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Subject: Modern History

  • 400th birth anniversary of legendary hero Lachit Borphukan

    lachit

    The three-day-long celebration of the 400th birth anniversary of Ahom General Lachit Barphukan has begun.

    Who was Lachit Borphukan?

    • The year was 1671 and the decisive Battle of Saraighat was fought on the raging waters of the Brahmaputra.
    • On one side was Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s army headed by Ram Singh of Amer (Jaipur) and on the other was the Ahom General Lachit Borphukan.
    • He was a commander in the Ahom kingdom, located in present-day Assam.
    • Ram Singh failed to make any advance against the Assamese army during the first phase of the war.
    • Lachit Borphukan emerged victorious in the war and the Mughals were forced to retreat from Guwahati.

    Lachit Divas

    • On 24 November each year, Lachit Divas is celebrated state-wide in Assam to commemorate the heroism of Lachit Borphukan.
    • On this day, Borphukan has defeated the Mughal army on the banks of the Brahmaputra in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.
    • The best passing out cadet of National Defence Academy has been conferred the Lachit gold medal every year since 1999 commemorating his valour.

     

     

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  • Ram Setu and The Sethusamudram Project (SSCP)

    Ram Setu

    Context

    • On November 10, the Supreme Court gave the Centre four weeks’ time to file a response clarifying its stand on a plea seeking national heritage status for the ‘Ram Setu’.

    Ram Setu

    • Also known as Adam’s bridge, Ram Setu is a 48-km long bridge-like structure between India and Sri Lanka.
    • It finds mention in the Ramayana but little about its formation is known or proven, scientifically.

    Interesting Research on “Ram Setu”

    • Conclusion by the researchers that Ram Setu is not man-made:
    • In 2003, space-based investigations, using satellite remote sensing imagery, by researchers at the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad concluded that Ram Setu is not man-made, but comprises 103 small patch reefs lying in a linear pattern with reef crest, sand cays and intermittent deep channels.
    • Cays, also known as keys, refer to low-elevation islands situated on surfaces made of coral reef.
    • Reasoning behind the conclusion:
    • It is reasonable to assume that Ram Setu is a linear ridge made of coral reefs and forms a shallow part of the ocean that is being constantly impacted by sedimentation processes.
    • Like the Great Barrier Reef, the Ram Setu is also a continuous stretch of limestone shoals that runs from Pamban Island near Rameswaram to the Mannar Island on the northern coast of Sri Lanka.
    • During glaciation period: During a global glaciation period that began around 2.6 million years ago and ended 11,700 years ago, the Indian coast, including parts of the Sethusamudram, may have been raised above water.
    • Post glaciation: The post-glaciation period witnessed a steady rise in sea levels around the world and coral polyps could once again have grown higher on the newly submerged platforms. And in time, the platforms may have been used by migrants to cross oceans.
    • Ramayana belief: The Ramayana refers to a putative land bridge in this region; believers hold it as the structure that Lord Rama and his army built to reach Lanka. This ridge may have been used in the distant past as a migratory route.

    Ram Setu

    Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP)

    • Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP) can be traced back to the British, who Proposed as channel to link the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar.
    • It was only in 2005 that the project was inaugurated.
    • Separating the shallow sea consisting of the Gulf of Mannar in the south and Palk Bay in the north is a somewhat linear coral ridge called Adam’s Bridge or Ram Setu.
    • This runs between Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka.
    • The SSCP, if completed, is expected to considerably reduce the navigation time between the east and west coasts of India.

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    Memory shot

    • “The Sethusamudram project envisages dredging of a channel across the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka to allow ships to sail between the east and west coasts of India, instead of circumventing the island nation.”

    What are the Concerns raised about the project?

