Print Culture and the Modern World | Case Based Questions

Case Based Questions:

Q.1 Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow:

From the early nineteenth century, as you know, there were intense debates around religious issues. Different groups confronted the changes happening within colonial society in different ways, and
offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs of different religions. Some criticised existing practices and campaigned for reform, while others countered the arguments of reformers. These
debates were carried out in public and in print. Printed tracts and newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they shaped the nature of the debate. A wider public could now participate in these public discussions and express their views. New ideas emerged through these clashes of opinions. This was a time of intense controversies between social and religious reformers and the Hindu orthodoxy over matters like widow immolation, monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood and idolatry. In Bengal, as the debate developed, tracts and newspapers proliferated, circulating a variety of arguments. To reach a wider audience, the ideas were printed in the everyday, spoken language of ordinary people. Rammohun Roy published the Sambad Kaumudi from 1821 and the Hindu orthodoxy commissioned the Samachar Chandrika to oppose his opinions. From 1822, two Persian newspapers were published, Jam-i-Jahan

Nama and Shamsul Akhbar. In the same year, a Gujarati newspaper, the Bombay Samachar, made its appearance.

(i) What were the main topics of debates from early 19th Century? (1)

Answer: Widow immolation (sati), monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood, and idolatry.

(ii) How the debates were being carried out? (1)

Answer: Debates were carried out through printed tracts and newspapers and by using everyday spoken language to reach a wider audience.

(iii) Name some newspaper published in the 19th Century. (2)

Answer: Sambad Kaumudi (1821), Samachar Chandrika, Jam-i-Jahan Nama (1822), Shamsul Akhbar (1822), Bombay Samachar (1822).

Q.2 Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow: (previous year question)

The power of the printed word is most often seen in the way governments seek to regulate and suppress print. The colonial government kept continuous track of all books and newspapers published in India and passed numerous laws to control the press. During the First World War, under the Defence of India Rules, 22 newspapers had to furnish securities. Of these, 18 shut down rather than comply with government orders. The Sedition Committee Report under Rowlatt in 1919 further strengthened controls that led to imposition of penalties on various newspapers. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Defence of India Act was passed, allowing censoring of reports of war-related topics. All reports about the Quit India movement came under its purview. In August 1942, about 90 newspapers were suppressed.

i) Explain the meaning of ‘censor’? (1)

Answer: ‘Censor’ means to officially examine newspapers, books or films and remove or ban any parts the authorities find objectionable before publication.

ii) Why did the colonial administration keep an eye on books and newspapers? (1)

Answer: Colonial administration kept an eye on books and newspapers to control the press and stop the spread of writings that could criticise or mobilise people against the colonial government.

iii) Why did Gandhiji start a nationwide Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act? Explain any two reasons. (2)

Answer: The Rowlatt Act was harsh and violated civil rights. It allowed arrest without trial and secret courts. People across India were uniting against colonial rule, so Gandhi called a peaceful, countrywide Satyagraha to bring everyone together and oppose this repression.

Q.3 Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow:

Krishnaji Trimbuck Ranade inhabitant of Poona intends to publish a Newspaper in the Marathi Language with a view of affording useful information on every topic of local interest. It will be open for free discussion on subjects of general utility, scientific investigation and the speculations connected with the antiquities, statistics, curiosities, history and geography of the country and of the Deccan especially… the patronage and support of all interested in the diffusion of knowledge and Welfare of the People is earnestly solicited.’ Bombay Telegraph and Courier, 6 January 1849 ‘The task of the native newspapers and political associations is identical to the role of the Opposition in the House of Commons in Parliament in England. That is of critically examining government policy to suggest improvements, by removing those parts that will not be to the benefit of the people, and also by ensuring speedy implementation. These associations ought to carefully study the particular issues, gather diverse relevant information on the nation as well as on what are the possible and desirable improvements, and this will surely earn it considerable influence.

i) Which language did Krishnaji Trimbuck Ranade intend to publish his newspaper in? (1)

Answer: He intended to publish the newspaper in the Marathi language.

ii) What role were native newspapers and political associations expected to perform in relation to government policies? (1)

Answer: They were expected to critically examine government policies and suggest improvements in the interest of the people.

iii) Explain any two ways in which native newspapers contributed to the welfare of the people in India.

Answer: Native newspapers spread useful knowledge on social, scientific, historical, and local issues, creating awareness among people.

They voiced public opinion by criticising unjust policies and recommending reforms, thereby safeguarding the welfare of the people.

Q.4 Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow:

Social reforms and novels had already created a great interest in women’s lives and emotions, there was also an interest in what women would have to say about their own lives. From the 1860s, a few Bengali women like Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences of women – about how women were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard domestic labour and treated unjustly by the very people they served. In the 1880s, in present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women, especially widows. A woman in a Tamil novel expressed what reading meant to women who were so greatly confined by social regulations: ‘For various reasons, my world is small … More than half my life’s happiness has come from books

i) Why did women’s issues become an important subject of writing during the nineteenth century? (1)

Answer: Women’s issues became important because social reforms and novels created awareness about women’s lives, leading to interest in their experiences, emotions, and injustices.

ii) What common condition of women’s lives was criticised by women writers from different regions of India? (1)

Answer: Women writers criticised the confinement of women at home, lack of education, heavy domestic labour, and unfair treatment, especially of widows.

iii) How did reading and writing act as a means of emotional support and resistance for women? Explain any two points. (2)

Answer: Reading provided women with emotional relief and happiness, especially when their social world was limited by strict norms.

Writing allowed women to express their suffering and challenge social restrictions, helping them question injustice and demand change.

Q.5 Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow: (previous year question)

The power of the printed word is most often seen in the way governments seek to regulate and suppress print. The colonial government kept continuous track of all books and newspapers published in India and passed numerous laws to control the press. During the First World War, under the Defence of India Rules, 22 newspapers had to furnish securities. Of these, 18 shut down rather than comply with government orders. The Sedition Committee Report under Rowlatt in 1919 further strengthened controls that led to imposition of penalties on various newspapers. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Defence of India Act was passed, allowing censoring of reports of war-related topics. All reports about the Quit India movement came under its purview. In August 1942, about 90 newspapers were suppressed.

i) Why did the British government feel the need to impose strict control over the vernacular (native) press in India? (1)

Answer: The British government wanted to control the vernacular press because it criticised colonial policies and spread nationalist ideas among Indians, which could lead to resistance against British rule.

ii) The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was passed on the model of which existing law? (1)

Answer: The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was passed on the model of the Irish Press Laws.

iii) Explain any two provisions of the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 that curtailed the freedom of the press.

Answer: The Act gave the government the power to confiscate printing presses and publications if they published material critical of the British government.

Editors and publishers of vernacular newspapers were required to deposit security, which could be seized if government rules were violated.