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History of the Freedom Movement in India #2
History of the Freedom Movement in India. Vol. II
- GenresHistory
509 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1963
About the author
R.C. Majumdar
109 books198 followersRamesh Chandra Majumdar (known as R. C. Majumdar; 4 December 1888 – 11 February 1980) was a historian and professor of Indian history.
Born at Khandarpara, in Faridpur District (now in Bangladesh) on 4 December 1888, to Haladhar Majumdar and Bidhumukhi, Majumdar passed his childhood in poverty. In 1905, he passed his Entrance Examination from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. In 1907, he passed F.A. with first class scholarship from Ripon College (now Surendranath College) and joined Presidency College, Calcutta. Graduating in B.A.(Honours) in 1909 and MA from Calcutta University in 1911, he won the Premchand Roychand scholarship from the University of Calcutta for his research work in 1913.
Majumdar started his teaching career as a lecturer at Dacca Government Training College. Since 1914, he spent seven years as a professor of history at the University of Calcutta. He got his doctorate for his thesis "Corporate Life in Ancient India".[3] In 1921 he joined the newly established University of Dacca as a professor of history. He also served, until he became its vice chancellor, as the head of the Department of History as well as the dean of the Faculty of Arts. Between 1924 and 1936 he was Provost of Jagannath Hall. Then he became the vice chancellor of that University, for five years from 1937 to 1942. From 1950, he was Principal of the College of Indology, Benares Hindu University. He was elected the general president of the Indian History Congress and also became the vice president of the International Commission set up by the UNESCO for the history of mankind.
Majumdar started his research on ancient India. After extensive travels to Southeast Asia and research, he wrote detailed histories of Champa (1927), Suvarnadvipa (1929) and Kambuja Desa. On the initiative of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, he took up the mantle of editing a multi-volume tome on Indian history. Starting in 1951, he toiled for twenty six long years to describe the history of the Indian people from the Vedic Period to the present day in eleven volumes. In 1955, Majumdar became the founder-principal of the College of Indology of Nagpur University. In 1958-59, he taught Indian history in the University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania. He was also the president of the Asiatic Society (1966–68) and the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad (1968–69). For some time he was also the Sheriff of Calcutta (1967–68).
When the final volume of "The History and Culture of the Indian People" was published in 1977, he had turned eighty-eight. He also edited the three-volume history of Bengal published by Dacca University. His last book was "Jivaner Smritidvipe".
When the Government of India set up an editorial Committee to author a history of the freedom struggle of India, he was its principal member. But, following a conflict with the then Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on the Sepoy Mutiny, he left the government job and published his own book. The Sepoy Mutiny & Revolt of 1857. According to him the origins of India's freedom struggle lie in the English-educated Indian middle-class and the freedom struggle started with the Banga Bhanga movement in 1905. His views on the freedom struggle are found in his book History of the Freedom Movement in India. He was an admirer of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Born at Khandarpara, in Faridpur District (now in Bangladesh) on 4 December 1888, to Haladhar Majumdar and Bidhumukhi, Majumdar passed his childhood in poverty. In 1905, he passed his Entrance Examination from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. In 1907, he passed F.A. with first class scholarship from Ripon College (now Surendranath College) and joined Presidency College, Calcutta. Graduating in B.A.(Honours) in 1909 and MA from Calcutta University in 1911, he won the Premchand Roychand scholarship from the University of Calcutta for his research work in 1913.
Majumdar started his teaching career as a lecturer at Dacca Government Training College. Since 1914, he spent seven years as a professor of history at the University of Calcutta. He got his doctorate for his thesis "Corporate Life in Ancient India".[3] In 1921 he joined the newly established University of Dacca as a professor of history. He also served, until he became its vice chancellor, as the head of the Department of History as well as the dean of the Faculty of Arts. Between 1924 and 1936 he was Provost of Jagannath Hall. Then he became the vice chancellor of that University, for five years from 1937 to 1942. From 1950, he was Principal of the College of Indology, Benares Hindu University. He was elected the general president of the Indian History Congress and also became the vice president of the International Commission set up by the UNESCO for the history of mankind.
