominent leaders of the Swaraj Party included N C Kelkar, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
and Subhas Chandra Bose.Vithal Bhai Patel, first Indian speaker to central legislative
council.
1923 PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS
Swaraj party won 38 seats.
NEHRU REPORT
Lord Birkenhead, the Conservative Secretary of State, responsible for the appointment of the Simon
Commission, CHALLANGED INDIANS TO MAKE A CONSTITUTION.
ALL-PARTIES CONFERENCE was held in February, May and August 1928 to finalize a scheme
which popularly came to be known as the Nehru Report after Motilal Nehru, its principal author.
Jinnah would not give up the demand for reservation of seats for Muslims, ESPECIALLY IN
MUSLIM MAJORITY PROVINCES. Jinnah withdrew his support to the report and went
ahead to propose his famous ‘Fourteen Points’ which were a reiteration of his objections to the
Nehru Report.
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CONGRESS SESSION 1928 – LAHORE – NEHRU JI
CDB LAUNCHED
Poorna Swaraj decleration passed. Tricolour unfurled at the banks of the river Parushani.
Civil Disobidience movement launched by Gandhi ji by breaking the salt law and the
famous Dandi march.
Began with Dandi March (Mar 2, 1930). Breaking salt law became a symbol of CDB.
Don’t pay tax.
Foreign liquor and cloth shops can be picketed.
Lawyers can give up practice.
Government servants can resign from their posts.
All these should be subject to one condition—truth and non-violence.
Anti-Chowkidari tax campaign in Bihar and Bengal. Rajendra Prasad was involved in the
movement.
Gandhi’s arrest came on May 4, 1930 when he had announced that he would lead a raid on
Dharasana Salt Works on the west. A raid on Dharsana salt works was later lead by Sarojni
Naidu.
In April 1934, Gandhi withdrew the CDM.
Irwin on behalf of the government agreed on Immediate release of all political prisoners not
convicted of violence; Remission of all fines not yet collected; Return of all lands not yet sold to
third parties; Lenient treatment to those government servants who had resigned; Right to make
salt in coastal villages for personal consumption (not for sale); Right to peaceful and non-
aggressive picketing; and Withdrawal of emergency ordinances.
The viceroy, however, turned down two of Gandhi's demands — Public inquiry into police
excesses, and Commutation of Bhagat Singh and his comrades' death sentence to life sentence.
Gandhi on behalf of the Congress agreed— To suspend the civil disobedience movement, and
to participate in the next RTC.
Delhi Pact or Gandhi Irwin Pact was endorsed. The goal of purna swaraj was reiterated.
Two resolutions were adopted—one on Fundamental Rights and the other on National
Economic Programme.
CDM was suspended.
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INC nominated Gandhi as its sole representative for the 2nd RTC.
A. Rangaswami Iyengar and Madan Mohan Malaviya were also there.
Hindu groups were represented by M.R. Jayakar, B.S. Moonje and Diwan Bahadur Raja Narendra
Nath.
Industry was represented by Ghanshyam Das Birla, Sir Purshottamdas Thakurdas and Maneckji
Dadabhoy.
No substantial result regarding India’s constitutional future came out of it.
GANDHI ji REVIVED CDM.
It was not attended by the Indian National Congress and Gandhi. It was ignored by most other Indian
leaders. Indian princely states were represented by Maharajas of various princely states.
1936 Lucknow & Faizpur sessions INC. Both prez Nehru ji.
INC decided to fight provincial elections in 11 provinces.
Provincial elections as mandated by the Government of India Act 1935.
The Indian National Congress emerged in power in all of the provinces except Bengal, Punjab,
Sindh, and Assam.
The All-India Muslim League failed to form the government in any province.
INC won 707 seats and AIML won 107 seats.
1939 WWII broke out. Viceroy Lord Linlithgow's declared India to be a belligerent in
the Second World War without consulting the elected representatives of the Indian peoples.
So, Congress ministries resigned in October and November 1939. Jinnah asked the Muslims
to observe the day of deliverance on 22 December 1939.
Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, made the so-called "AUGUST OFFER" at Shimla to get
India’s support in the war.
Both congress & Muslim League rejected it. Nehru said, “Dominion status concept is dead as a
doornail.”
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Gandhi was dissatisfied with the offer and decided to initiate individual satyagraha.
Individual Satyagraha had a dual purpose- while giving expression to the Indian people's
strong political feelings about the WWII, it gave the British Government further
opportunity to peacefully accept the Indian demands.
This movement began with only three satyagrahis, all of whom were arrested by British police.
Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first Individual Satyagrahi, followed by Jawahar Lal Nehru
and Brahma Dutt.
Hundreds of Satyagrahis joined the Individual Satyagraha, many of whom were imprisoned. And
if the Government did not arrest a Satyagrahi, he or she would not only repeat the performance
but move into the villages and start a trek towards Delhi, thus participating in a movement that
came to be known as the ‘Delhi Chalo’ (onwards to Delhi) movement.
The movement began and ended in 1940 itself.
The CRIPPS MISSION was a failed attempt in late March 1942 by the British government
to secure full Indian cooperation and support for their efforts in World War II. The mission
was headed by a senior minister Stafford Cripps.
Members were partly elected by provincial assemblies via proportional representation and partly
nominated by princely states.
Assembly was to create Indian Constitution.
Congress claimed it represented entire nation, British wanted to disprove this claim and thus
invited princely states.
It offered An Indian Union with a dominion, with right to withdraw from commonwealth.
Constituent Assembly (Solely Indians). Freedom to any province unwilling to join the Union
to have a separate agreement with Britain.
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BENGAL FAMINE 1943
It resulted in the deaths of some three million people due to malnutrition or disease.
There were a few natural factors of course, like a devastating cyclone in Midnapur, but that
alone did not cause the famine.
Fearing a Japanese invasion, British authorities stockpiled food to feed defending troops,
and they exported considerable quantities to British forces in the Middle East.
In the wake of these actions by the British, anxiety about shortages caused hoarding,
speculation, and consequent price inflation.
The refugee influx from Burma into Chittagong and the disappearance of imported rice
from Burma became major reasons behind the famine.
SHIMLA CONFERENCE
Lord Wavell, the then Viceroy of India, was charged with presenting a formula for the future
government of India allowing for a smooth transition of power. In this regard,
in 1945, he formulated a definite plan of action known as the Wavell Plan.
The conference was a failure because the INC and the League were unable to reach a settlement.
Sent in February 1946 to India by the Atlee Government. It comprised Sir Pethick Lawrence,
Sir Stafford Cripps, V Alexander. It was sent to negotiate with the Indian leaders the
terms of the transfer of power to Indians.
It recommended an undivided India.
On July10, 1946, Nehru rejected the idea of grouping as NWFP and Assam would have
objections to joining sections B and C.
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Interim government was to be formed on 2nd September 1946. Headed by Jawahar lal Nehru.
Constituent assembly was formed and first meeting held on 9th December 1946.
INC vs AIML. All India Muslim League verified its claim to be the sole representative of
Muslim India.
The Congress won 90 percent of the general non-Muslim seats while the Muslim League won the
majority of Muslim seats (87%) in the provinces.
The election laid the path to Pakistan.
INC won 902 while AIML won 425 seats.
The elections to the central legislature were held under the terms of the GOI Act 1919
(Because Princely States refused All India Federation of GOI act 1935).
INC emerged as the largest party except in Bengal, Sindh and Punjab.
The ML won all Muslim constituencies, but failed to win any other seats.
These were the last general elections in British India.
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J&K – Junagadh – Hyderabad (operation Polo) – Puducherry – Daman & Diu.
PEASANT MOVEMENT
Baba Ram Singh initiated the KUKA MOVEMENT but it was founded by Bhagat Jawahar
Mal. which marked the Sikh community's foremost resistance to the British Empire. This
movement was a blend of political and religious beliefs.
Vasudev Balwant Phadke led the Maharashtra based RAMOSI UPRISING as a violent
protest against the British government's failure to take any measures against the famine.
