Question

What was the contribution of the Swadeshi Movement to the growth of national literature?

Answer 1

Hint: A part of the Indian independence movement was the Swadeshi movement. It contributed to the growth of Indian nationalism.

Complete answer: The Swadeshi movement began in 1906 in opposition to the partition of Bengal. This was one of the most triumphant movements against the British. Mahatma Gandhi focussed on the Swadeshi movement because he believed it to be the heart and soul of the Swaraj The decision to partition Bengal as stated by the British Government was that the region was too large to be administered by the British with over 78 million population. Hence the need to partition. However, the real reason lay in the fact that Bengal was a hotbed for agitation and protests against the British. Hence they were not able to control.
During the Swadeshi movement, there was a great upsurge in the literary and cultural sphere. Songs, poetry and theatre were composed in order to express the tensions of the Swadeshi period as well as to promote the indigenous nationalistic feelings. Rabindranath Tagore wrote Amar Sonar Bangla which later became the National Anthem of Bangladesh. Tagore’s novel Ghare Baire also reflected this time period. Bengali folk traditions were also revived. Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumder compiled the Thakurmar Jhuli’s fairy tales. Abanindranath Tagore took inspiration from Mughal and Rajput paintings.

Note: Several scientific discoveries were also made during this period. However, there were many problems with this cultural realm because it only tended to reflect the ‘bhadralok’ class. Peasants and workers were not able to associate with these.