How had a variety of cultural processes developed a sense of collective belongingness

Nationalism in India (10)

How had a variety of cultural processes developed a sense of collective belongingness in India during the 19th century ? Explain with examples.

Answer

Collective belongingness:

  1. History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols, All played a part in the making of nationalism.
  2. Identity of the Nation was most often symbolized in a figure or image.                                                                           
  3. The identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata.
  4. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhya and Ravindra North Tagore created a picture of Bharat Mata.
  5. Vande Matram as a hymn for the motherland.
  6. Folklores and tales gave true picture of traditional culture.

Nationalism spreads when people begin to believe that they are all part of the same nation, when they discover some unity that binds them together.

History and fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols, all played a part in the making of nationalism.

The identity of the nation is most often symbolised in a figure or image. In the twentieth century, the identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata.

The image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. In the 1870s he wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ as a hymn to the motherland.

Ideas of nationalism also developed through a movement to revive Indian folklore. In late-nineteenth-century India, nationalists began recording folk tales sung by bards and they toured villages to gather folk songs and legends. These tales gave a true picture of traditional culture that had been corrupted and damaged by outside forces. It was essential to preserve this folk tradition in order to discover one’s national identity and restore a sense of pride in one’s past.

Exam Year: 2019