Question

"The History of British India" written by James Mill was published in 1817. Identify the correct statement about the book.
i) It was the first book written by a British Historian on Indian.
ii) It clearly reflects the absence of an objective perspective and prejudice about various aspects of Indian culture.
iii) The book was written in two volumes.

A) (i) and (ii) are correct.
B) (i) and (iii) are correct.
C) (ii) and (iii) are correct.
D) All are correct.

Answer 1

Hint: The book “ The History of British India” begins with a preface in which James Mill tries to make a virtue of never visiting India and not knowing any of its native languages. Mill was a historian, economist, political theoretician, and philosopher from Scotland

Complete answer: James Mill was the author of The History of British India, a seminal work. He was the first writer to divide Indian history into three parts: Hindu, Muslim, and British, a division that has proven to be disproportionately influential in the field of historical Indian studies, but which is seen as profoundly problematic in recent decades. The History of British India, in which he explains the conquest of the Indian Empire by England and later the United Kingdom, is his best known literary work. He further brings political philosophy to bear on the categorisation of the Hindu society, and subjects strong criticism of the actions of the actors in the successive stages of India's conquest and administration. The research itself, and for the last seventeen years of his life, the author's official relation with India, brought about a complete shift in the whole structure of governance in the world. This History went into several versions and during the 19th century became the mainstream reference work on its subject amongst British imperialists. James Mill started his History of British India in 1806, estimating it to take him about seven years, but its completion tended to take instead twelve years, with three significant volumes, at last, getting published early in 1817. Among British imperialists, the job was instantly successful and secured a degree of prosperity for Mill for the first time. The History of British India claims to be a study of India in which James set out to attack India's history, personality, religion, literature, arts, and laws, also making claims about the Indian climate's influence. Options B, C and D can be easily eliminated.
Therefore, option A is correct.

Note: In compiling his work, Mill never visited the Indian colony, relying solely on historical material and archival records. This reality has led to significant criticism by noted economist Amartya Sen. of Mill's History of India.