The Kisan sabhas were organized in UP mainly due to the efforts of the home rule activists. The
United Provinces Kisan Sabha was set up in 1918 by Gauri Shankar Mishra, Indra Narayan
Dwivedi and Madan Mohan Malaviya.
The EKA MOVEMENT is a violent peasant movement that started in Lucknow. It was led by
low-caste leaders of Madari Pasi. The main grievance of the movement was related to the
extraction of a 50% higher rent. The peasants were ready to pay the original rent but not with a
50% hike. The Eka meetings were marked by a religious ritual. Unlike the earlier Kisan
Sabha movement, the Eka Movement included various small zamindars from its ranks.
One of the most militant and widespread of the peasant movements was the INDIGO REVOLT
of 1859-60 in Bengal. The indigo planters, nearly all Europeans, resorted to a reign of
terror and compelled the tenants to grow indigo on their fields. The planters gave the
peasants meagre amounts and also hired bands of lathyals (armed retainers). Soon the tenants
got Government support. Hem Chandra Kar, Deputy Magistrate of Kalaroa, promised the
tenants police protection. The beginning was made by Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas,
ex-employees of a planter, they gave up indigo cultivation. A major reason for the success of the
Indigo Revolt was complete unity among Hindu and Muslim peasants. Leadership for the
movement was provided by the more well-off ryots and in some cases by petty zamindars,
moneylenders and ex-employees of the planters. In 1885 the Bengal Tenancy Act was passed,
but it was not aimed at the zamindari system. Christian Missionaries were another group
that extended active support to the indigo ryots in their struggle.
PABNA AGRARIAN UNREST 1870 – 1880 was started by the peasants of Yusufshahi
Pargana in Patna district formed an agrarian league to organize rent strike. Zamindars used illegal
& coercive methods. Peasants also refused to pay the enhanced rents. There was very little
violence, the peasants resorted to legal measure of struggle and raised no anti-British
demands.
ALL INDIA KISAN SABHA was founded in Lucknow in April 1936 with Swami Sahjanand
Saraswati as the president and N.G. Ranga as the general secretary. A kisan manifesto was issued
and a periodical under Indulal Yagnik started. The AIKS and the Congress held their sessions in
Faizpur in 1936.
Biggest peasant guerrilla war of modern Indian history affecting 3000 villages and 3 million
population was Telangana movement.
BARDOLI SATYAGRAHA – The Bardoli Taluk in modern-day Gujarat was hit by floods and
famines in 1925, which adversely affected crop yield. This affected the farmers financially.
Ignoring the plight of the farmers, the Bombay Presidency increased the tax rates by 22%.
Vallabhabhai Patel led the movement. The women of Bardoli gave him the title of “Sardar”.
SANTHAL REBELLION (1855-56). Rajmahal Hills. Money-lenders with support of police and
zamindars subjected peasants to oppressive exactions and dispossession of lands. Under Sidhu
and Kanhu, two brothers, the Santhals proclaimed an end to Company rule, and declared the area
between Bhagalpur and Rajmahal as autonomous. Prolonged military action by Warren Hastings
to control the revolt.
WAHABI MOVEMENT – founded by Syed Ahmed in UP. He advocated a return to pure Islam
and condemned western influence. Outcome The movement played an important role in spreading
anti-British sentiments.
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In south India, the Congress Socialist Party activist N.G. Ranga organized a number of peasant
marches in 1933-34, and under his stewardship, at the Ellore Zamindari Ryots Conference in 1933,
the demand was raised for the abolition of zamindari.
In 1935 Ranga and E.M.S. Namboodripad in order to spread the peasant movement to other
linguistic regions of the Madras Presidency, organized a South Indian Federation of Peasants
and Agricultural Labour and initiated the discussion for an all-India peasant body.
Parsi Reform Movement – Rehnumai Madaysan sabha was founded in 1851 by Naoroji Fudnji,
Dadabhai Naoroji, S.S. Bengalee, and others.
