द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

INTRODUCTION II
harya, who flourished in the eighth century A.D., built four
shramas (monasteries) in four corners of India, which
ourish to this day. Everywhere the same scriptures are read
nd followed and the epics, the Mahabharata and the Rama-
ana, are equally popular wherever'you may travel. With the
'dvent of the Mohammedans, a new synthesis was gradually
vorked out. Though they did not accept the religion of the
Hindus, they made India their home and shared in the com-
hon social life of the people—their joys and their sorrows.
Through mutual co-operation, a new art and a new culture
was evolved which was different from the old but which
nevertheless was distinctly Indian. In architecture, painting,
music—new creations were made which represented the
happy blending of the two streams of culture. Moreover, the
dministration of the Mohammedan rulers left untouched the
aily life of the people and did not interfere with local self-
overnment based on the old system of village communities.
With British rule, however, there came a new religion, a new
ulture and a new civilisation which did not want to blend
with the old but desired to dominate the country completely.
The British people, unlike the invaders of old, did not make
India their home. They regarded themselves as birds of
passage and looked upon India as the source of raw materials
and as the market for finished goods. Moreover, they
endeavoured to imitate the autocracy of the Mohammedan
rulers without following their wise policy of complete non-
nterference in local affairs. The result of this was that the
Indian people began to feel for the first time in their history
hat they were being dominated culturally, politically and
conomically by a people who were quite alien to them and
with whom they had nothing whatsoever in common. Hence
he magnitude of the revolt against the British domination
of India.
In order to study the present political movement in India
with the proper perspective, it is necessary to make a brief
survey of the development of political thought and of political
nstitutions in the past. The civilisation of India dates back
to 3000 B.C., if not earlier, and since then, there has been on
he whole a remarkable continuity of culture and civilisation.