    • High energy waves may bring sediments: Computer models suggest that the central, eastern and north-eastern parts of the Palk Bay may be impacted by waves of higher energy. This means that these areas also receive more sediment, rendering them more turbid.
    • Alignment is not easy: The models also indicate that waves enter the Bay from its north and south, corresponding to how the channel is aligned.
    • High frequency of cyclonic storms: The area is also vulnerable to cyclonic storms. A cyclone in 1964 was so powerful that it wiped out the town of Dhanushkodi. Such storms can cause the local sedimentary dynamics to go haywire.
    • Dumping of dredged material may harm marine ecosystem: Finding safe places for dumping dredged material without harming terrestrial or marine ecosystems is therefore a big challenge.
    • Air and water pollution by the ships: Emissions from ships traversing the narrow channel will pollute the air and water. And if a rogue ship carrying oil or coal is grounded or strays from its course within the canal, it could cause an ecological disaster.
    • Religious belief of Significant Ram Setu: While environmental groups have been protesting against the project for the huge environmental cost it would entail, religious groups have been opposing it as they believe that the structure, which is mentioned in the Ramayana, is of religious significance.

    Ram Setu

    What is the need of protection?

    • Marine biosphere reserves: The coral reef platforms between Thoothukudi and Rameswaram in the Gulf of Mannar were notified as a marine biosphere reserve in 1989.
    • Biodiversity rich area:
    • More than 36,000 species of flora and fauna reportedly live there, flanked by mangroves and sandy shores which are considered conducive for turtles to nest.
    • This is also a breeding ground for fish, lobsters, shrimps and crabs.
    • Of the 600 recorded varieties of fish in the region, 70 are said to be commercially important.
    • Area is already under stress:
    • This area is already threatened by discharge from thermal plants, brine run-off from salt pans, and illegal mining of corals.
    • The SSCP, if it becomes a reality, will be the final blow to this sensitive environment and to the livelihoods of the people there.

    Perspective: Area is not only a religious belief but also a “Geo heritage site”.

    • While considering this issue from a believer’s point of view, it is also important to consider this feature from a ‘geoheritage’ perspective.
    • The geoheritage paradigm is used in nature conservation to preserve the natural diversity of significant geological features.
    • The value of abiotic factors like geology, soils and landforms is also recognised for their roles in supporting habitats for biodiversity.
    • Geodiversity here consists of varied landforms and features representative of dynamical natural processes, is under threat from human activities and needs protection.

    Ram Setu

    Do you Know Underwater archaeological project at Ram Setu?

    • The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) will undertake a three-year scientific project.
    • The idea is to see whether Ram Setu is a man-made structure or not.
    • The most important aspect of the project is to establish its age, scientifically.
    • The explorers will apply a number of scientific techniques while attempting to date the Ram Setu, study its material composition, outline the sub-surface structure along with attempting to excavate remnants or artefacts, if any, from the site.
    • Once it is known, the information can be verified and co-related with its mention in the Ramayana and similar scriptures.

    Conclusion

    • The Ram Setu carries the unique geological imprints of an eventful past. Therefore, it needs to be preserved not just as a national heritage monument, but also as a Geoheritage structure as defined from a scientific perspective.

    Mains Question

    Q. What is Sethusamudram Ship channel project? Discuss the Concerns raised over the stability of the project.

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  • Uda Devi: A Dalit freedom fighter

    uda devi

    On November 16, events to commemorate the martyrdom of Uda Devi, a freedom fighter from the Pasi community, were held at various places in Uttar Pradesh.

    Who was Uda Devi?

    • Uda Devi is remembered not only for her stories of valour but also for her skill as a leader who managed to mobilise people — especially Dalit women — to take up arms against the British.
    • Born in Ujirao, Lucknow, she was part of the royal guard of Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh.
    • Her husband, Makka Pasi, worked as a foot soldier in the army of Awadh’s Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah.
    • Hazrat Mahal’s palace had several women belonging to marginalised communities, and their occupation was mostly to take care of the needs of the royalty.
    • Some of them, who showed promise, were also trained as warriors. Uda Devi was one of them.

    Her legend

    • Amid the revolt of 1857, on June 10, at Chinhat near Ismailganj, a battle was fought between the army of Lucknow and the British troops led by Henry Lawrence, in which Makka Pasi lost his life.
    • The death of her husband spurred Uda Devi on to take up a more active role in the mutiny.
    • On November 16, 1857, Uda Devi was among the soldiers who clashed with the British regiment stationed near the Gomti River.
    • Although not much of the fight has been documented in history, it is said that Uda Devi killed at least three dozen British soldiers from atop a tree before she could be spotted.

