INSIGHTS IAS
Modern Indian History
Class 1 & 2 - Value Addition Material
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-1891)
● Vidyasagar was a well-known writer, intellectual and above all a staunch
supporter of humanity.
● His book, ‘Borno Porichoy’ (Introduction to the letter), is still used as the
introductory text to learn Bengali alphabets.
● The title 'Vidyasagar' (ocean of knowledge) was given to him due to his vast
knowledge in several subjects.
● Poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta while writing about Ishwar Chandra said:
"The genius and wisdom of an ancient sage, the energy of an Englishman and
the heart of a Bengali mother".
● He was the most prominent campaigner for Hindu widow remarriage.
● As the principal of Sanskrit college, he introduced courses of European
History, Philosophy and Science alongside of Vedic scriptures.
● He introduced the concepts of Admission fee and tuition fee for the first time
in Calcutta.
● He set up the Normal School for training teachers enabling uniformity in
teaching methods.
● He even initiated Nari Siksha Bhandar, a fund to lend support for the cause
of Girl Education.
● He maintained his support to John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune to establish the
first permanent girls’ school in India, the Bethune School, on May 7, 1849.
Mahadev Govind Ranade (18 January 1842 - 16 January 1901)
● He was an Indian scholar, social reformer, justice (he was the youngest Indian
jurist of Bombay State in 1871) and author.
● Ranade worked for social reform in the areas of child marriage, widow
remarriage, and women’s rights. He was one of the founders of the Widow
Marriage Association in 1861.
● He was an early member of the Prarthana Samaj (“Prayer Society”), which
sought to reform the social customs of orthodox Hinduism.
● In 1887, Ranade founded the National Social Conference, which met
each year just after India's National Congress, since many devout
Hindus threatened to riot if social reform issues were ever raised in the
annual meetings of the nation's largest political association.
● Ranade has been called the father of Indian economics for urging
(unsuccessfully) the British government to initiate industrialization and state
welfare programs.
● He also authored books like, The rise of Maratha power, Essays on Indian
Economics
A O Hume
● On his retirement from the civil service in 1882, he involved himself in political
activities aimed at giving Indians a more democratic, representational
government and was one of the conveners of the first session of the Indian
National Congress, held at Bombay (Mumbai) in 1885.
● While in the North-Western Provinces, he produced several works on
ornithology, including, as coauthor, The Game Birds of India, Burmah and
Ceylon (1879–81). He later presented his collection of bird skins and eggs to
the British Museum.
Womesh Chandra Bannerjee
● In 1883, he defended Surendranath Banerjea in the famous Contempt of
Court Case against him in the Calcutta High Court. A moderate in politics, he
was attracted to it early in life.
● He presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress held at
Bombay in 1885. In the 1886 session held at Calcutta, he proposed the
formation of standing committees of the Congress in each province for the
better co - ordination of its work and it was on this occasion that he
advocated that the Congress should confine its activities to political
matters only, leaving the question of social reforms to other organisations.
● The salt tax which much later assumed historical significance under Mahatma
Gandhi was criticised by him as an unjust tax on "almost the chief
necessity of life" in a poverty stricken land where people could hardly afford
two meals a day.
● To propagate India's case in England a London Agency had been established
in 1888 with the help of Digby. Dadabhai Naoroji, and Bonnerjee raised funds
in India for its support.
● He advocated the establishment of a Royal Commission for the
reduction of military expenditure.
● Like other nationalists of the day, he wanted industrialisation of the
country and welcomed the Swadeshi Movement. He represented Calcutta
University in the Bengal Legislative Council in 1894 - 95.
Syed Badruddin Tyabji
● President: Madras, 1887 (3rd Session)
● First muslim president of Indian National congress.
● Along with Pherozeshah Mehta and Kashinath Telang, these three were
popularly known (in that order) as ‘The Three Stars’ of Bombay's public life.
● In 1882, he became a Member of the Bombay Legislative Council
● Among Muslims, Badruddin Tyabji was the first to create a secular political
consciousness; and nationally he was a pioneer in making it the Indian ideal.
● In 1885, he helped to found the Bombay Presidency Association.
● He acted as Chief Justice of Bombay High court in 1902, the first Indian to
hold this post in Bombay.
George Yule
● President: Allahabad, 1888
● Having had for its first three Presidents a Hindu, a Parsi and a Muslim
respectively, the fourth Congress which met in Allahabad, turned for the first
time, to a non - Indian for its Presidential chair.
● He was the Sheriff of Calcutta & President of Indian Chamber of Commerce.
