COLONIALISM AND URBAN CHANGE CLASS 8TH DAV

DAV CHAPTER 14

1. DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL SURANGANI (CHAMBA) AMAN BHATIA

2. Colonialism and Urban change CLASS 8TH

3. The excavation of Indus Valley civilisations proved that ancient India had well planned towns and cities. During the medieval period also, the regional kingdoms and the invaders contributes to the development of already existing town and cities. The Mughal architectural splendors showcased beautiful buildings as well as new towns .

4. De-urbanisation means the destruction or end of old town and cities. The main focus of urban development came to be centred on the three port town Bombay, Calcutta, Madras. De-urbanisation during the 19 th century destroyed the important cities of surat , Masulipatnam and Srirangapattnam . Moreover, the rapid expansion of British Power in India ended the power of regional kingdom, which were earlier great centres of administration. Once they lost their glory, many people migrated to other cities. Some old trading centres lose their glory and became de-urbanised because main focus of urban development came to be centred on the three port towns-Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. These places later became the Presidency towns. Many towns, that had been popular earlier for some specialised goods, lost their glory with the decline in demand for their products. The old trading centres and ports were replaced by new trade centres. Urbanisation started gradually in 1881 . The process was very slow during the next 50 years. Only a few new centres of administration merged.

5. Urbanisation of calcutta By early 19 th century, Calcutta, the capital of the British, came to be divided into two parts:--- 1850s industrial growth in Calcutta--- in the field of textile and jute, attracted British investments . They started building infrastructure facilities like Railways, Roads and Telegraph Lines . The population and employment opportunities of Calcutta increased tremendously. As the size and population of the new urban areas expanded, a need for urban Local bodies” arose. In 19 th century the “Calcutta Municipal Corp.” was esta . But due to political discontent in 1911 the capital shifted towards the New Delhi . The British part (White Town) The Indian Part (Black Town) Inhibited in Bunglows with wide open spaces. 1. Inhibited in congested streets and shanties.

6. Delhi Old name of D elhi is INDRAPRASTHA during Mahabharta . This city saw the rise and fall of many empires like Guptas , The Delhi Sultante , The Mughals and many others. In 1805, The British took over lands, revenue and city administration of Delhi. They started acquiring more and more lands for troops, camps, churches, hospitals, residence, clubs etc. The cantonment occupied about 1/3 of the are of the Walled city. *** Shahjahanbad built a wall around a specific area of Delhi (now in Old Delhi) with 14 gates in 1939. it came to be known as the Walled city.****

7. In 1824 , the era of urban planning began with Setup of Town Duties Committees . For the development of cantonment, Khyber pass, the civil lines and the ridge area. In 1863 , Delhi Municipal Committee was formed. Its main achievement were shifting of the vegetables market outside the Walled city, constructing railway lines, railway stations and road links. Delhi Durbar of 1877 (for Queen Victoria) saw a lot of improvement like schemes for drainage, water supply, irrigation, road construction and development of residential areas in Delhi . The canal in Chandni Chowk was filled up and trees were cut to cater to increasing traffic, especially, the trams. The most modernised developments of this time were piped water and sewerage of the walled city . Earlier, the drinking water was supplied to the old city from Ali Mardan Canal.

8. The British shifted their capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 191 1. The Delhi Durbar (for King George V)changed the look of the city. Civil Lines area ( now Delhi University and Old Secretariat) was set-up . The construction of the new capital was a massive task and hence, the construction and management could not be left to a local authority . Therefore , the Imperial Delhi Committee was formed in 1913 . Later, the Chief Commissioner of Delhi created the Raisina Municipal Committee . Raisina Hill was selected for building the new, Delhi capital-New Delhi . It became the residence of the Viceroy and the new administrative centre. The English town planners, especially, Edwin Lutyens , prepared the architectural design for the palace of the Viceroy , called the Viceroy's House (now Rashtrapati Bhawan ), Circular Pillar Palace (Parliament House),Kingsway ( Rajpath ) and War Memorial (India Gate) along with many green spaces, parks and gardens.