    Can you recall the Eka Movement of 1921 from your modern history references? If not, take your time to revise. Read about the contribution of Madari Pasi in this movement.

     

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  • Birth anniversary of Birsa Munda: The leader, his contributions

    birsa

    On the occasion of the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda, the Centre marked the second Janjatiya Gaurav Divas on November 15 to celebrate the contributions of tribal communities to Indian culture.

    Who was Birsa Munda (1875-1900)?

    birsa

    • Birsa Munda was a tribal freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe.
    • He spearheaded a tribal religious millenarian movement that arose in the Bengal Presidency (now Jharkhand) in the late 19th century, during the British Raj.

    His legacy

    (A) Birth and early childhood

    • Born on November 15, 1875, Birsa spent much of his childhood moving from one village to another with his parents.
    • He belonged to the Munda tribe in the Chhotanagpur Plateau area.
    • He received his early education at Salga under the guidance of his teacher Jaipal Nag.
    • On the recommendation of Jaipal Nag, Birsa converted to Christianity in order to join the German Mission school.
    • He, however, opted out of the school after a few years.

    (B) New faith ‘Birsait’ against religious conversion

    • The impact of Christianity was felt in the way he came to relate to religion later.
    • Having gained awareness of the British colonial ruler and the efforts of the missionaries to convert tribals to Christianity, Birsa started the faith of ‘Birsait’.
    • Soon members of the Munda and Oraon community started joining the Birsait sect and it turned into a challenge to British conversion activities.
    • The Mundas called him Dharati Aaba, the father of earth.

    (C) The Ulgulan

    • The Great Tumult or Ulgulan was a movement started by Birsa Munda against the exploitation and discrimination against tribals by the local authorities.
    • Although the movement failed, it did result in the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act which forbade tribal lands passing to non-tribals, protecting their land rights for the foreseeable future.

    (D) Death

    • On March 3, 1900, Birsa Munda was arrested by the British police while he was sleeping with his tribal guerilla army at Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur.
    • He died in Ranchi jail on June 9, 1900, at the young age of 25.

    (E) Creation of Jharkhand

    • Birsa Munda’s achievements are known to be even more remarkable by virtue of the fact that he came to acquire them before he was 25.
    • In recognition of his impact on the national movement, the state of Jharkhand was created on his birth anniversary in 2000.

     

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2020

    With reference to the history of India, “Ulgulan” or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following event?

    (a) The Revolt of 1857

    (b) The Mappila Rebellion of 1921

    (c) The Indigo Revolt of 1859-60

    (d) Birsa Munda’s Revolt of 1899-1900

     

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  • Forgotten Heroes: Indian Soldiers in World War-II

    Soldiers

    Context

    • On the eleventh hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns fell silent over Europe, bringing an end to a brutal first world war that drew in soldiers and contributions from around the world. Indian soldiers and their contribution are not widely recognized in India.

    Background of Indian involvement World War II

    • Fight against Fascism: Two conflicts and a reticence Indian reticence over these two conflicts arises from the uneasy relationship between the Indian contribution to fighting fascism on a global stage and the nationalist movement for freedom at home.
    • Betrayal of nationalistic expectation: The success of the first is seen to have come at the cost of the second. It began with the betrayal of nationalist expectations of greater autonomy for India in return for support during the Great War.
    • No consultation with Indian leaders: This was compounded by the bitterness of Viceroy Lord Linlithgow declaring war on Germany on India’s behalf in 1939 without consulting Indian leaders, and further roiled by the pitting of Indian against Indian when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army sided with the Axis Powers in the hope that this might bring freedom.
    • Fighting for India and for World: But the failure of Indian independence to follow automatically from India’s participation in the wars does not mean that the war efforts extended colonial rule, or were all about protecting Britain: there was fighting on Indian soil to defend India.

