Q. Consider the following statelllents :

Statement-I : 7th August is declared as the National Handloom Day.
Statement-II : It was in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched on the same day.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  • Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
  • Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
  • Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
  • Statement-I is incorrect but Stateinent-II is correct

Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

Notes:
  • In 2015, the Government of India decided to designate the 7th of August every year, as the National Handloom Day. On this day, we honor our handloom-weaving community and highlight the contribution of this sector to the socioeconomic development of our country.
  • The Swadeshi Movement which was launched on 7th August, 1905 had encouraged indigenous industries and in particular handloom weavers. The movement was led by Mahatma Gandhi and it helped to revive the Indian handloom industry.
  • The National Handloom Day was declared to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement, which helped to revive the Indian handloom industry.
Swadeshi Movement:
  • Background:
    • The movement had its roots in the anti-partition movement which was started to oppose Lord Curzon’s decision of dividing the province of Bengal.
    • The Anti-Partition Campaign was launched by Moderates to exert pressure on the government to prevent the unjust partition of Bengal from being implemented.
      • The petitions were written to the government, public meetings were held and the ideas were spread through newspapers such as Hitabadi, Sanjibani and Bengalee.
    • The partition led to protest meetings in Bengal under which the pledge to boycott foreign goods was first taken.
  • Swadeshi Movement Proclamation:
    • In August 1905, at Calcutta Townhall, a massive meeting was held and the formal proclamation of the Swadeshi Movement was made.
    • The message was propagated to boycott goods such as Manchester cloth and Liverpool salt.
    • After the partition came into force, widespread opposition was shown by the people of Bengal by singing Vande Mataram.
      • Rabindranath Tagore also composed Amar Sonar Bangla.
      • People tied Rakhis on each other’s hands as a symbol of unity.
    • Although the movement was confined majorly to Bengal, it spread to a few different parts of India:
      • In Poona and Bombay under Bal Gangadhar Tilak
      • In Punjab under Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh
      • In Delhi under Syed Haider Raza
      • In Madras under Chidambaram Pillai.
  • Congres Reaction:
    • The Indian National Congress (INC) in a meeting in 1905 resolved to condemn the partition of Bengal and support the anti-partition and Swadeshi Movement.
    • The radical nationalists wanted the movement to be taken outside Bengal and go beyond just the boycott of foreign goods.
      • However, the moderates, dominating the Congress, were unwilling to go that far.
    • In the 1906 Congress Session held at Calcutta, the INC under the presidentship of Dadabhai Naoroji declared self-government or Swaraj as the goal of INC.
  • Rise of the Radical Nationalists:
    • The Extremists (or the Garam Dal) gained a dominant influence over the Swadeshi Movement in Bengal after 1905 till 1908; it is also known as the “Era of Passionate Nationalists”.
    • Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal (Lal-Bal-Pal) were important leaders of this Radical group.
    • The reasons for the same were:
      • Failure of the Moderate-led Swadeshi movement.
      • Divisive tactics of the governments of East Bengal and Western Bengal.
      • Violent measures of the British to suppress the movement.
    • In addition to boycotting the Extremists gave a call for boycotting government schools and colleges, government service, courts, legislative councils, municipalities, government titles, etc.
    • Tilak gave the slogan “Freedom is my birthright and I shall have it”.
  • Participation of People:
    • Students: School and college students were the most active participants of the movement.
      • Student participation was visible in Bengal, Poona (Maharashtra), Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Madras and Salem (Tamil Nadu).
      • The police adopted a repressive attitude towards the students. The students found guilty were fined, expelled, beaten, arrested and disqualified for government jobs and scholarships.
    • Women: Traditionally home-centered women too took active part in the movement.
    • Stand of Muslims: Some of the muslims participated, however, most of the upper and middle class muslims stayed away.
      • They supported the partition on the belief that it would provide them a Muslim-majority East Bengal.

Impact of Swadeshi Movement

  • Decline in Imports: It resulted in significant decline in the foreign imports during 1905-1908.
  • Growth of Extremism: Movement resulted in growth of extreme nationalism amongst youth which took to violence and wanted to bring an instant end to British dominance.
  • Morley-Minto Reforms: It forced British dispensation to offer some concessions to Indians in forms of Morley-Minto reforms in 1909.
    • Gopal Krishna Gokhale played an important role in framing these reforms.
  • Establishment of Swadeshi Institutions: Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan, the Bengal National College and a number of national schools and colleges in various parts of the country were set up.
    • In August 1906, the National Council of Education was set up to organise the national education system.
    • A Bengal Institute of Technology was set up for technical education.
  • Growth in Swadeshi Industries: It led to establishments of swadeshi textile mills, soap and match factories, tanneries, banks, insurance companies, shops, etc.
    • It also revived the Indian Cottage Industry.
    • Indian industries saw regeneration with reawakening of use of indigenous goods.
  • Boycott of Buyers and Sellers: The foreign goods including clothing, sugar, salt and various other luxury items were not only boycotted, but they were also burned.
    • The Swadeshi movement also led to social boycott of not only buyers but also sellers of foreign goods.