Rise of Indian Nationalism PDF

Theme 8: India's Struggle for Freedom Rise of Indian Nationalism r,1PACT OF BRITISH RULE Did you know? I dern Indian nation. allsm arose to meet The Kukas believed that Ram Singh was...

Theme 8: India's Struggle for Freedom Rise of Indian Nationalism r,1PACT OF BRITISH RULE Did you know? I dern Indian nation. allsm arose to meet The Kukas believed that Ram Singh was the ~o challenge of foreign domination. It was incarnation of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind th e ction to the oppressive and exploitative Singh. The Kukas had a special way of life. They a r:re of the British rule, and the clash of rose before sunrise, put on white clothes and ~aterests of the Indian people with those of whit e turbans and, only after reading the holy scriptures, did they touch food. Liars, thieves : e British. The British had conquered India and drunkards had no place in this sect. Sale to promote -~eir o~ interests, which. they of girls, child marriage, killing of children and did by sacrificrng the mterests of the Indians. meaningless rituals were all strictly banned. Exploitation before 1857 was direct and harsh. Ram Singh stressed on devotion to God, selfless service, a pure and simple life and truthfulness. After 1857, it was subtle and systematic. Before 1857, India was exploited by a company; after 1857 she was exploited by a indigo revolts against the British were also nation. The impact of this exploitation was crushed. felt by almost all sections of Indian society, The numerous uprisings during this period but it took several decades to comprehend were expressions of the widespread, deep- the true nature of British rule and establish rooted, discontent against British rule. the link between British policies and India's These, however, did not pose any real threat growing poverty. to British rule because they were regional Several armed revolts took place before and after 1857. The Kuka Rebellion was one such revolt. It was a rebellion of the Sikhs under the leadership of Guru Ram Singh. It was ~ -~ a protest against the deliberate policy of the British to create a rift between the Hindus i· ' and ~e Muslims. The Kukas (followers of ~~ I ~~f~- ~ Ram Singh) tried to overthrow British rule in Punjab. The revolt was mercilessly crushed...... :ll, -..-,..;-._ '" ~ ~- ~;,;;,;.,1 ' / ~ '~ ~ , , ',/ 1 '\. ;. ' ~-. More than fifty Kuka rebels were tied to the /5 · 1