9. The New Delhi Municipal Committee (NDMC) was set-up to look after all the civic amenities like water supply, electricity, buildings, roads, sewers, medical and public health of the capital . It provided an underground sewer system in the whole area. All big, open nallas were covered as they were the breeding grounds of mosquitoes . In 1937, the Delhi Improvement Trust was established. It undertook many schemes like town expansion, slum clearance and slum improvement scheme for the progress of Delhi . After independence, the Government of India set-up Delhi Development Authority in 1955, which was empowered to prepare a master plan and zonal plans for housing, commercial centres, parks, playgrounds, etc., to develop and manage lands in Delhi. Master Plan for Delhi provides a basic policy frame for guiding Delhi's development .

10. Police in Delhi An efficient administration required proper maintenance of law and order. In 1857, the British laid down the foundation of a systematic police system under Indian Police Act. Lord Cornwallis organised the police into a regular force. A Superintendent of Police looked after each district with the assistance of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). Each district was divided into thanas under darogas . Villages and towns were looked after by chowkidars and kotwals . In 1912, Delhi's first Chief Commissioner was appointed and handed over the duties and responsibilities of Inspector General of Police . In 1946, Delhi Police was restructured with the appointment of Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General and Superintendents

11. RAILWAYS UNDER THE BRITISH Railways were introduced in India for the benefit of the British administration, political control and trade . But railways brought many changes in the lives of Indians. People from different parts of India came in close contact. This communication brought about an awareness against social evils, need of education and freedom from foreign exploitation . Indian Railways made a beginning on April 6, 1853 when the very first train ran over a stretch of 21 miles from Bombay to Thane. It consisted of 14 railway carriages and 400 guests.

12. The British introduced railways for the following aspects : Commercial advantage- Railways collected raw material from fields and mines and sent them to the ports to be transported to England to feed the British industries . Political aspect- Railways safeguarded the British possessions in different parts of India to enable quick movement of armed forces and administrative convenience . Defence aspect- Most importantly, the railways helped the British Defence Forces in India to counter the military attacks of other imperialist countries, who were trying to expand their influence . Investment of Surplus Income- Railways opened new area where investments earned huge profits . The Kalka Mail from Howrah to Kalka was introduced to make the annual migration of British officials, their families, servants and clerks from the then imperial capital at Calcutta to the summer capital in Shimla. From Kalka, there is still a narrow gauge to Shimla that passes through 103 tunnels (only 102 tunnels are operational now).There was a lot of opposition against the introduction of railways in India . It offended the people of higher castes as people from all castes had to sit together. Moreover, Indians were not allowed to travel in first class. It was reserved for Europeans. But in any case, railways provided many avenues of profit making for the British.

13. BRITISH IMPACT ON INDIAN PAINTING, LITERATURE AND ARCHITECTURE The art, architecture, painting, literature, poetry, drama, novels and even Indian religion and philosophy were greatly influenced by the western contact . Many English painters arrived here in search of princely patronage and to please the rich British society . Such paintings had themes of Indian royal courts, flora and fauna. Indian painters also changed their selection of themes and medium of painting. The eminent Indian painters like Raja Ravi Varma, Abanindranath Thakur, Jamini Roy, etc., were greatly influenced by the Western style of painting . Many huge architectural wonders were built in the port city of Madras . Many churches were constructed in English style with artistic carvings. The Governor of Madras gave the city a colonial look with bunglows and banquet halls to suit the British liking for official evening functions . In Bombay city also, churches, town halls, railway stations and many other structures were constructed that resembled famous buildings in England.

14. The British influenced Indian literature also. The scholars at the Fort William College in Calcutta translated the ancient texts, wrote grammars, compiled dictionaries and collected manuscripts in English. Not only the original literature, even the translations highlighted the greatness of the British. The great literary figures like Rabindranath Tagore, Aurobindo Ghosh, Sarojini Naidu, Mulk Raj Anand , R.K. Narayanan, etc., were influenced by the English pattern of writing.