What did the spread of print culture in nineteenth century India mean to:
a) Women
b) The poor
c) Reformers
a) Women
b) The poor
c) Reformers
(a) The
spread of print culture in 19th century India benefitted Indian women through
learning and education. The liberal families supported the education of women
to study or read as they believed education and reading would make the women
corrupt. This led to the counter reaction, as most of the oppressed women began
to study and read books and learnt writing in secrecy. Some literate women
started to write books and their autobiographies. Rashasundari Devi, a young
married girl wrote her autobiography “Amar Jiban” which was published in 1876.
Overall, the print culture in 19th century India helped in spread of the
feeling of self-reliance among Indian women.
(b) The poor people benefitted from the spread of print culture because of the
availability of books at a low price. The readership among them increased due
to the publication of low priced books. Public libraries were also set up from
the early 19th century, expanding the access to the books where all people
could gain knowledge. Encouraged and inspired by the social reformers, the
people like factory workers too set up their libraries and some even wrote
books. Kashibaba, a Kanpur mill worker wrote and published ‘Chote aur Bade Ka
Sawal’.
(c) Indian reforms of 19th century utilized print culture as the most potent
means of spreading their reformist ideas and highlight the unethical issues.
They began publishing various vernacular and English and Hindi newspapers and
books through which they could spread their opinions against widow immolation,
child marriage, monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood and idolatry to the common
people of the country. In this way the spread of print culture in the 19th
century provided them a space for attacking religious orthodoxy and to spread
modern social and political ideas to the people of different languages across
the country.
(a) The
spread of print culture in 19th century India benefitted Indian women through
learning and education. The liberal families supported the education of women
to study or read as they believed education and reading would make the women
corrupt. This led to the counter reaction, as most of the oppressed women began
to study and read books and learnt writing in secrecy. Some literate women
started to write books and their autobiographies. Rashasundari Devi, a young
married girl wrote her autobiography “Amar Jiban” which was published in 1876.
Overall, the print culture in 19th century India helped in spread of the
feeling of self-reliance among Indian women.
(b) The poor people benefitted from the spread of print culture because of the
availability of books at a low price. The readership among them increased due
to the publication of low priced books. Public libraries were also set up from
the early 19th century, expanding the access to the books where all people
could gain knowledge. Encouraged and inspired by the social reformers, the
people like factory workers too set up their libraries and some even wrote
books. Kashibaba, a Kanpur mill worker wrote and published ‘Chote aur Bade Ka
Sawal’.
(c) Indian reforms of 19th century utilized print culture as the most potent
means of spreading their reformist ideas and highlight the unethical issues.
They began publishing various vernacular and English and Hindi newspapers and
books through which they could spread their opinions against widow immolation,
child marriage, monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood and idolatry to the common
people of the country. In this way the spread of print culture in the 19th
century provided them a space for attacking religious orthodoxy and to spread
modern social and political ideas to the people of different languages across
the country.
