5/24/2015

TheStorybehindMacaulaysEducationPolicy:Part1|varnam

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TheStorybehindMacaulaysEducationPolicy:
Part1
RaimaSen,morepopularlyknownasMoonmoonSensdaughter,
recentlygaveaninsightintothewordmodernupbringing.Shesaid
thattheydidntdopujasathome,spokeEnglishnotBengaliandmostof
herfriendswereAngloIndian.IfThomasMacaulaywerealivetoday,
RaimaSenwouldbethekindofenlightenednativehewouldwanttobe
workingintheBritishAdministration.
In1834,therewasacontroversyinBritishIndiaoverthelanguagetobe
usedforIndianhighereducation.OntheonesidethereweretheBritish
OrientalistswhowantedtouseSanskrit,PersianandArabicandonthe
othersidethereweretheAnglicistswhohadthisRaimaSentypescorn
forOrientallanguagesandIndiancultureandwantedtoenforceEnglish.
MacaulaylandedinIndiaattheheightofthisdebateandsoonpublished
isfamousMinute,whichsealedthecasefortheAnglicists.Macaulay
WarrenHastings
thusbecameimmortalized,withnativeswhoexhibitcontemptfortheir
culturebeinglabeledMacaulaysChildren.
ThesignificanceofMacaulaysMinute,thedramabehindthedecisionandtheconsequencesofthe
decisioncanbeunderstoodbetterbytakingalookattheOrientalistAnglicistcontroversy,theattitude
ofEnglishtowardsIndianculture,theroleofEvangelicalsinthedecisionmakingprocessandasking
thequestion:WhotheheckwasCharlesTrevelyan?
IndiabeforeMacaulay
WarrenHastings,thefirstgovernorgeneralofIndiafrom1773to1785hadarespectfulviewofIndia
andwantedtheEnglishmentolearnthelanguageandcultureandblendin.Hastingsfoundthe
CalcuttaMadrassafortrainingMuslimsinIslamicLawandJonathanDuncanfoundtheSanskrit
CollegeinBenaresforthepreservationandcultivationoftheHindulaws,literatureandreligion.In
theCollegeofFortWilliaminCalcutta,theemployeesoftheEastIndiaCompanyhadtolearn
Arabic,Persian,Sanskrit,sixIndianvernaculars,Hindu,MuslimandEnglishlawbeforebeing
appointedasjudges,officialsandadministrators.ThecollegehadthepatronageofOrientalistslikeSir
WilliamJones,bestknownforhisobservationthatSanskritboreresemblancetoLatinandGreekand
JamesPrinsep,whodecipheredAsokasinscriptions.

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SirAlexanderJohnston,anOrientalistwhohadmasteredTamil,TeluguandHindustaniandhad
learnedHindu,MuslimandBuddhistcustomshadhighregardforIndiaandIndians.Hetoldthe
ParliamentthatIndiahadbeengovernedfortwothousandyearsbythenativesandtheywereas
competentasEuropeans.HeassertedthatHindushadmadethesameprogressinlogicand
metaphysicsby1500BC,possessedlawssuperiortotheGreek,hadknowledgeofthenumerical
systemanddevisedastronomicaltablesofgreatworthby3000BC.TheOrientalistsweresurethata
socialchangewasrequiredinIndiaandthatchangewouldcomewhenIndianrediscoveredtheroots
oftheircivilization.
TheAnglicistsconsistingofHoltMackenzieandCharlesTrevelyan(ThomasMacaulaysbrotherin
law)arguedthattheaimoftheBritishshouldnotbetoteachHindulearning,butusefullearningand
thatHinduandMuslimliteraturecontainedonlyasmallportionofanyutility.TheOrientalists
counteredthatthemetaphysicalsciencesfoundinSanskritandArabicwereworthyofbeingstudied.
Asacompromise,newcollegesforteachingSanskrit,ArabicandPersianwereopenedandalongwith
theOrientalsubjects,sciencecourseswerealsotaught.
WhilethisdebatewasgoingonbetweentheAnglicistsandOrientalistswasgoingon,economic,
politicalandreligiousreasonsworkedinfavoroftheAnglicists.In1827,WilliamBentinck,whose
previousavatarastheGovernorofMadrascametoanendwiththemutinyinVellore,wassentasthe
GovernorGeneralofIndia.ThistimehismissionwastoturnaroundthelossmakingBritishEast
IndiacompanyandoneideawastousemoreIndiansinjudicialandadministrativeposts,reducingthe
burdenontheEnglishestablishment.ThusaroseaneedforalargenumberofIndianswhocould
speakandunderstandEnglish.BentinckalsowantedtocutdownonthetranslationofEnglishbooks
intovernacularsinceitwasmorecosteffectivetosupplyEnglishbooks.
EventhoughtheAnglicistsandOrientalistsdisagreedonthelanguagetobeusedforhigherlearning,
theyagreedthatitwasintheirinteresttoextendtheBritishpoliticalruleasmuchaspossible.Sir
AlexanderJohnston,theOrientalistwhoadmiredtheHindulogicandmetaphysicswantedtheBritish
toremaininIndiaforalongtimeandhisplanwastoappointIndianstohighpositions,bywhichthey
wouldbecomemoreattachedtotheBritishandwouldhavealottolosebyoverthrowingtheirrulers.
CharlesTrevelyan,theleaderoftheAnglicistlobby,wassureinthe1830sthatonedaythenatives
wouldgainindependence,butthrougheducationtheywouldbefearfulofprematureindependence
andwouldholdontotheBritish.
Besidestheseeconomicandpoliticalfactors,animportantrolewasplayedbytheEvangelicalsandwe
willlookatthatinParttwoofthisfourpartseries.
Norelatedposts.
PostedinHistory:India.
4comments
ByjkAugust13,2007
UnderstandingantiHindusimMacaulaysEducationPart2:ReligiousIntolerance

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