About Lesson
E.1. Growth of modern Indian history books
When the East India Company arrived in India, it introduced Western civilization, and this influence is clearly reflected in the rise of modern Indian literature. As English became the language of administration and was taught in numerous educational institutions, it gradually embedded itself into India’s elite society. This cultural shift had a profound impact on writers, who began to compose works such as poems and novels, marking a turning point in literary traditions.
- The influence of the Derozian movement on Hindu College in Kolkata brought about a significant change, fostering a shift toward embracing Western culture and the English language in everyday life.
- The tradition of incorporating English into Indian literary works began with writers like Madhusudhan Bhattacharya and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who were among the first to introduce the language in their early writings.
- But, as the resistance strategy developed, the literature began to veer more and more towards the social revolution.
- Munshi Prem Chand and Sadat Hassan Manto eventually took over the works of Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.
- Marxism’s influence on Bengali, Punjabi, and Keralan literature throughout the 1930s was apparent.