Why did Mahatma Gandhi think that English education had enslaved Indians?
Mahatma Gandhi argued that colonial education created a sense of inferiority in the minds of Indians. It made them see Western civilisation as superior and destroyed the pride they had in their own culture. Gandhi thought that there was poison in English education, that it was sinful, it enslaved Indians and cast an evil spell on them. Charmed by the West and appreciating everything that came from the West, Indians educated in these institutions began admiring British rule. Mahatma Gandhi wanted an education that could help Indians recover their sense of dignity and self-respect. During the national movement, he urged students to leave educational institutions in order to show to the British that the Indians were no longer willing to be enslaved.
Suggested Q&A
Social Studies · Class 8- Social StudiesClass 8What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why do you think such a vision appealed to the people of the region?
- Social StudiesClass 8What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?
- Social StudiesClass 8How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?
- Social StudiesClass 8What problems did shifting cultivators face under British rule?
- Social StudiesClass 8State whether true or false: (a) Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds. (b) Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at five times the purchase price. (c) Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves, give up drinking liquor and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery. (d) The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.
- Social StudiesClass 8(a) The British described the tribal people as ____________. (b) The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as ____________. (c) The tribal chiefs got ____________ titles in central India under the British land settlements. (d) Tribals went to work in the ____________ of Assam and the ____________ in Bihar.