Question

How was the family life in Chawls in Bombay? What is the impact of social change on the family life? Explain
OR
Give three significant values associated with the silk routes.
OR
Explain the five features of proto-industrialisation.

Answer 1

Structure of Chawl: Chawls were multi storeyed structures, which were divided into smaller one room tenements without any private toilets. These houses were largely owned by private landlords like merchants, bankers, building contractors etc. High rents forced the workers to share rooms with relatives, friends or caste fellows.
Family Life in Chawl: Filthy atmosphere and scarcity of water were very common. The homes were small, so streets and neighbourhoods were used for cooking, washing and sleeping.
Impact of Social change on the Family life: Liquor shops and akharas came up in any empty space. Sometimes, the jobber in the mills became the local neighbourhood leader, who settled disputes, organised food supplies or arranged informal credit. The changed social life or community life was responsible to bring changes in the family life of the worker. Old system of castes based family life were slowly replaced by the new urban life.
The Chawls reflected the reality of urban life poverty, disappointment and also hopes and dreams of the dwellers.
OR
Three significant values associated with silk routes are as follows
(i) The silk routes are as good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and significant cultural links between distant parts of the world.
(ii) Chinese pottery, textiles and spices from India and South East Asia travelled through this route, as a result gold and silver flew from Europe to Asia.
(iii) Early Christian missionaries, Muslim preachers, Buddhist monks travelled this route and exchanged their religious views.
Historians have identified several silk routes over land and by sea. It linked vast regions of Asia with Europe and Northern Africa. These are known to have existed since before the Christian era.
OR
The five features of proto-industrialisation are as follows
(i) It was a decentralised system of production. Merchants were based on towns, but the work was done mostly in the country side.
(ii) It was a system which was controlled by the merchants and the goods were produced by a vast number of producers working within their family firms.
(iii) Under this system, the work was done by involving the whole family.
(iv) The workers remained in the country side to cultivate their small pots.
(v) Income from proto-industrial production supplemented the shrinking income of the peasants and the cottagers.