Modern History (Part-I)

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee stands as one of the defining figures of Bengali literature and modern Indian thought. His writings not only reshaped the literary landscape but also stirred a sense of national pride during British colonial rule. Born in 1838 at Naihati in Bengal, Bankim received both Bengali and English education, which exposed him to Western philosophy and literature while grounding him in Indian traditions.

He studied at Presidency College in Calcutta and later served in various administrative roles under the British East India Company. Through his novels, essays, and poetry, Bankim articulated the cultural spirit of India and inspired generations with a vision of freedom and selfhood, leaving an indelible mark on both literature and the nationalist movement.

1. Macaulay's Minute on Education (1835)
• Focus: Advocated for an English education for a small elite group in India, with the belief that these educated individuals would then spread knowledge to the masses (the "downward filtration theory").
• Significance: This minute established the precedent for English as the medium of instruction and prioritized higher education for the elites.

2. Wood's Education Despatch (1854)
Focus: Known as the "Magna Carta of English Education in India," it proposed a comprehensive plan for both mass education and institutions at all levels.
Significance: It recommended establishing universities, setting up government and private schools, teacher training, and promoting women's education, laying a foundation for systematic education.

3. Indian Education (Hunter Commission) (1882)
• Focus: Appointed primarily to assess the implementation and progress of Wood's Despatch, with a particular emphasis on the state of primary education.
• Significance: The commission highlighted the failure to address mass education adequately after Wood's Despatch and called for more attention to primary education.

4. The Sargent Education Report (1944)
• Focus: The Post War Educational Development Plan, which proposed a comprehensive system of universal and compulsory elementary education for children aged 6–14 after World War II.
• Significance: This report offered a detailed plan for the future of education in India, focusing on creating a universal, compulsory, and free primary education system.

Evolution of Indian cinema

1. In 1896, the Lumière Brothers’ films were first shown in Mumbai
2. India witnessed the first motion picture in the late 1910s and was introduced by late Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, also popularly known as Dada Saheb Phalke; through the film “Raja Harishchandra” (It was a silent film). He is also considered to be the “Father of Indian cinema”.
3. It took nearly two years after Raja Harishchandra for the first motion picture with sound to release i.e Alam Ara directed by Ardeshir Irani
4. The Indian cinematography law was passed in 1918. It provided for the licensing of cinema halls and censorship of indigenous and foreign films. The board of censors was established in the provinces beginning from 1920.
5. The seed of colour cinema was also sowed through ‘Kisan Kanya’ directed by Moti B Gidwani in 1937.
6. Indian filmmakers call the era after the end of British Raj as “The Golden Era” from the 1940s to the 1960s. This was the time when parallel cinema came into existence and Bengali filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen and many more were the pioneers and major contributors.