Get here the summary, questions, answers, textbook solutions, extras, and pdf of Chapter 7 “Movements Organised by Women, Students, and Marginal People in the 20th Century India: Characteristics and Analysis” of the West Bengal Board (WBBSE) Class 10 (Madhyamik) History (Social Science) textbook. However, the given notes/solutions should only be used for references and should be modified/changed according to needs.
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Summary
In India’s history, there have been significant roles played by Dalit, student, and women’s movements. The Indian women were not sitting around while the men fastened their belts to join the fight for freedom. They actively participated in the independence movements that were being led by those who opposed the British. Women started using local goods and boycotting British products during the Anti-Partition movement, which got its start in 1905. Women’s community leaders such as Sarala Devi, Kumudini Mitra, and Nirmala Sarkar called on their followers to join the anti-British movement.
Women enthusiastically embraced Gandhiji’s call during the Non-Cooperation Movement. They participated in gatherings and procession and shunned imports. They knowingly invited arrest. Women from respectable families like Leela Roy, Urmila Devi, and Basanti Devi disobeyed British authority as well. Muslim women joined the movement, too, in addition to Hindu women. Women got involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement when Mahatma Gandhi first started it. The revolt against the British was characterised by picketing and outdoor demonstration. Along with the continued presence of female supporters, the boycott of imported goods and shopping for domestic goods went on. Muslim women from middle and upper class also took part in the civil disobedience movement.
Women took on various forms of involvement in the Quit India Movement. They endured numerous tortures while fighting with true spirit. Here, it is especially important to mention Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kripalani, and Usha Mehta. The Tamluk Police Station was attacked by Matangini Hazra and her 6,000 supporters, the majority of whom were women, in the context. In India’s armed revolutionary movements, women also had a significant impact. Here, the names of Pritilata Waddedar, Bina Das, and Kalpana Joshi who gave their lives in the name of freedom are worthy of mention. The student body played a significant role in addition to the women. Students left their schools and colleges to join the Anti-Partition Movement during the Anti-Partition agitation.
In order to organise a complex educational system on a national scale and under national control, the National Council of Education was established. Gandhiji’s students left class during the Non-Cooperation Movement and skipped classes at schools and colleges. In front of shops selling British goods, they picketed. Outside of Bengal, the student movement spread to cities like Bombay, Punjab, and Bihar, among other places. The students celebrated a special day on March 12, 1930, the day Gandhiji began his Dandi March. Students attended the gathering that various leaders, including Jyotindra Mohan Sengupta, hosted. The movement attracted students from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. The armed revolutionary movement also attracted young students from various revolutionary organisations. Benoy, Badal, and Dinesh may be mentioned in this context. To combat the British, these young students turned to violence.
In a last-ditch effort to put an end to the attack, British officers tortured the revolutionaries. The Dalit or Namasudra movement is a further significant movement that needs to be mentioned in this context. The Namasudras were regarded as untouchables in Bengali Hindu society. The social reformers Harichand and Guruchand who fought for the advancement of the namasudras may be mentioned. They were the “Matua” movement’s leaders.
Textual (Oriental)
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Of the following who visited house to house encouraging women to join the Swadeshi cause ?
(a) Nabashashi Sen
(b) Hemantakumari Chaudhuri
(c) Saraladebi Choudhurani
(d) Ashalata Sen
Answer: (d) Ashalata Sen
2. The 73-year old widow who gave the lead in capturing the court and the police station of Tamluk was :
(a) Usha Mehta
(b) Matangini Hazra
(c) Kumudini Bose
(d) Latika Ghosh
Answer: (b) Matangini Hazra
3. Of the following who became the first martyr when he was arrested by the British police?
(a) Pulin Sen
(b) Sachindra Prasad Basu
(c) Gunadhar Hazra
(d) Birendranath Sasmal
Answer: (c) Gunadhar Hazra
4. The person who first used the term dalit to mean Depressed class or Scheduled Caste was .
(a) Ambedkar
(b) Mahatma Gandhi
(c) Jotiba Phule
(d) Harichand Thakur
Answer: (c) Jotiba Phule
True/False
1. The womenfolk did not participate in the anti-Partition agitation.
Answer: False
2. A large number of students in Calcutta demonstrated before the Prince of Wales who came on a visit.
Answer: True
3. Captain Rashid was an officer in the Indian National Army
Answer: True
4. Guruchand Thakur introduced the Mathua religion among the Namasudras of Bengal
Answer: False
Fill in the Blanks
1. A good number of women of Khulna who attended a meeting addressed by _____ Kavya- visharad broke their glass-bangles symbolizing the boycott of foreign goods (Kaliprasanna/ Guruprasanna/ Hariprasanna/ Kalikrishna).
