1. State whether true or false:
a) James Mill divided Indian History into three periods- Hindu, Muslim, and
Christian.
► False
b) Official documents help us understand what the people of the country think.
► False
c) The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.
► True
Let's Discuss
2. What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian History that James
Mill offers?
Answer
James MIll divided his book into three period, namely: Hindu Muslims and
British. According to his prejudiced version of Indian history, the British rule
represents all the forces of progress and civilisation, while the period before
British rule represents darkness, ignorance, despotism, religious intolerance,
caste taboos, superstitious practises, etc.
The view of Mill has several problems which is not acceptable due to reasons:
→ A variety of faiths, apart from Hinduism and Islam, existed in the periods
categorised as Hindu and Muslim by Mill.
→ All rulers in ancient India did not share the same faith.
→ It is this country from where two other religions like- Buddhism and Jainism
developed and spread to other parts of the world while Hindu religion also
existed.
3. Why did the British preserve official documents?
Answer
The British preserved the important official documents because these served as
records of what the officials thought, what they were interested in and what
they wished for. According to the British, writing was more important than
speaking as the documents in archives and museums can be utilized for reference
at a much later period whenever required for studying or debating.
These can also serve as an information or proof of any decision or action taken
earlier on some
matter.
4. How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different
from that found in police reports?
Answer
Information is essential for writing history of a time which can be gathered
from various sources. Apart from official documents in the archives, historians
gather information also from old newspapers, diaries of people, accounts of
pilgrims, autobiographies of important personalities and booklets etc.
Information found in newspapers is varied, based on incidents that have happened
across the country whereas; the police reports are limited and localized.
Because of this fact sometimes the information historians get from police
reports is not as useful as it is from old newspapers. However for any incidence
the newspaper may not quote all the reasons behind this and biased as per the
thinking of reporter while in police records we could find some evidences for an
incident and unbiased reports.