    Soldiers

    What is Indian soldiers role in World War II

    • Support of nationalist leaders: Almost 1.5 million men volunteered to fight in the Great War. Indians mobilized four days after Britain declared war on Germany, with the support of nationalist leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi.
    • War in Europe, Asia and Africa: Indians fought with valor and distinction in the trenches of Europe, West Asia and North Africa, earning 11 Victoria Crosses along the way. Of those men, about 74,000 never came home.
    • Largest volunteer for war: India raised the largest ever volunteer army, of 2.5 million, for the Second World War. More than 87,000 of those men are cremated or buried in war cemeteries around the world and in India.
    • Thirty-one Victoria Crosses: 15 % of the total Victoria crosses went to soldiers from undivided India. Without Indian soldiers, non-combatant labourers, material and money, the course of both conflicts would have been very different as acknowledged by Field Marshal Auchinleck, Britain’s last Commander-in-Chief of the Indian.

    The issue of Non-recognition of India’s contribution

    • Indian soldiers are honored by Britain: In Britain, the contribution of the Commonwealth including the Indian subcontinent is memorialized in the Commonwealth Memorial Gates that lead up to Buckingham Palace. The Gates commemorate the campaigns where Commonwealth soldiers served with distinction; there is also a canopy inscribed with the names of the Commonwealth recipients of the George and Victoria Crosses.
    • Indian soldiers fought the Britain’s war: Much of India’s recent history is encapsulated in these gates, in a spirit of gratitude and equality. Britain, after all, has much to be grateful for, but Indians seem less keen to acknowledge this. British perfidy, however, does not in any way reduce the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom. Those who went abroad to fight alongside white British soldiers returned with the knowledge that they were equal to their colonial masters. In not recognizing and honoring this, we push those men back into colonial subjugation.
    • Britain betrayed the hopes of freedom: Some of this ambivalence owes itself to the atrocities of colonial history, which must be acknowledged too. Britain may have handed out 11 Victoria Crosses over the course of the First World War, but it betrayed the hopes of nationalists with the imposition of martial law after the war ended, culminating in the horror of Jallianwala Bagh in April 1919.

    Soldiers

    Does India fought the war for its own sake?

    • Indian fought the Japanese: These were not just European wars to defend foreign lands. India was threatened in the Second World War by advancing Japanese forces who got as far as Burma/Myanmar. They were repulsed in the battles of Imphal and Kohima between March and July 1944. These were brutal battles. In Kohima, the two sides were at one point separated by the width of a tennis court. A Commonwealth cemetery on Garrison Hill, Kohima, contains this epitaph (by John Maxwell Edmonds): ‘When You Go Home, Tell Them of Us, and Say/For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today’.
    • Ultimate sacrifice for India’s freedom: The memory of the almost 10 million battlefield deaths in the First World War and the 15 million or more who were killed fighting the Second World War is now honored in countries around the world on November 11, with nationwide silences and the laying of wreaths. Not so much in India apart from in Army cantonments and at the British Consulate in Kolkata even though over 1,61,000 men made the ultimate sacrifice for India’s freedom.

    Conclusion

    • Seventy-five years after Independence, it is time to honor India’s immense contribution to the world wars and move it from a footnote in another country’s history to the main stage, where it belongs. These were India’s wars too.

    Mains Question

    Q. What role the Indian soldier played in Second world War? What are the issues regarding non recognition of contribution of Indian soldiers in world wars?

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  • Person in news: Dadabhai Naoroji

    dadabhai

    This year, 2022, marks the 130th anniversary of the election, in 1892, of the first person of Indian origin, Dadabhai Naoroji to the House of Commons.

    Why in news?

    • Election of Rishi Sunak as British PM with a narrow majority has brought to focus Naoroji.
    • He too had won Finsbury seat as a MP with a three vote’s majority.

    Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917)

    • Dadabhai Naoroji is well known as the “Grand Old Man of India” and “Unofficial Ambassador of India”.
    • He was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons, represnting Finsbury Central between 1892 and 1895.
    • He was the second person of Asian descent to be a British MP, the first being Anglo-Indian MP David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre.
    • He was an Indian political leader, merchant, scholar and writer who was served as 2nd, 9th, and 22nd President of the Indian National Congress from 1886 to 1887, 1893 to 1894 & 1906 to 1907.
    • His book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India brought attention to his theory of the Indian “wealth drain” into Britain.
    • He was also a member of the Second Communist International (1889).

    Other works

    • Started the Rast Goftar Anglo-Gujarati Newspaper in 1854.
    • The manners and customs of the Parsees (Bombay, 1864)
    • The European and Asiatic races (London, 1866)
    • Admission of educated natives into the Indian Civil Service (London, 1868)
    • The wants and means of India (London, 1876)
    • Condition of India (Madras, 1882)

    Influence on Gandhi and Jinnah

    • Before his Finsbury win, Naoroji met a young student of law in Inner Temple, 23-year-old Mohandas K Gandhi, and left an everlasting impact on the future leader.
    • He also met another aspiring lawyer then enrolled at Lincoln’s Inn — 16-year-old Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who was to serve for a while as Naoroji’s secretary.
    • Jinnah had the distinction of hearing Naoroji’s maiden speech in the House of Commons from the Visitors’ Gallery.

     

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  • Mangarh Massacre of 1913

    mangarh

    Ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Mangarh Dham in Banswara district, Rajasthan CM has sought the declaration of the memorial for tribals as a monument of national importance.

    About Mangarh Massacre

    • Mangarh Dham is known for the massacre of tribals by the British Indian Army in 1913.
    • This place is widely referred to as Adivasi Jallianwala.
    • About 1,500 Bhil tribals and forest dwellers were killed at Mangarh on November 17, 1913, when the British Indian Army opened fire on the protesters.
    • The people were gathered to demand abolition of bonded labour system and relaxation in heavy agricultural taxes imposed by the rulers of princely states.
    • The tribals in the southern Rajasthan region were led by social reformer Govind Guru.

    Course of events

    • Govind Guru started his movement among Bhils in the early 1890s.
    • The movement had, as its religious centrepiece, the concept of a fire god, which required his followers to raise sacred hearths in front of which Bhils pray while performing the purifying havan called dhuni.
    • In 1903, the guru set up his main dhuni on Mangadh Hill.
    • Mobilised by him, the Bhils placed a charter of 33 demands before the British by 1910 primarily relating to forced labour, high tax imposed on Bhils and harassment of the guru’s followers by the princely states.
    • The Bhil struggle for justice under Govind Guru took a serious turn after the British and local rulers refused to accept the demands and tried to break the Bhagat movement in 1913.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Which amongst the following provided a common factor for tribal insurrection in India in the 19th century?

    (a) Introduction of a new system of land revenue and taxation of tribal products.

    (b) Influence of foreign religious missionaries in tribal areas.

    (c) Rise of a large number of money lenders, traders and revenue farmers as middlemen in tribal areas.

    (d) The complete disruption of the old agrarian order of the tribal communities.

     

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  • Lothal: ‘Oldest Dock in the World’, to get heritage complex

    lothal

    Prime Minister has reviewed the construction of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) site at Gujarat’s Lothal via video conferencing.

    Where is Lothal?

    • Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the Indus Valley civilization, located in the Bhal region of what is now the state of Gujarat.
    • The port city is believed to have been built in 2,200 BC. Lothal was a thriving trade centre in ancient times, with its trade of beads, gems and ornaments reaching West Asia and Africa.
    • The meaning of Lothal (a combination of Loth and (s) thal) in Gujarati is “the mound of the dead”.
    • Incidentally, the name of the city of Mohenjo-daro (also part of the Indus Valley Civilisation, now in Pakistan) means the same in Sindhi.
    • In the region, it can be compared with other Indus port towns of Balakot (Pakistan), Khirasa (in Gujarat’s Kutch) and Kuntasi (in Rajkot).

    When was it discovered?