Majumdar started his research on ancient India. After extensive travels to Southeast Asia and research, he wrote detailed histories of Champa (1927), Suvarnadvipa (1929) and Kambuja Desa. On the initiative of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, he took up the mantle of editing a multi-volume tome on Indian history. Starting in 1951, he toiled for twenty six long years to describe the history of the Indian people from the Vedic Period to the present day in eleven volumes. In 1955, Majumdar became the founder-principal of the College of Indology of Nagpur University. In 1958-59, he taught Indian history in the University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania. He was also the president of the Asiatic Society (1966–68) and the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad (1968–69). For some time he was also the Sheriff of Calcutta (1967–68).
When the final volume of "The History and Culture of the Indian People" was published in 1977, he had turned eighty-eight. He also edited the three-volume history of Bengal published by Dacca University. His last book was "Jivaner Smritidvipe".
When the Government of India set up an editorial Committee to author a history of the freedom struggle of India, he was its principal member. But, following a conflict with the then Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on the Sepoy Mutiny, he left the government job and published his own book. The Sepoy Mutiny & Revolt of 1857. According to him the origins of India's freedom struggle lie in the English-educated Indian middle-class and the freedom struggle started with the Banga Bhanga movement in 1905. His views on the freedom struggle are found in his book History of the Freedom Movement in India. He was an admirer of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
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June 30, 2020
We are often told the history from a monochromatic lens. But the coin always has two facets. The facets in this book of nationalism are– the moderates and the extremists. If we see from the lens of extremists, the extremists become the nationalists and moderates become the loyalists. This book is the written from the reverse perspective and has been rightly considered as Book of Nationalism.
What differentiates this book from other history books? The Bipan Chandra's book is nothing but a work of courtesan. Shekhar Bandhopadhyay's book is marvellous in pretending to represent balanced perspective but fails to deliver the truth, objectivity and the balance. This book is different not because it has been balanced but because it cites primary sources. On the other hand, Plassey to Partition lacks the originality; although written with meticulous care, it is none less than a student's class notes. But, RC Majumdar has been authentic in writing the history. This is what keeps this history book above the two aforementioned books in my pedestal of respect and admiration.
Arabinda Ghosh, BC Pal and Tilak. I did not know before that these three gems have played such an important role in India's struggle for freedom. This was never been told in such a detail. The Ghadar Party's role is quite well delineated. This book is indeed a scholarly work that captures not only the facts but also the sentiments of those times.
Unlike two books I mentioned, this book completely gives the rightful place to the Boycott and Swadeshi Movement (BSM) in the pages of Indian history. The former books discards the relevance of BSM that it was just limited to Partition of Bengal and it culminated after annuling of Bengal partition in 1911. But RC Majumdar gives a rightful account of the BSM and gave BSM the high place it deserved.
A movement's success or failure is not determined by whether it achieved its objective or not but by observing what it contributed to the future courses of action. The BSM left the petty politics of mere Bengal partition and evolved into the nationwide movement that was later on picked up by Gandhi.
The aforementioned historians give a charismatic authority to Gandhi. But what Gandhi did was to pick up the movement whose seeds had been sowed by Vivekanand, and nurtured by Arabinda and Tilak. The book is openly articulate about the necessity to revisit Gandhi's actual contribution in the freedom struggle. The Volume 3 would do a critical assessment of Mahatma Gandhi, which is the next book I would read.
The book also fans the debate whether it was the violence or non-violence that got India her freedom. RC Majumdar dismisses the historians claim that there was complete disregard on the methods of revolutionary. How can the Irish political assassination be justified but not the assassinations by Indian revolutionaries? There has been false accounts that Hindu scriptures don't prescribe to the violence. But which religion promotes violence? Christianity promotes peace and love. But the Irish political assassinations were commended while Indian political assassinations were condemned especially by Anglo Indians. However, if you go by Hindu scriptures, you can find innumerable accounts of using violence against injustice. So, this was a propaganda that was only put forward by the loyalists of the British.
