With reference to the book ‘Desher Katha’ written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the freedom struggle, consider the following statements:
- It warned against the colonial state’s hypnotic conquest of the mind.
- It inspired the performance of swadeshi street plays and folk songs.
- The use of ‘desh’ by Deuskar was in the specific context of the region of Bengal.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3 only
Explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct
- Pandit Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar was born on December 17, 1869, in Deoghar. He regarded Bal Gangadhar Tilak as his political guru and played an important role in spreading Tilak’s ideas in Bengal. After Tilak initiated the Shivaji festival in Maharashtra, Deuskar introduced the festival in Bengal as well. Though of Marathi origin, he grew up in a Bengali cultural environment and served as a bridge between the intellectual and nationalist movements of Maharashtra and Bengal. He also contributed articles to several Bengali revolutionary magazines.
- Desher Katha:
- Deuskar influenced the Swadeshi movement and other national movements through his writings.
- In his well-known work, Desher Katha, published in 1904, Deuskar comprehensively showed the impact of colonialism on the Indian economy.
- It was later translated into Hindi as ‘Desh Ki Baat’.
- Desher Katha gained wide publicity during the anti-partition agitation in Bengal because it was written for the vernacular readers who could not comprehend either R C Dutta’s work “The Economic History of India” or Dadabhai Naoroji’s work “Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.”
- Desher Katha drew the attention of officials. The Bengal government banned the book in 1910.
- Deuskar was the first to bring in the name of Swaraj, and Sri Aurobindo was the first to endow it with its English equivalent, ‘Independence. He warned against the colonial state’s “hypnotic capture of the mind” in his work Desher Katha.
Statement 3 is incorrect
- Desher Katha extensively delved into the grim narrative of foreign exploration, illustrating how it ultimately resulted in India’s economic subjugation.
- The account was not limited to the particular circumstances in Bengal but provided a comprehensive examination of the broader implications of foreign incursions on India’s economic independence.
