Celebrate your Independence
Every year we celebrate Independence Day, hear speeches, enjoy the holiday and forget about it the very next day. This is because we fail to understand the importance of “Independence”. To appreciate Independence, we need to know how it is to be without freedom.
British were not the only people who ruled India; before, they were Greeks and Turks like Khilji, Thugalaqs, Lodhis and Mughals who ruled India. But there was a difference between the rule of the British and others. Others came to India, married Indian women took care of their citizens as their own children and became one among Indians. In contrast, the British were not interested in either the country’s welfare or in people. India was like a hen laying golden eggs with its rich resources and workforce. British were more interested in the eggs rather than the hen.
In the 16th century, India exported iron, spices like pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cotton cloth. The cotton cloth, which was called calico, had a lot of demand in the International market. Some craftsmen could weave such fine sarees that could be folded and kept in matchboxes. The shawls of Kashmir were world-famous. The only purpose of the British in India was trade, i.e. to buy the goods in India and sell them in the international markets.
British were from Europe. The European countries were plain grasslands that did not have any natural barriers. Therefore the people had to protect themselves against enemies. Thus they were natural warriors and merchants. When they came to India, they faced tough competition from Portuguese, Dutch, and French. To survive in marketing, they had to maintain an army for themselves. This army constituted Indian soldiers. This same army was rented to the small Indian kings to wage wars against each other. The king, who won, would also be killed by the “divide and rule” policy. Thus the British Empire expanded, and the whole of India came under its rule.
The Moghul emperors, who preceded the British, collected 6% of crops grown as a tax from the farmers. In British rule, there was no connection between the yield and the tax. Whether the farmers had a yield or not, the farmers had to pay the tax. “Zamindars” were appointed to collect the tax. The Zamindars could collect crops from the farmers and give only 11% of it to the British. If the Zamindars were not able to collect the tax, their “Zamindari” would be auctioned. Thus Indian Zamindars joined hands with the British in exploitation.
Apart from huge taxes, the farmers were restricted to grow only commercial crops like poppy and indigo. There was a shortage of food grains. The continuous growth of these crops resulted in less yield. The yield was less, but the tax was more. This made farmers stop cultivating the lands, and thus lands became barren. It is said that there were 12 famines in one hundred years of British rule.
The crops grown had to be given to the British as tax. The weavers had to buy cotton from the British for a higher price. The raw materials grown in India were forcefully bought by the British. The finished products manufactured in Britain were sold back in India. The Indian weavers who could not afford to buy the raw materials from the British stopped weaving. Thus the cottage industry totally collapsed, and all turned to be soldiers.
The Indians had to buy commodities from the British, which were very expensive. The items which were sold for 1 rupee in Britain were sold for 90 rupees in India.
The culture of India was under threat. The education given by missionaries was just to prepare “clerks” to work in the British Government. Thus the educated lot looked up to Britain and other Western countries and suffered an inferiority complex. There was discrimination between Indians and British at work in the jobs offered. The higher-ranking jobs were retained by the British, and the lower ranks were given to Indians.
The economy failed to such an extent that India, exporting cotton in the 17the Century, started importing cotton in the 18th century. To get more and more income, the British taxed every possible commodity, including salt.
This is just a glimpse of what happened in Indian during British rule. Imagine that a guest enters your family for some work. What would happen if he gains control and kicks you off? What do you do when you had to earn for him without basic amenities like food, cloth, shelter, and education? Isn’t it the life of a slave? That’s what the British did to Indians. Throwing the British out of India wasn’t an easy job. Many had shed their blood, sacrificed their lives and families so that “we”, the future Indians, would lead the life in Independence. This makes the freedom fighters great, and every Indian’s duty is to pay homage to all those who sacrificed their life.
Vande Mataram