GS 1 – History
Context
Every year on 7th August, India observes National Handloom Day to commemorate the launch of the Swadeshi Movement in 1905. The movement sought to promote indigenous industries, particularly handloom weaving, as a form of economic resistance to British colonial exploitation.
National Handloom Day
- Official Recognition: Declared by the Government of India in 2015.
- Purpose: To honour the handloom community and acknowledge its contribution to the rural economy, women’s empowerment, and sustainable production.
- 2025 Theme: “Weaving Innovation into Tradition.”
Origins of the Swadeshi Movement
- Partition of Bengal (1905): The British divided Bengal into Muslim-majority East Bengal and Hindu-majority West Bengal, widely seen as a strategy to weaken nationalist unity.
- Lord Curzon’s Policies: Repressive measures such as the Calcutta Corporation reforms and the Indian Universities Act (1904) intensified public discontent.
- Calcutta Town Hall Meeting (August 1905): Official launch of the movement, urging a boycott of British goods—particularly Manchester-made cloth and Liverpool salt—and encouraging the use of Indian-made products.
Strategies of the Swadeshi Movement
- Boycott of British Goods
- Promoted Swadeshi products to achieve economic self-reliance and revive local industries.
- National Education
- Withdrawal from British schools led to the establishment of institutions aligned with Indian values.
- Carlyle Circular (1905): Threatened to revoke scholarships for protesting students, prompting mass exits from British institutions.
- National Council of Education (1906): Later founded Bengal National College and Bengal Technical Institute.
- Formation of Samitis (Volunteer Groups)
- Spread Swadeshi ideals through grassroots mobilisation.
- Example: Swadesh Bandhab Samiti under Ashwini Kumar Dutta in Barisal.
- Cultural Mobilisation through Festivals
- Ganapati, Shivaji festivals, and Raksha Bandhan were repurposed as platforms for unity and resistance.
- Rabindranath Tagore used Raksha Bandhan to symbolise solidarity against Bengal’s partition.
- Emphasis on Self-Reliance (‘Atma Shakti’)
- Linked national pride with social reforms—opposing caste discrimination, early marriage, dowry, and alcoholism.
Phases of the Movement
- Moderate Phase:
- Relied on petitions, meetings, and constitutional methods.
- Leaders: Surendranath Banerjee and others advocating gradual self-reliance.
- Radical Phase:
- Led by Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Lal-Bal-Pal).
- Advocated for Swaraj through boycott, passive resistance, and in some cases, revolutionary activity.
Impact of the Swadeshi Movement
Political:
- INC condemned the partition and endorsed the movement.
- 1906 Calcutta Session: Under Dadabhai Naoroji, INC declared Swaraj as its ultimate goal.
- Led to the Moderate–Extremist split at the 1907 Surat Session.
Social & Cultural:
- Rabindranath Tagore’s Amar Sonar Bangla became a unifying anthem (later Bangladesh’s national anthem).
- Artists like Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose nurtured Indian art and cultural pride.
- Women actively promoted Swadeshi goods and local crafts.
Economic:
- Noticeable decline in foreign imports between 1905–1908.
- Strengthened Indian industries, leading to ventures like Bengal Chemicals and Lakshmi Cotton Mills.
British Response:
- Introduction of Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) to address political unrest.
Annulment of Bengal’s Partition (1911) by Lord Hardinge to curb revolutionary activity.