Answer: Kaliprasanna
2. The year 1932 was marked by the heroic activities of young revolutionaries of _____. (Khulna/ Chattagram/ Dhaka/ Jessore).
Answer: Chattagram
3. _____ organized the Anti-Circular Society (Sachindra Prasad Basu/ Kaliprasanna Basu/ Hariprasanna Basu/ Hari Prasad Basu).
Answer: Sachindra Prasad Basu
Match
1. (Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code)
| List I | List II |
| A. Ashalata Sen | 1. Home Rule League |
| B. Annie Besant | 2. Swadeshi Movement |
| C. Usha Mehta | 3. Women’s welfare |
| D. Latika Ghosh | 4. Voice of Freedom |
| Codes: | A B C D |
| (a) | 3 4 1 2 |
| (b) | 2 1 4 3 |
| (c) | 4 3 1 2 |
| (d) | 1 2 3 4 |
Answer: (b) 2 1 4 3
2. (Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched ?)
| (a) Leela Roy — Chhatri Sangha |
| (b) Kalpana Datta — Chittagong Armoury Raid |
| (c) Lakshmi Sehgal — Azad Hind Fauj |
| (d) Bina Das — Dipali Sangha |
Answer: (c) Lakshmi Sehgal — Azad Hind Fauj
Short-answer Type Questions
1. How did the womenfolk of Bengal observe the day of Partition of Bengal on 16 October 1905?
Answer: The womenfolk in general did not turn a deaf ear to the anti-partition movement. The day of Partition (16 October, 1905) was observed by the women throughout Bengal as the day of protest. About five hundred women gathered on the day of Partition in North Calcutta to watch the foundation of the Federation Hall, which was a symbol of unity of the Bengali people.
2. Narrate the incident that immortalized Midnapur of West Bengal during the course of the Quit India Movement.
Answer: In Midnapur district of West Bengal, during the course of the Quit India Movement, the peasants attacked the police stations, and even the communication network was disrupted by destroying telegraph lines. The incident that immortalized Midnapur in the history of the freedom movement was the lead given by Srimati Matangini Hazra, a 73-year old widow, in capturing the court and the police station of Tamluk.
3. Mention the daring feat of revolutionary Pritilata Waddedar of Chittagong.
Answer: The year 1932 was marked by the heroic activities of young revolutionaries of Chittagong (in Bangladesh) under the leadership of Pritilata Waddedar. On 24 September, Pritilata led seven young boy-revolutionaries to make a daring attack upon the Europeans at the Assam-Bengal Railway European Club at Chittagong hills. Pritilata was dressed as a soldier and the others were dressed as coachmen. Under her instruction, all the revolutionaries started firing with revolvers. Suddenly Pritilata got a bullet injury in her breast and fell down on the ground. After handing over her revolver to one of her companions, she herself took potassium cyanide and collapsed there immediately.
4. Why was the Anti-Circular Society organized?
Answer: The British Government made every attempt to suppress the students involved in the Swadeshi agitation. In 1905, a circular, known as the Carlyle Circular, was issued that threatened to penalize those schools and colleges whose students would take part in the Swadeshi agitation. The Anti-Circular Society was formed by Sachindra Prasad Basu in 1905 as a challenge to the Carlyle Circular. It was organized in order to encourage the students to participate in the movement. Besides encouraging the students, the Society made necessary arrangements for imparting education to those students who had been expelled by the government authorities under the Carlyle Circular.
Analytical Answer Type Questions
1. What was the role of Saraladevi in the Indian political struggle against the British?
Answer: Saraladebi spread the gospel of nationalism in Punjab and maintained close links with the Suhrid Samiti of Mymensingh, which was a secret revolutionary society.
2. Write what you know about the aims of the Dipali Sangha.
Answer: The Dipali Sangha was organized by Leela Roy in Dhaka in 1924. The association was set up with the objective of spreading education among women. However, behind this ostensible purpose, the real motive was to initiate the members of the sangha to the revolutionary ideal. The sangha’s work in the field of women’s rights was also remarkable. It aimed at inculcating self-reliance among women and guiding them to sort out their own problems.