    • Indian archaeologists started the search for cities of the Harappan Civilisation post-1947 in Gujarat’s Saurashtra.
    • Archaeologist SR Rao led the team which discovered a number of Harappan sites at the time, including the port city of Lothal.
    • Excavation work was carried out in Lothal between February 1955 and May 1960.
    • Adjacent to the excavated areas stands the archaeological site museum, where some of the most prominent collections of Indus-era antiquities in India are displayed.

    How was it identified as port city?

    • The National Institute of Oceanography in Goa discovered marine microfossils and salt, gypsum crystals at the site, indicating that sea water once filled the structure and it was definitely a dockyard.
    • It had the world’s earliest known dock, connecting the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river.
    • A metropolis with an upper and a lower town had in on its northern side a basin with vertical wall, inlet and outlet channels which has been identified as a tidal dockyard.
    • Satellite images show that the river channel, now dried, would have brought in considerable volume of water during high tide, which would have filled the basin and facilitated sailing of boats upstream.

    What heritage value does it hold?

    • Lothal was nominated in April 2014 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCO.
    • It is the only port-town of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
    • Its heritage value is comparable to following ancient port-towns around the world-
    1. Xel Ha (Peru)
    2. Ostia (Port of Rome)
    3. Carthage (Port of Tunis) in Italy
    4. Hepu in China,
    5. Canopus in Egypt
    6. Gabel (Byblos of the Phoenicians),
    7. Jaffa in Israel,
    8. Ur in Mesopotamia
    9. Hoi An in Vietnam

    Building up of Heritage Complex

    • The project began in March 2022, and is being developed at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore.
    • It will have several innovative features such as Lothal mini-recreation, which will recreate Harappan architecture and lifestyle through immersive technology.
    • It has four theme parks – Memorial theme park, Maritime and Navy theme park, Climate theme park, and Adventure and Amusement theme park.

     

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  • Person in news: Jayaprakash Narayan (JP)

    jp

    Union Home Minister unveiled a 15-foot statue of Jayaprakash Narayan or JP on his 120th birth anniversary at the socialist icon’s birthplace, Sitab Diara village in Bihar’s Saran district.

    Who was Jayaprakash Narayan?

    • JP was born in 1902 in Bihar’s Sitab Diara, a village prone to frequent-flooding, after which his family moved to a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Balia district.
    • He quit college to join the non-cooperation movement, before going to study at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx.

    Political affiliations

    • JP returned to India in 1929 and joined the freedom struggle and the Indian National Congress, upon the invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru and drawn by a speech by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
    • He went on to become the founding members of the Congress Socialist Party (CSP).
    • However after independence took it out of the Congress and formed the Socialist Party, which was merged with J B Kripalani’s Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party to form the Praja Socialist Party.

    Dissociation from active politics

    • While Nehru was keen on JP joining the Union government, JP sought to distance himself from electoral politics, opting to focus on social causes instead.
    • He was disillusioned with political parties and called for communitarian democracy.
    • Parties, he believed, were centralized and susceptible to moral and financial corruption.

    The JP movement

    • Students in Gujarat began demonstrating in late 1973, in response to mounting mess bills.
    • The protests became widespread in the state, with workers, teachers and several other groups joining in the movement, calling for a change in government.
    • JP saw the youth of Gujarat that had been able to bring about political change as an alternative route from electoral.
    • The protests against corruption grew widespread, and students of Bihar began their movement in March 1974.
    • The students approached JP, who left his self-imposed political exile and led the movement. At a rally in Patna he called for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution).

    Opposition to the Emergency

    • When Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency on June 25, 1975, JP shifted his focus to opposing the authoritarian rule and opposition parties looked to him for leadership.
    • The Socialists were naturally drawn to him ideologically, while the RSS and its political front the Jana Sangh sought to return to the mainstream, and were happy to be dissolved into the Janata Party that JP had formed.
    • JP is celebrated for launching a popular, mass movement against the Indira Gandhi government, which led to the formation of the Janata Party government in the 1977 general election.
    • This was the first non-Congress government in the country.

    Try this PYQ:

    Who among the following were the founders of the “Hind Mazdoor Sabha” established in 1948?