WWII and the emerging communist Russia made USA insecure. US wanted India to be a free
nation and on their side in the war. USA is the reason we got freedom in 1947, otherwise it
would have taken even longer.
Neta Ji gave him the title of “Father of The Nation”.
Surendra Nath Bannerjee was chosen as the first Secretary of the Native Press Association formed
in the 1870s. He became a member of the Imperial Legislative Assembly in 1921. He cleared the
Imperial Civil Service (ICS) but was not allowed to work in the administration.
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel M.S. Olcott founded the Theosophical Society in New York
City, United States in 1875.
In 1882, they shifted their headquarters to Adyar, on the outskirts of Madras (at that time)
in India.
It accepted the Hindu beliefs in reincarnation and karma
The Theosophical Movement came to be allied with the Hindu renaissance. (At one time it allied
with the Arya Samaj too.) It opposed child marriage and advocated the abolition of caste
discrimination, uplift of outcastes, and improvement in the condition of widows.
In India, the movement became somewhat popular with the election of Annie Besant (1847-
1933) as its president after the death of Olcott in 1907.
In early 1915, Annie Besant launched a campaign through her two papers, New India and
Commonweal, and organized public meetings and conferences.
Sasipada Banerjee was a social worker and leader of the Brahmo Samaj who is remembered
as a champion of women's rights and education and as one of the earliest workers for labor
welfare in India. He set up a Workingmen’s Club in 1870 and brought out a monthly
journal called Bharat Sramjeebi (Indian Labour), with the primary idea of educating the
workers.
In 1918, Mahatma Gandhi and Anasuya Sarabhai and Shankerlal Banker founded the
Ahmadabad textile labour association, with 14,000 workers on its rolls, was perhaps the largest
single trade union of the time.
The most important development was the formation of the All India Trade Union Congress
(AITUC) in 1920 by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Lala Lajpat Rai, the famous Extremist leader
from Punjab, as its first president and Dewan Chaman Lal, as its General Secretary. Since
then, it has been associated with the Communist Party of India.
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Various Communist groups in different parts of India had by early 1927 organized themselves into
the Workers’ and Peasants’ Parties (WPP), under the leadership of people like S.A. Dange,
Muzaffar Ahmed, P.C. Joshi and Sohan Singh Josh.
Wood’s despatch (1854): Asked government of India to assume responsibility for education of the
masses, thus repudiating the ‘downward filtration theory’. Recommended English as the
medium of instruction for higher studies and vernaculars at school level. Laid stress on female
and vocational education, on teachers’ training and promote secular education. Considered the
“Magna Carta of English Education in India”.
In 1882, the Hunter Commission mostly confined its recommendations to primary and
secondary education.
The Sadler commission was set up in 1917 to study and report on problems of Calcutta University
but its recommendations were applicable more or less to other universities also. Its observations were
as follows:
o School course should cover 12 years. Students should enter university after an
intermediate stage (rather than matric) for a three-year degree course in
university.
o A separate board of secondary and intermediate education should be set up for
the administration and control of secondary and intermediate education.
o A university should function as centralized, unitary residential-teaching
autonomous body, rather than as scattered, affiliated colleges.
The Hartog Committee was set up in 1929 to report on the development of education.
Wardha Scheme of Basic Education (1937). Zakir Hussain committee formulated it. It came to be
known as Nai Talim. It was based on Gandhi’s ideas published in a series of articles in the
weekly 'Harijan'.
Free and compulsory education for all from the years of 7 to 14.
Inclusion of a basic handicraft in the syllabus
Medium of instruction shall be the mother-tongue, that is, the vernacular- of the pupils.
Productive activity of a suitable craft such as spinning and weaving, carpentry, agriculture,
pottery, leather work, home science for girls, etc.
The social and scientific implications of a craft to be studied.
Mathematics, general science, social studies, painting, music, and physical education to be part of
the curriculum.
No religious and moral education included.