3. What was the nature of the students’ role in armed revolutionary struggles?
Answer: The young student revolutionaries did not try to plan a violent revolution involving the masses. Their idea was to strike terror in the hearts of the alien rulers. Although their immediate goal was to end British rule, they could not set forth any alternative plan for government after the British withdrawal. These student revolutionaries mostly belonged to middle-class families, and consequently, a vast majority of common people remained outside their purview.
Explanatory Answer Type Questions
1. What was the role of womenfolk in the anti-Partition Movement of 1905?
Answer: One of the remarkable features of the Swadeshi, an integral part of the anti-partition movement, was the participation of women. Although Professor Sumit Sarkar pointed out that it was limited in extent and that with the exception of Saraladebi Choudhurani no one dreamt of including women in the movement, recent research revealed other significant contributions. Saraladebi spread the gospel of nationalism in Punjab and maintained close links with the Suhrid Samiti of Mymensingh, a secret revolutionary society. Srimati Hemantakumari Choudhury edited the journal Antahpur between 1901 and 1904.
The womenfolk in general also did not turn a deaf ear to the anti-partition movement. The day of Partition (16 October, 1905) was observed by the women throughout Bengal as the day of protest. About five hundred women gathered on the day of Partition in North Calcutta to watch the foundation of the Federation Hall, a symbol of unity of the Bengali people. In Dacca, an eleven-year-old girl, Ashalata Sen, inspired by her grandmother Nabashashi Sen, went house to house encouraging women to join the Swadeshi cause. There were also instances where housewives came out into the open and led processions; for example, Manorama Basu, a young housewife in Barisal, led a procession of women. In Khulna, a good number of women attended a meeting addressed by Kaliprasanna Kavya-visharad, where they broke their glass-bangles symbolizing the boycott of foreign goods. A report in the Bamabodhini Patrika stated, “Women like men are organizing meetings in towns as well as villages to express sorrow at the partition of Bengal; and are taking the swadeshi vows…..” Women also played an important role in the revolutionary phase of the anti-partition movement.
2. Write about the participation of women in the Non Cooperation Movement. What was the importance of Sarojini Naidu’s appointment as the Congress President?
Answer: The interest in politics roused amongst women by the Swadeshi Movement continued in the following decades. London-born Mrs. Annie Besant agitated for India’s cause by founding the Home Rule League in 1916 and became the first lady President of the Indian National Congress in 1917. Her involvement inspired many Indian women to join politics and make immense contributions.
During the Non Co-operation days, Bengali women were led by Basanti Devi, wife of Chittaranjan Das. Under her leadership, a demonstration of women was organized before shops selling foreign goods. Basanti Devi became the President of the Bengal Provincial Congress in 1921. Her close political associate was her sister-in-law, Urmila Debi. Together with Chittaranjan Das’s two sisters, Urmila Devi and Sunita Devi, Basanti Devi established the ‘Nari Karma Mandir’ in 1921, a training centre for women activists. Following Gandhiji’s doctrine of reviving the village economy, Urmila Debi primarily devoted herself to setting up an organization for popularizing spinning and weaving among women. In 1924, Leela Roy organized the Dipali Sangha, ostensibly to spread education amongst womenfolk, but with the real objective of initiating members into revolutionary ideals.
Sarojini Naidu became the Congress President in 1926. She was the first Indian woman to become the Congress President. The importance of Sarojini Naidu’s appointment to this high post was that it served as an inspiration to the womanhood of India. Although the Non Co-operation Movement was abruptly called off after the Chauri Chaura incident, Indian women’s interest in politics did not subside.
3. Write in short about the role of students in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Write in short about the women wing of the Indian National Army.
Answer: Indications of the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement were clear from the demand for Complete Independence raised in the Lahore Congress (1929). In the wake of demonstrations against the Simon Commission in 1927, students of most Calcutta colleges and suburbs went on strike; notably, the girls of Bethune College joined the strike for the first time. With the outbreak of the Civil Disobedience, the student community of Bengal became a formidable force. Between 1930 and 1933, as many as fifteen thousand students were imprisoned by the British for violating section 144 or picketing in front of business establishments. Students of Midnapur played a remarkable role; in Tamluk, thousands of students went on strike for a long 6 months.
