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Chapter 3 - Glimpses of the Past Exercise 45

Solution 1

Yes, the Indian princes were short-sighted in their approach to the events of 1757.

Solution 2

The Indian princes were constantly at war with each other. They called the English merchants with their superior weapons to help them in their fights. The people had no peace due to such constant fights. The rivalries helped the East India Company subdue the Indian princes one by one.

Solution 3

According to Ram Mohan Roy,"Cows are of different colours, but the colour of their milk is the same. Different teachers have different opinions, but the essence of every religion is the same".

Solution 4

To earn quick profits, the British imposed heavy taxes, thereby forcing the Indian farmers to abandon their fields.

They decided to do away with import duty on goods manufactured in England and sold in India. This crippled the Indian industries.

In 1818, they passed Regulation III under which an Indian could be jailed without trial in a court.

All the time British officers in India drew big salaries and also made fortunes in private business. By 1829, Britain was exporting British goods worth seven crore rupees to India. The British prospered on the Company's loot, while the Indian industries began to die.

Solution 5

(i) Kunwar Singh(ii) Ram Mohan Roy(iii) Macaulay

(iv) Maulvi Ahmedulla of Faizabad and Peshwa Nana Saheb

Solution 6

(i) Untouchability and child marriage

(ii) The British decided to do away with import duty on goods manufactured in England and brought into India to be sold. This severely affected Indian industries.

In 1818, they passed Regulation III. Under it, an Indian could be jailed without trial in a court.

(iii) They lost their old jobs and lands. They were being converted by the British.

(iv)  Discontent was brewing amongst the Indians. They felt that their kings who were supposed to be their protectors were mere puppets in the hands of the British. They lost their old jobs and lands. Taxes continued to ruin the peasants. There was discontent in the East India Company's army too. The white soldier got huge pay, mansions to live in and servants, while the Indian soldiers got a pittance and slow promotions.

Few Englishmen had cared to understand Indian customs or the people's mind. The religious sentiments of both Hindus and Muslims were also hurt. The grease on the bullets they had to bite was made from the fat of cows and pigs.

Solution 7

The original song is"Ae mere watan ke logon ..." The singer is Lata Mangeshkar. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Rani Laxmi Bai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi are also seen in the picture.

Solution 8

Technologically, because of their superior weapons the East India Company was far superior to the Indian princes, and as a result they were able to extend their power in India in the 18^th century. The Indian princes, on the other hand were constantly at war with each other. Because the Englishmen had access to better quality weapons it prompted the Indian princes to seek their help in their fights. These internal rivalries in turn helped the East India Company subdue the Indian princes one by one, and finally gain control over the whole of India.

Solution 9

An artisan is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative.

The artisans suffered because the British were extracting very high taxes from them, which ruined them economically. Moreover, machine-manufactured goods imported from Britain were sold extensively, which ruined the business of the artisans' hand-made goods. Also no import duty was charged when British goods manufactured in England were brought into India. All these laws crippled Indian industry and ruined the expert artisans and their business.

Solution 10

Picture 7 'The Sparks' reveals the first sparks of the fire of revolt.

Chapter 3 - Glimpses of the Past Exercise 46

Solution 1

(i) The first man said that they must educate their brothers.

The second man added that they must try to improve their material conditions.

The third man suggested that they must convey their grievances to the British Parliament.

(ii) The first soldier said that the white soldier got huge pay, mansions and servants. The second soldier remarked that they got a pittance and slow promotions.

The third soldier asked who the British were to abolish their customs.