William Wedderburn
● President; 1889, Bombay
● He entered Parliament in 1893 as a Liberal member and sought to voice
India's grievances in the House. He formed the Indian Parliamentary
Committee with which he was associated as Chairman from 1893 to 1900.
● In 1895, Wedderburn represented India on the Welby Commission (i.e.
Royal Commission) on Indian Expenditure. He also began participating
in the activities of the Indian Famine Union set up in June 1901, for
investigation into famines and proposing preventive measures.
● He came to India in 1904 to attend the 20th session of the Indian National
Congress in Bombay, which was presided over by Sir Henry Cotton. He was
again invited in 1910 to preside over the 25th session.
● He remained the Chairman of the British Committee of the Congress from
July 1889 until his death. As a liberal, William Wedderburn believed in the
principle of self - government.
P. Ananda Charlu
● President: 1891 - Nagpur; 7th Session
● In 1878, he helped G. Subrahmanya Aiyar and C. Viraraghavachariar in
starting ‘The Hindu’ and became a frequent contributor to it.
● In 1884, he joined several public workers in Madras and founded the Madras
Mahajana Sabha which became the leading public forum for years.
● These Associations were the counterparts in Madras of organisations like the
British Indian Association in Calcutta and Bombay.
● In the course of his address as President of INC, he criticised the views of
those who claimed that India was not a nation. He pleaded for Legislative
Councils becoming more representative in character and for the removal of
racial discrimination in enlisting Indians as recruits to the Volunteer Corps.
Alfred Webb
● President: (Madras, 1894)
● Alfred Webb was an Irishman and was the third non-Indian to have presided
over the Indian National Congress. He was a member of the British
Parliament.
Viceroys
Lord Lytton (1876-1880)
● A Royal Titles Act conferring on the queen Victoria the title of the Empress of
India was passed
● A magnificent Delhi Darbar was organized in 1877 in which queen Victoria
was adorned with title Qaiser-i-Hind.
● Aligarh College was founded in 1877 and the Vernacular Press Act, Arms act
were passed in 1878.
● The age for eligibility in civil services was brought down from 21 to 18 years.
Lord Rippon (1880-84)
● He was the founder of local self-government in modern India
● The Vernacular Press Act was repealed in 1882
● A Resolution in 1882 set off the institution of local self-government in India.
● Introduction of Ilbert Bill is a severely compromised state.
● The age for entry in the Civil Services was once again raised to 21 years.
● The First factory Act was enacted in 1881
Dufferin (1884-88)
● 3rd Burmese war - Annexation of Upper Burma
● Crisis with Russia on issue of Panjdeh & Amu Darya was averted
● Foundation of INC in 1885
INC Sessions
1st Session Bombay Dec. 28-30, 1885 Womesh Chandra
Bonnerjee
2nd Session Calcutta Dec. 27-30, 1886 Dadabhai Naoroji
3rd Session Madras Dec. 27-30, 1887 Badruddin Tyabji
4th Session Allahabad Dec. 26-29, 1888 George Yule
5th Session Bombay Dec. 26-28, 1889 Sir William
Wedderburn
6th Session Calcutta 1890 Pherozeshah
Mehta
7th Session Nagpur 1891 P Anandacharlu
8th Session Allahabad 1892 Womesh Chandra
Bonnerjee
9th Session Lahore 1893 Dadabhai Naoroji
10th Session Madras 1894 Alfred Webb
11th Session Poona 1895 Surendranath
Bannerjee
General Committee of Public Instruction, 1823
In 1823, the Governor-General-in Council appointed a “General Committee of
Public Instruction”, which had the responsibility to grant one lakh of rupees for
education. That committee consisted of 10(ten) European members of which Lord
Macaulay was the president. The committee decided to spend major portions from
the grant for the improvement of oriental literature.
Interestingly, during that time, there was a rapid change in attitude towards
the importance of English education, mainly due to the missionaries and the political
influence of the English language.
Therefore, for the Council of East India Company, the decision for granting
the money faced a greater problem. The Court of Directors of the East India
Company asked the Government of India to take the decision for spreading the
education; however the Court of Director of the East India Company was in favour of
English education. In this way, the controversy was going on for twelve years.
Even, the General Committee of Public Instruction also was not able to decide
the medium of instruction by vote; because out of ten members, five were supporters
of English language or Anglicist as the medium of instruction and the rest were
supporters of oriental or classic language or Classicists as a medium of instruction.
This is the famous Anglicist and orientalist controversy.
