09-01-2005, 09:30 PM
"Indian Mussalmans" by William Hunter was an important work that helped in making the 180 degree turn in Brit attitude to Indian Muslims. Before this, the Brits viewed the IMs with extreme suspicion.... the Barelvi Jihads, the fatwas from Shah Aziz etc, the Wahabis who seemed to be everywhere. This work by Hunter outlined the decline of Muslims in the services, the plight of the Muslim community as a whole, and IIRC how majority of Muslims had no part in the Rising.
The bleeding hearts/Islamophiles of the Raj jumped into the protection of minorities bandwagon, the sharper brains of the Raj saw the wisdom of not making a mortal enemy of the huge Muslim population... and the Russians were just a few hours on camelback, seperated by a Muslim nation. They also wanted something to break the budding spearhead of the Indian National Movement...... this manifested especially after 1885 (INC formation), when the hithero reforms based Muslim movements like Calcutta movement by Latif and Syed Amir Ali, Aligarh Movement by Syed Ahmed Khan stared talking about "Hindus and Muslims being seperate, warring nations". This coming from Syed Ahmed Khan who once said during his early GUBO days that "Hindus and Muslims are two eyes of India".
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References?
The Majumdar compilation- History of the Indian people, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan,
India's Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
In the shade of swords by M.J.Akbar
Reflections of eminent Congress leaders on this topic (I spent most of my youth in the astonishingly well stocked KPCC(I) library right next to my home you see..... some things that haven't even been published in mainstream. It explains a lot of the (unwilling) "political correctness" and going smooth on minority issues after independence). It had the entire series of Naoroji's, Sen's, Ranade's takes on the Drain Theory... including the reprints and journals and books where it first appeared; I remember a rather well written compendium released commemorating the INC's centenary.... a "ghagar mein sagar" type of work, though it was one-sided of course.
One person who helped me "connect" all the scattered and voluminous issues, squeeze out the gist, sieve the relevant details etc is my teacher in the Babu exam coaching institute I am attending now. Of course, I can't tell more about THIS thing. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<Start Personal Annexure>
Some things in the post are my own "understandings". You learn more things as you read different views on a topic... only way you can find out the truth which is usually in the middle of the extremes. But in Indian history, its almost impossible to find the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You are sometimes very dissappointed by your "new findings" too.......... I rely on my (very Orwellian) Doublethink to block out the ugly things and I try to find inspiration in the version that just inspires and consoles you. The Commies and co focus, magnify, distort further on the darker, soulless things and run you down. Well, it still works! I have to do an Al-Takiya and Hudaibiya and write some very obvious trash to get through the exams...... And many sincerely *believe* the "official version" is the absolute truth.
Some things I got from my interactions with fellow enthusiasts/students and gurus in this field.... Somethings are too politically incorrect and ugly to be included in mainstream books and textbooks they agree.
But I really would like to read the Official Pakistani Govt history compendium on the Freedom Movement. Just one Offical Paki history's snippet on the struggle I chanced upon in Grover's work on modern Indian history........... very very "illuminating". Talk about propagandu! <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<End Personal Annexure>
The bleeding hearts/Islamophiles of the Raj jumped into the protection of minorities bandwagon, the sharper brains of the Raj saw the wisdom of not making a mortal enemy of the huge Muslim population... and the Russians were just a few hours on camelback, seperated by a Muslim nation. They also wanted something to break the budding spearhead of the Indian National Movement...... this manifested especially after 1885 (INC formation), when the hithero reforms based Muslim movements like Calcutta movement by Latif and Syed Amir Ali, Aligarh Movement by Syed Ahmed Khan stared talking about "Hindus and Muslims being seperate, warring nations". This coming from Syed Ahmed Khan who once said during his early GUBO days that "Hindus and Muslims are two eyes of India".
****************
References?
The Majumdar compilation- History of the Indian people, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan,
India's Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
In the shade of swords by M.J.Akbar
Reflections of eminent Congress leaders on this topic (I spent most of my youth in the astonishingly well stocked KPCC(I) library right next to my home you see..... some things that haven't even been published in mainstream. It explains a lot of the (unwilling) "political correctness" and going smooth on minority issues after independence). It had the entire series of Naoroji's, Sen's, Ranade's takes on the Drain Theory... including the reprints and journals and books where it first appeared; I remember a rather well written compendium released commemorating the INC's centenary.... a "ghagar mein sagar" type of work, though it was one-sided of course.
One person who helped me "connect" all the scattered and voluminous issues, squeeze out the gist, sieve the relevant details etc is my teacher in the Babu exam coaching institute I am attending now. Of course, I can't tell more about THIS thing. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> <Start Personal Annexure>
Some things in the post are my own "understandings". You learn more things as you read different views on a topic... only way you can find out the truth which is usually in the middle of the extremes. But in Indian history, its almost impossible to find the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You are sometimes very dissappointed by your "new findings" too.......... I rely on my (very Orwellian) Doublethink to block out the ugly things and I try to find inspiration in the version that just inspires and consoles you. The Commies and co focus, magnify, distort further on the darker, soulless things and run you down. Well, it still works! I have to do an Al-Takiya and Hudaibiya and write some very obvious trash to get through the exams...... And many sincerely *believe* the "official version" is the absolute truth.
Some things I got from my interactions with fellow enthusiasts/students and gurus in this field.... Somethings are too politically incorrect and ugly to be included in mainstream books and textbooks they agree.
But I really would like to read the Official Pakistani Govt history compendium on the Freedom Movement. Just one Offical Paki history's snippet on the struggle I chanced upon in Grover's work on modern Indian history........... very very "illuminating". Talk about propagandu! <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--><End Personal Annexure>