RESPONSES TO THE BRITISH RULE

The arrival of the British in India initiated a new phase in Indian history. It was under the British
rule that fundamental economic and political changes took place in India. Many of these changes
were far from the ones intended by the British rulers. It is important to study this period because it
contains much that would enrich a human rights perspective.

The impact of the British rule on Indian society was a mixed one. Although it brought forces of
modernisation to the Indian soil, it also impoverished the peasantry and tribal with its exploitative
policies. This led to a series of revolts against the British rule by the peasants and tribals
throughout the 18" and 19" centuries. The Sanyasi rebellion in Bengal (1763 to 1800), Chuar
uprising in districts of Bihar and Bengal (1766 to 1772 and again from 1795 to 18 16) and tribal
rebellions of Kols from 1820 to 1837, Santhals in 1855-56, Rampas in 1879 and Mundas from
1895 to 1901 are only some of them It is important to remember that the great revolt of 1857 was
not the beginning but the culmination of a long tradition of rebellions and protest. After 1857,
although the peasant and tribal rebellions continued (Indigo rebellion in 1860, Pabna rebellion in 1870s and frequent rebellions in Malabar, among others), a new form of organised protests was
added to it. 

In the 20" century various other sections of Indians joined and participated in this struggle for
independence against foreign rule. In a way, we can say that the great tradition of protest and
struggle against injustice is a contributdn of the peasants and tribals and not of the education
Indians. At a time when the educated Indians welcomed the British rule and considered it
providential, i.e., god sent, it was the rebellious peasant who fought against the British. Educated
Indians joined to later in the 20" century. Any human rights activist would do well to keep in
mind that Indian people have learnt the political significance of protest and struggle against
injustice not from the educated middle classes but from the uneducated peasant and tribals.