Sati: Human and Indian Society
During the early years, the British were engaged in consolidation of the empire in India and laid emphasis on reorganization of administration as well as regulation of economy. Their priority was to promote and protect the British trade and industry.
For this order and security ought to be maintained. At this time, the British thought it wise not to interfere in the religious and socio-cultural life in India. Religious faiths and social customs are two sensitive aspects with which Indians are emotionally involved.
Little amount of interference might lead to unrest and resentment against the British Rule. Only after 1813, when the British felt politically safe and secured they stopped forward for introducing changes for transformation or modernization of Indian society and culture.
Two factors primarily promoted the British to introduce a series of reforms for modernization of India on Western model. First, the Industrial Revolution had transformed England into an industrial country.
Their industrial interests needed a profitable market for machine-products. They found India the most attractive one. For accomplishment of their aims, India would Bengal transformed to a consumer of British goods.
Modernization of Indian society would develop the taste and demand for consumption of British Industrial products by Indians. Secondly, due to progress in science and technology, new ideas like humanism and rationalism replaced faith and superstition. Those ideas broadened the mind and molded the thought process of the Europeans. A group of European thinkers wanted to spread those ideas all over the world.
In case of India a clash of ideas came upon among the conservatives and the radicals. The conservatives or men of traditional attitude held the view that Indian society and culture was in no way inferior to the European civilization.
They proposed for introduction of changes as few as possible and pleaded that hasty and sweeping changes would affect
For this order and security ought to be maintained. At this time, the British thought it wise not to interfere in the religious and socio-cultural life in India. Religious faiths and social customs are two sensitive aspects with which Indians are emotionally involved.
Little amount of interference might lead to unrest and resentment against the British Rule. Only after 1813, when the British felt politically safe and secured they stopped forward for introducing changes for transformation or modernization of Indian society and culture.
Two factors primarily promoted the British to introduce a series of reforms for modernization of India on Western model. First, the Industrial Revolution had transformed England into an industrial country.
Their industrial interests needed a profitable market for machine-products. They found India the most attractive one. For accomplishment of their aims, India would Bengal transformed to a consumer of British goods.
Modernization of Indian society would develop the taste and demand for consumption of British Industrial products by Indians. Secondly, due to progress in science and technology, new ideas like humanism and rationalism replaced faith and superstition. Those ideas broadened the mind and molded the thought process of the Europeans. A group of European thinkers wanted to spread those ideas all over the world.
In case of India a clash of ideas came upon among the conservatives and the radicals. The conservatives or men of traditional attitude held the view that Indian society and culture was in no way inferior to the European civilization.
They proposed for introduction of changes as few as possible and pleaded that hasty and sweeping changes would affect