Regarding the women’s wing of the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj), the supreme command was formally handed over to Subhas Chandra Bose on 5 July, 1943, in Singapore. In his first public meeting, Subhas Chandra called for women volunteers for a women’s regiment. The proposed regiment was named the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Thousands of women from the audience rushed to the dias offering services. Lakshmi Sehgal described that Netaji told the womenfolk he was not asking for anything unknown to them, referring to the bravery of women like Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi and the sacrifices of Shanti and Suniti of Comilla, Kalpana Dutta, and Pritilata of Chittagong. From that moment, preparations were made for training the women recruits. The Rani of Jhansi was trained as an infantry regiment.
4. How did Midnapore come to fore during the Quit India Movement?
Answer: Midnapur district of West Bengal came to fore during the Quit India Movement through significant peasant and student actions. The peasants attacked police stations and disrupted the communication network by destroying telegraph lines. An incident that immortalized Midnapur was the lead given by Srimati Matangini Hazra, a 73-year-old widow, in capturing the court and the police station of Tamluk.
Furthermore, the narrative of students’ participation would be incomplete without mentioning the militant action of the youths of Midnapur. The students of Tamluk, Contai (Kanthi), and Midnapur became restive. Young students like Pulin Sen, Birendranath Mal, Srimati Abha Maiti, and many others found an opportunity for open rebellion in Gandhiji’s call. They began to spread the message of militant action and emerged as a leading political force in the region.
5. How did the women in Bengal come to the front line of battle against foreign power?
Answer: Women in Bengal came to the front line of battle against foreign power through active participation in various phases of the freedom movement. During the Swadeshi movement, an integral part of the anti-partition movement, women like Saraladebi Choudhurani spread nationalism, Hemantakumari Choudhury edited the journal Antahpur, and general womenfolk observed the day of Partition as a day of protest, with about five hundred gathering for the foundation of Federation Hall. Young girls like Ashalata Sen encouraged others to join the Swadeshi cause, and housewives like Manorama Basu led processions. Women in Khulna broke their glass bangles symbolizing the boycott of foreign goods, and the Bamabodhini Patrika reported women organizing meetings and taking swadeshi vows. Women also played an important role in the revolutionary phase.
During the Non Co-operation days, Bengali women were led by Basanti Devi, who organized demonstrations before shops selling foreign goods and became President of the Bengal Provincial Congress in 1921. Along with Urmila Devi and Sunita Devi, she established the ‘Nari Karma Mandir’, a training centre for women activists. Urmila Devi popularized spinning and weaving. Leela Roy organized the Dipali Sangha to initiate members into revolutionary ideals.
In the Civil Disobedience Movement, women picketed shops selling foreign goods, and leaders like Kumudini Bose, Latika Ghosh, and Hemalata Tagore promoted women’s welfare and training in useful crafts.
During the Quit India Movement, peasant women protested against the land-system and illegal taxes. In Midnapur, women participated in attacks on police stations and disrupting communication networks. Srimati Matangini Hazra, a 73-year-old widow, gave the lead in capturing the court and police station of Tamluk. Usha Mehta set up a radio transmitter, the Voice of Freedom.
Women also participated in the armed revolutionary struggles, often joining on their own initiative without the encouragement seen in non-violent movements. Pritilata Waddedar led a daring attack on the European Club in Chittagong, and Kalpana Dutta was a member of the Indian Republican Army, Chittagong branch, associated with Surya Sen. Finally, women joined the Indian National Army, forming the Rani of Jhansi Regiment led by figures like Lakshmi Sehgal.
6. Write what you know about Anti-circular Society.
Answer: The British Government made attempts to suppress student involvement in political movements by issuing circulars. In 1905, a circular known as the Carlyle Circular was issued, threatening to penalize schools and colleges whose students took part in the Swadeshi agitation. In response to this and to encourage students to participate in the movement despite the threats, Sachindra Prasad Basu organized the Anti-Circular Society in 1905. He also served as the Secretary of the Society. The Anti-Circular Society was formed as a challenge to the Carlyle Circular. Besides encouraging students to participate in the Swadeshi movement, the Society also made necessary arrangements for imparting education to those students who had been expelled by the government authorities under the terms of the Carlyle Circular.
7. Write about students’ role in the armed revolutionary struggle. What was Sarala Devis’s role in the Indian political struggle against the British?