Another remarkable thing about this book is that RC Majumdar is unapologetically true in delineating Hindu Muslim relations. The Marxist historians often hold Aligarh movement in high regards but Majumdar has shown citing the primary references that how the Syed Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh movement was not secular but to further the rights of the loyal Mohammedans. Majumdar has the guts to call spade a spade. In one instance, he writes how Tilak exploited the false narrative of Shivaji to appease Muslims. But, the Marxist historians and the courtesans turn the blind eye towards this because it does not fit their propaganda to show the Shivaji and Ganesha festival in communal colours.
To sum, one must learn how to write true accounts taking reference from the primary source. The history should be objective and should not cater only to the one sided propaganda. The citizen of India has right to know the real history of India but not the sugar-coated versions to appease certain special communities and to flock certain agenda of false unity. Unless we know where the problem lies in our past, we cannot pick the solution up for the present and future of our country.
What differentiates this book from other history books? The Bipan Chandra's book is nothing but a work of courtesan. Shekhar Bandhopadhyay's book is marvellous in pretending to represent balanced perspective but fails to deliver the truth, objectivity and the balance. This book is different not because it has been balanced but because it cites primary sources. On the other hand, Plassey to Partition lacks the originality; although written with meticulous care, it is none less than a student's class notes. But, RC Majumdar has been authentic in writing the history. This is what keeps this history book above the two aforementioned books in my pedestal of respect and admiration.
Arabinda Ghosh, BC Pal and Tilak. I did not know before that these three gems have played such an important role in India's struggle for freedom. This was never been told in such a detail. The Ghadar Party's role is quite well delineated. This book is indeed a scholarly work that captures not only the facts but also the sentiments of those times.
Unlike two books I mentioned, this book completely gives the rightful place to the Boycott and Swadeshi Movement (BSM) in the pages of Indian history. The former books discards the relevance of BSM that it was just limited to Partition of Bengal and it culminated after annuling of Bengal partition in 1911. But RC Majumdar gives a rightful account of the BSM and gave BSM the high place it deserved.
A movement's success or failure is not determined by whether it achieved its objective or not but by observing what it contributed to the future courses of action. The BSM left the petty politics of mere Bengal partition and evolved into the nationwide movement that was later on picked up by Gandhi.
The aforementioned historians give a charismatic authority to Gandhi. But what Gandhi did was to pick up the movement whose seeds had been sowed by Vivekanand, and nurtured by Arabinda and Tilak. The book is openly articulate about the necessity to revisit Gandhi's actual contribution in the freedom struggle. The Volume 3 would do a critical assessment of Mahatma Gandhi, which is the next book I would read.
The book also fans the debate whether it was the violence or non-violence that got India her freedom. RC Majumdar dismisses the historians claim that there was complete disregard on the methods of revolutionary. How can the Irish political assassination be justified but not the assassinations by Indian revolutionaries? There has been false accounts that Hindu scriptures don't prescribe to the violence. But which religion promotes violence? Christianity promotes peace and love. But the Irish political assassinations were commended while Indian political assassinations were condemned especially by Anglo Indians. However, if you go by Hindu scriptures, you can find innumerable accounts of using violence against injustice. So, this was a propaganda that was only put forward by the loyalists of the British.
Another remarkable thing about this book is that RC Majumdar is unapologetically true in delineating Hindu Muslim relations. The Marxist historians often hold Aligarh movement in high regards but Majumdar has shown citing the primary references that how the Syed Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh movement was not secular but to further the rights of the loyal Mohammedans. Majumdar has the guts to call spade a spade. In one instance, he writes how Tilak exploited the false narrative of Shivaji to appease Muslims. But, the Marxist historians and the courtesans turn the blind eye towards this because it does not fit their propaganda to show the Shivaji and Ganesha festival in communal colours.
To sum, one must learn how to write true accounts taking reference from the primary source. The history should be objective and should not cater only to the one sided propaganda. The citizen of India has right to know the real history of India but not the sugar-coated versions to appease certain special communities and to flock certain agenda of false unity. Unless we know where the problem lies in our past, we cannot pick the solution up for the present and future of our country.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review