    (a) B. Krishna Pillai, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.C. George

    (b) Jayaprakash Narayan, Deen Dayal Upadhyay and M.N. Roy

    (c) C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, K. Kamaraj and Veeresalingam Pantulu

    (d) Ashok Mehata, T.S. Ramanujan and G.G. Mehta

     

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  • How India adopted its military flags and badges based on Lord Mountbatten’s suggestions?

    The new Naval Ensign (flag), which will be unveiled by PM in Kochi, has brought into focus the flags and ranks adopted by the Indian military after Independence.

    Do you know?

    The octagonal shape with twin golden borders draws inspiration from the seal of the great Indian emperor, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, whose visionary maritime outlook established a credible naval fleet

    Why in news?

    • Documents accessed from National Archives of India show that Lord Mountbatten, former Viceroy and Governor General of India, played a major role in suggesting new flags and rank badges.
    • This was when India was about to become a Republic on January 26, 1950.

    When did India switch from British-era flags and ranks?

    • The switch from British-era flags and ranks took place when India became a Republic (26th Jan, 1950).
    • Prior to that the flags and badges of ranks of the military were of the British pattern.
    • The new, Indian pattern of flags of Army, Navy and Air Force, and also the Regimental Flags of the Army and badges of ranks of all three services were adopted on January 26, 1950.
    • The ‘Kings Commission’ granted to Indian military officers was also changed to ‘Indian Commission’ on the same date.
    • And at a subsequent date the King’s Colours of the various Regiments were laid to rest in Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.

    When did Lord Mountbatten come into the picture?

    • The national archives have files, dated 1949, that include a detailed note from Lord Mountbatten regarding names, flags and ranks of the armed forces, and then PM Nehru’s letter to the then Defence Minister Baldev Singh regarding Mountbatten’s suggestions.
    • The note, archives reveal, was given to Nehru by Lord Mountbatten when the two met in London.
    • The note was forwarded from the PM’s office to the office of then Governor General C Rajagopalachari on May 24, 1949, stating that it is on the issue of ‘Names and Insignia of Indian Armed Forces’ after India becomes a Republic.
    • The letter also stated that the note should be placed before the Governor General.

    What did Lord Mountbatten say in the note?

    • The note begins by saying that consequent to becoming a Republic the word ‘Royal’ shall be dropped from India’s Army, Navy and Air Force.
    • Mountbatten strongly recommended that no other word like ‘State’ of ‘Republican’ should replace the word ‘Royal’.
    • This was because it would have the effect of separating the forces of India psychologically from the other services in the Commonwealth.
    • He further suggested in the letter that the Crown should be replaced from the insignias and replaced by the “three lions of Ashoka”.
    • Regarding the Naval Ensign, he said that all Commonwealth navies fly the same flag which consists of a large white flag with a red-cross and Union Jack in the upper corner nearer the staff and is known as the ‘White Ensign’.
    • The new Ensign, the note suggested, should continue to have the red-cross but the Indian national flag should replace the Union Jack.
    • He suggested this to maintain commonality with the Commonwealth flags.

    What changes did Mountbatten suggest for uniforms?

    • He strongly urged that existing uniforms should be changed as little as possible.
    • He added that the Crown worn on badges of ranks of Majors and above should be replaced by the “three lions of Ashoka”.
    • The Star of the Order of the Bath should be replaced by Star of India or another form of star.
    • He also suggested that the crossed sword and baton on the badges of ranks of Generals should be retained.
    • The former Viceroy advocated retaining the stripes of rank in Navy and Air Force saying these were internationally almost the same.

    How did the Indian government react to Mountbatten’s suggestions?

    • Nehru wrote to the then defence minister in September 1949 saying that he agreed with the suggestions made by the former Governor General that there should be as little change as possible.
    • The then PM particularly mentioned the changes suggested by Mountbatten for the Navy.
    • Then Governor General C Rajagopalachari also wrote back to Nehru in May 1949 itself agreeing to Mountbatten’s suggestions.
    • In the end, Mountbatten’s suggestions were virtually all accepted and implemented with effect from January 26, 1950.

     

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