Answer: The students’ role in the armed revolutionary struggle involved young revolutionaries, mostly belonging to middle-class families, who aimed to strike terror in the hearts of the alien rulers to put an end to British rule. However, they did not try to plan a violent revolution involving the masses and could not set forth an alternative plan of government for after the British withdrawal, leaving a vast majority of common people outside their purview. Notable actions include the activities of Surya Sen (Masterda) and the youths of Chittagong, who raised the standard of rebellion calling themselves the ‘Indian National Army’ and conducted the Chittagong Armoury raid in 1930. Members of the Bengal Volunteers (BV) of Dhaka, like the trio Benoy-Badal-Dinesh, were responsible for terrorist killings, bombing, and the killing of Colonel Simpson in the Writers’ Buildings, known as the Corridor Warfare. Student activists like Bina Das, an organizer of the Chhatri Sangha, attempted revolutionary acts, such as her attempt on the life of the Governor of Bengal, Stanley Jackson, in 1932.
Sarala Devi Choudhurani played a role in the Indian political struggle against the British, particularly during the anti-partition movement. She spread the gospel of nationalism in Punjab and maintained close links with the Suhrid Samiti of Mymensingh, which was a secret revolutionary society. She was noted as an exception by Professor Sumit Sarkar regarding the inclusion of women in the movement at that time.
8. What was the significant of Sarojini Naidu’s appointment as the Congress President?
Answer: The significance of Sarojini Naidu’s appointment as the Congress President in 1926 was that she was the first Indian woman to become the Congress President. Her entry to this high post served as an inspiration to the womanhood of India.
9. Write what you know about the women wing of the Indian National Army.
Answer: The women’s wing of the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) was established following a call by Subhas Chandra Bose on July 5, 1943, in Singapore, shortly after the supreme command of the INA was handed over to him. In his first public meeting, Bose called for women volunteers to form a women’s regiment under the Azad Hind Fauj. The proposed regiment was named the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Thousands of women from the audience rushed to the dias offering their services. Lakshmi Sehgal vividly described the situation, noting that Netaji reminded the audience of the bravery of women like Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi and the sacrifices made by Shanti and Suniti of Comilla, Kalpana Dutta, and Pritilata of Chittagong for the country’s freedom. From that moment, preparations began for training the women recruits. The Rani of Jhansi regiment was trained as an infantry regiment.
Extras
MCQs
1. Who spread the gospel of nationalism in Punjab?
A. Saraladebi Choudhurani
B. Hemantakumari Choudhury
C. Manorama Basu
D. Ashalata Sen
Answer: A. Saraladebi Choudhurani
60. Who led a delegation to the Governor in 1907 to appraise him about Namasudra plight?
A. Guruchand Thakur
B. Harichand Thakur
C. Jyotiba Phule
D. Dr Ambedkar
Answer: A. Guruchand Thakur
Questions and Answers
1. Who edited the journal Antahpur from 1901 to 1904?
Answer: Srimati Hemantakumari Choudhury was the one who edited the journal Antahpur between 1901 and 1904.
31. What were the primary aims and activities of the Namasudra or Mathua Movement?
Answer: The Namasudra movement was launched in 1872 by Harichand Thakur. What inspired the Namasudras to hold their heads high was the influence of the Bhakti movement and a sect developed around Sahlal Pir in rural East Bengal which challenged the hierarchy of caste. Harichand Thakur tried to unite the Namasudras in the struggle against the exploitation of the Brahmin priests as also the Brahmin zamindars. Harichand also introduced the Mathua religion through which the Namasudras emerged as a united power and grew into the Mathua community. Behind the movement’s superficial religiosity the emphasis was essentially secular. The primary aims of the movement were:
(i) Attainment of perfect peace of mind
(ii) Eradication of social inequality, and
(iii) To uplift the downtrodden.
Harichand also gave as many as twelve instructions to his followers.
After the death of Harichand, the leadership passed to his son, Guruchand Thakur (1846-1937). Under his leadership, the Mathua Movement progressed a lot. He was responsible for the spread of educational institutions for the Namasudras. Besides, Uttaloni Sabha (uplift meeting) and Harisabhas were organized for social uplift of the Namasudras. Guruchand Thakur was able to inspire among the Namasudras a sense of urgency regarding the spread of education. In 1907, under the leadership of Guruchand Thakur, a delegation met the Governor of Bengal and Assam and appraised him about the plight of the Namasudras. The Namasudra or Mathua movement did not ultimately remain confined to social uplift and educational progress of the community. During the early period of the twentieth century the movement acquired political dimension as well.
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