Tag: civics

The Swadeshi movement was not able to gain the support of the peasantry because government policy of divide and rule kept them separated. They did not actively join in the form of struggles such as boycott or passive resistance because their demand were not taken into the consideration, and Congress failed to gain the confidence of the peasants. Also, conditions of peasants were worst during that time, they felt that joining the movement would not improve their conditions because it was led by upper class and rich people.

Rabindranath Tagore used Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi Utsav to symbolize unity between Hindus and Muslims. It was held in 1905 to prevent Bengal partition. Thousands of Hindus and Muslims came forward to support Tagore and tied Rakhi on each other's hand. The thread became the symbol of unity and harmony.

The Secretary of State for India was British cabinet minister and political head of Indian office. This post was created in 1858 by Government of India Act which transferred the power to British crown when East India Company rule in Bengal ended and India( except princely states) was brought under the direct administration of the government in London which marked the beginning of the colonial period under British Empire.

The Indian National Congress (INC) split into two groups - the extremists and the moderates, at the Surat Session in 1907. The immediate cause of split in the INC at its Surat Session was Election of the President to the INC. Moderates wanted Lala Lajpat Rai whereas moderates wanted Rash Behari Gosh. Dr. Rash Behari Ghosh was elected but the extremists had an objection to this election.

The Swadeshi movement started as the response to the partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon and continued till 1911. Its chief architect includes Aurobindo Ghosh, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Lala Lajpat Rai. The key strategy of this movement was Swaraj (self-rule). 

Tilak was charged with the seditious writings and was deported to Mandalay prison in Burma. After Tilak's deportation, Lala Lajpat Rai was deported to Mandalay, Burma (now Myanmar) without trial in May 1907. Along with him, Bipin Chandra Pal was also sent to Mandalay.

Aurobindo Ghose was an Indian Poet, Guru, Yogi, and Philosopher. In 1905 when VIceroy of India Lord Curzon partitioned the Bengal there was an outburst of public anger against British. At this time Aurobindo Ghosh also led a nationalist campaign by a group of revolutionaries and entered into the fold of Indian National Movement. He was also arrested in 1908 on charges of planning to kill the magistrate Kingsford but was released on May 6, 1909.

In the year 1911 Calcutta became the former capital of British India and it was shifted to Delhi. The decision was taken during the reign of Lord Hardinge, the then Viceroy of India. Hardinge's explanation was that Calcutta was located in the extreme east so the capital should be centralized for betterment. Though historians stated that in Bengal the situation was gradually going beyond control and rigorous extremist movement was giving sleepless nights to the British Raj.

Historically it is known as Delhi Darbar or Imperial Darbar. The Darbar in Delhi were held thrice in India, i.e in 1877, 1903 and 1911. George- V, and Queen of India visited the Darbar in 1911. It was held to mark the succession of an emperor or an empress. 

Lord Hardinge held a durbar in December, 1911 to celebrate the coronation of King George V. Here, the partition of Bengal was cancelled and the capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. The reason was the widespread oppoasition to the partition and in the face of growing Bengali nationalism, the partition was annulled.