UGC-HRDC, PRSU, Raipur� Refresher Course on History �Micro-Teaching �Topic�Sources for the Reconstruction of Modern Indian History

Presented by

Ritabrata Goswami

Assistant Professor

Department of History

Kaliachak College

Sultanganj, Malda, West Bengal

Pin-732201

Roll No-23

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Introduction

• There are plenty of information available on the Political, Social and Cultural developments in the Modern Indian History.
• The sources for the history of Modern India is mostly literary sources.
• These literary Sources are Printed Books, Government Documents , Newspaper, Magazines, Pamphlets, Historical Building and other works of Art, Biographies and Memoirs and miscellaneous sources.

Printed Books

• After the invention of printing press, lot of books both in India and Foreign languages are available which trough a good deal of light on various aspects of Indian life.
• These books trough lights a good deal of light on the progress made by man in different fields such as Medicine, Engineering, Technology, Art, literature, History, Mathematics, Music, Dance and Drama.
• By going through these books we can compare ourselves with other people and get inspiration for marching forward and in achieving more and in different fields.

Government Documents

• India is vas country, in different parts of the country different powers played their parts.
• At one time or the other, the Nawabs of Bengal, the Nawabs of Oudh, the Amirs of Sindh, the Sikhs in the Punjab, the Marathas in Western India. Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in Mysore ruled supreme.
• At other times the Portuguese, the Dutch, the English, and the French were at the helm affairs
• All these rulers and powers documents with each other.
• These documents have been well preserved and are now easily available.
• This government documents help us in knowing the true nature of the British imperialist and their economic exploitation of this country.
• Thus these government documents are an important sources for the reconstruction of Modern Indian history

Newspaper, Magazines and Pamphlets etc.

• We also get a lot of information about the modern period from a large number of Newspaper, Magazines, Pamphlets etc. which are printed in different parts of India in different language by different eminent personality.
• Some of these papers are still in publication systematically kept a record of their old editions in their libraries.
• From these papers, we found ourselves as if we are also in that atmosphere which prevailed a hundred years back or so.
• While reading these papers we come across the great leaders and their day-to-day statements and their efforts to oppose the foreign ruler tooth and Neil.

Historical Building

• We can still see many buildings scattered throughout length breadth and of the country.
• Especially the big cities, which have many stories and episodes linked with them
• Some more buildings are India Gate, Central Secretariat, the Rashtrapoti Bhavan, the Precedence House and the Birla House, where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948.
• All such buildings have a great value for us, likewise, the other major cities of India such as Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Hyderabad, Mysore, Patiala have many buildings of historical importance.
• All these building are our national wealth and must be preserved because they not only tell us much about the near past but also through a good deal of light on different aspects of the architectural achievements of India.

Other sources

Other works of Art

• Various statue, rare specimens of painting are not only important as works of art but they also tell us something about the physical features of the national leaders and many great historical personalities.

Biographic and Memoirs

• Letters written by great historical personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru etc. also give us a chance to peep through their personalities and their way of thinking and their relation with other people.

Miscellaneous sources

• In addition to this above sources there are other certain sources which sometimes provided very useful information.
• The chief among them are the films which through a good deal of light on the contemporary peoples and their life.
• The impression which they leave on us remains quite permanent because we see the different events, happening before our own eyes.

THANK YOU