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inculcating self-elevation through self-help, self-respect and self-knowledge. He led a procession
of some 2,500 ‘untouchables’ through the town of Mahad to the Chawdar tank, a public source of
water tank from which the untouchables were not allowed to draw water. Dr Ambedkar took
water from the tank and drank it. There were huge protests by caste Hindus. Later in December
1927, Ambedkar and his colleagues burnt the ‘Manusmriti’ at the same place as a gesture of
getting rid of inequalities.
Dr Ambedkar established the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha in 1924 to highlight the
difficulties and grievances of the dalits before the government. Its motto was: ‘Educate,
Agitate and Organise’.
He also worked as Minister of Labour in the Viceroy’s Executive Council. After independence,
Ambedkar became the first Law Minister in 1947 under the Congress-led government. Later he
resigned due to differences with Jawaharlal Nehru on the Hindu Code Bill.
He authored several books and essays. Some of them are The Annihilation of Caste, Pakistan or
the Partition of India, The Buddha and his Dhamma, The Evolution of Provincial Finance in
British India, Administration and Finance of the East India Company, etc.
A few months before he died, he converted to Buddhism in a public ceremony in Nagpur and with
him, lakhs of Dalits converted to Buddhism. His death anniversary is observed as Mahaparinirvan
Din.
B.R. AMBEDHKAR – OUR GOD
B.R. Ambedkar rejected village life and encouraged Dalits to move to the city.
Ambedkar said that an Indian village is “the working plant of the Hindu social order” and
argued that it is the ideal place to understand caste.
Gandhi, however, saw the Indian village as a self-reliant, equitable and a just non-violent
order, and argued for the decentralisation of power to the villages through Gram Swaraj.
In strong opposition, Ambedkar believed that the idealisation of Indian village life
emerged either from the colonial romanticisation of the rural population or from the
desire of Hindus to retain caste domination.
In the process of urbanisation, Ambedkar saw an opportunity for Dalit liberation.
Via industrialisation, the dominance of caste over skill had also become clear to
Ambedkar when even skilled Dalits were not allowed to enter the weaving sections of
textile mills.
Waiting for a Visa is an autobiographical document written by B. R. Ambedkar
showcasing his long wait to get a house in Baroda.
MANYAM UPRISING
President Of India Graces The Closing Ceremony Of 125 th Birth Anniversary Of
Alluri Sitaram Raju
Andhra Pradesh.
Alluri is also referred to as Manyam Veerudu (Hero of the Forest).
In August 1922, he launched the Rampa Rebellion or Manyam uprising.
Factors that led to the revolt: The Muttadars who were the actual rulers of the
region had their socio-economic status challenged, Podu cultivation (shifting
cultivation) as illegal, eviction tribals from the forest, the British enacted the Madras
Forest Act, 1882, thereby restricting the free movement of tribals & the tribals were
forcefully engaged in Vetti, that is, free or unpaid labour.
SAROJNI NAIDU
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Following her time in England, where she worked as a suffragist, she was drawn to the
Indian National Congress movement for India’s independence from British rule.
She became a part of the Indian nationalist movement and became a follower of Mahatma
Gandhi and his idea of swaraj.
She was arrested, along with other Congress leaders including Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru,
and Madan Mohan Malaviya for participating in the 1930 Salt March.
Sarojini was one of the major figures to have led the Civil Disobedience Movement
and the Quit India Movement.
She faced repeated arrests by the British authorities during the period and even
spent over 21 months (1 year and 9 months) in jail. She was appointed the President
of the Indian National Congress in 1925 and later became the Governor of the
United Provinces in 1947, becoming the first woman to hold the office of Governor in
the Dominion of India.
Her work as a poet earned her the sobriquet ‘the Nightingale of India’, or ‘Bharat
Kokila’ by Mahatma Gandhi because of the colour, imagery, and lyrical quality of her
poetry. Naidu’s poetry includes both children’s poems and others written on more serious
themes including patriotism, romance, and tragedy. Published in 1912, ‘In the Bazaars of
Hyderabad’ remains one of her most popular poems.
USHA MEHTA
Usha Mehta was a Gandhian and freedom fighter of India. She is also remembered for
organizing the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio
station, which functioned for few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942.
Gandhi ran four publications – Indian Opinion, Young India, Navajivan & Harijan.
9th Jan-1915 Gandhi's return to India. This day is celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in India
since 2003.
Rowlatt Act also known as Anarchical & Revolutionary crimes Act, 1919 allowed detention of
political prisoners without trial for two years. This act was met by wide spread anger and discontent
among Indians, especially in the Punjab region.
MACAULAY MINUTE
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Settled the row between orientalist and anglicist form education. Called for providing anglicist
education in the nation.
Subhas Chandra Bose was Selected for the Indian Civil Services (ICS) but refused to take
up service since he did not want to serve the British government.
Bose was sent to prison in Mandalay for nationalist activities in 1925.
He was the President of the All India Youth Congress.
In 1930, he became the Mayor of Calcutta.
He also started a newspaper called ‘Swaraj’.
Bose authored the book ‘The Indian Struggle’ which covers the Indian independence
movement from 1920 to 1942.
He coined the term ‘Jai Hind’.
Bose’s ideology tilted towards socialism and leftist authoritarianism.
He formed the All India Forward Bloc in 1939 as a faction within the Congress.
In Germany, he met with the Nazi leaders.
He founded the Indian Legion out of about 4500 Indian soldiers who were in the British
army and had been taken prisoners by the Germans from North Africa.
In 1943, he left Germany for Japan and revived the Indian National Army (Azad Hind
Fauj) which had been formed earlier with Japanese help by captain Mohan Singh.
On 21 October 1943, Bose announced the formation of the Provisional Government
of Azad Hind (Free India), with himself as the Head of State, Prime Minister, and
Minister of War.
Azad Hind or the Provisional Government of Free India was established as a government-
in-exile with Bose as the head. Its headquarters was in Singapore. The INA was its
military.
The INA supported the Japanese army in its invasion of northeast India and also took
control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, they were forced to retreat by the
British forces following the Battles of Kohima and Imphal in 1944.
Bose died of third-degree burns which he suffered in a plane crash in Taiwan on 18
August 1945.
INA TRIALS: INA soldiers were captured. They were taken to court martial at the
Red Fort of Delhi. Some of the prominent examples:
o Colonel Prem Sahgal.
o Gurubaksh Singh Dhillon.
o Major General Shah Nawaz Khan.
Senior leaders like Bhulabhai Desai, Tej Bahadur Sapru, K.N. Katju, J. Nehru and
Asaf Ali defended PoWs.
The cause was supported by many organizations with varying degree like Congress,
ML, Communist Party, Unionists, Akalis, Justice Party, RSS, Hindu Mahasabha etc.
AZAD HIND FOUJ
The Indian National Army was formed by Mohan Singh in Singapore.
Captain Mohan Singh, an Indian soldier fighting on behalf of the British was taken as
a prisoner of war by the Japanese.
He was persuaded by a Japanese army officer to work with the Japanese for India’s
freedom.
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He was appointed the commander of the Indian National Army.
Subhash Chandra Bose gave his most famous slogan “Tum mujhe khoon do mai
tumhe azadi doonga”.
The Provisional Government of Free India or, Azad Hind, was a short-lived Japanese-
supported provisional government in India.
It was established in Japanese occupied Singapore during World War II in October
1943 and has been considered a puppet state of the Empire of Japan.
Capitals were at
o New Delhi (de jure)
o Singapore (de facto)
o Port Blair (provisional).
Japan also handed over nominal authority of the Japanese occupied Andaman and
Nicobar Islands in 1943.
Its army, the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj), went into action against the
British Indian Army and the allied forces as part of the Imperial Japanese Army in the
Imphal-Kohima sector. The INA had its first major engagement at the Battle of
Imphal where.
Subhas Chandra Bose was the Head of the State, The Prime Minister and the Minister
for War and Foreign Affairs.
Captain Dr. Lakshmi Swaminadhan (later married as Lakshmi Sahgal) was the
Minister in Charge of Women's Organization. She held this position over and above
her command of the Rani Jhansi Regiment. She was also the most popular
gynaecologist in Singapore.
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