Constitution of India | Constituent Assembly and Parts of the Indian Constitution

November 26 is celebrated as Constitution Day in India, while January 26 is celebrated as Republic Day. The Government of India Act of 1935 is considered the main source of inspiration for the Indian Constitution. The Indian Constitution is one of the longest written constitutions of any democratic country in the world.

Constituent Assembly

The Indian Constituent Assembly was elected in July 1946. Its first meeting was held in December 1946. Shortly after, the country was divided into two parts – India and Pakistan. The Constituent Assembly also split into two – the Indian Constituent Assembly and the Pakistani Constituent Assembly.

The assembly that drafted the Indian Constitution had 299 members, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was its president. The Constituent Assembly completed its work on November 26, 1949, and the Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950. In commemoration of this day, India celebrates Republic Day every year on January 26.  The entire process of drafting the Indian Constitution took two years, eleven months, and 18 days.

Brief Introduction

The Indian Constitution currently has 470 articles, 12 schedules, and 25 parts. However, when it was being drafted, the original constitution had 395 articles, 22 parts, and only 8 schedules. The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government with a federal structure, with some exceptions. The President is the constitutional head of the executive at the Union level. According to Article 79 of the Indian Constitution, the Parliament of India consists of the President and two Houses – the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The President, as the head of state, acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. Thus, the real executive power is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, who is currently Narendra Modi. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. Every state has a Legislative Assembly. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana also have a Legislative Council. Every state has a Governor, in whom the executive power of the state is vested. The Council of Ministers, headed by the Chief Minister, advises the Governor in the exercise of his executive functions. The State Council of Ministers is responsible to the State Legislative Assembly. The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution distributes legislative powers between the Parliament and the State Legislatures. It also specifies the powers of different levels of government to levy taxes and duties. Residual powers are vested in the Parliament.

Parts of the Indian Constitution

The Indian Constitution is divided into 22 parts and contains 395 articles and 12 schedules.

History

After World War II, in July 1945, Britain announced its new policy regarding India and sent a three-member Cabinet Mission to India to formulate a constitution. After India gained independence on August 15, 1947, the Constituent Assembly was formed and commenced its work on December 9, 1947. The members of the Constituent Assembly were elected by the members of the legislative assemblies of the Indian states. Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad were among the prominent members of this assembly. The Constituent Assembly deliberated for a total of 114 days over a period of 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days. It held a total of 12 sessions, and on the final day, 284 members signed the Constitution. The drafting of the Constitution involved 166 days of meetings. The press and the public were allowed to attend these meetings. All 389 members of the Constituent Assembly played a significant role in drafting the Indian Constitution. The Indian Constitution was heavily influenced by the Government of India Act of 1935; approximately 250 articles were taken from that Act.

Structure of the Indian Constitution

The Indian Constitution currently comprises the following:

A preamble,

25 parts and 470 articles,

12 schedules,

5 appendices,

105 amendments.

(So far, 127 Constitution Amendment Bills have been introduced in Parliament, of which 105 have been passed and have become Constitution Amendment Acts. The 124th Constitution Amendment Bill, which provides for reservation for Economically Weaker Sections within the general category in educational institutions, was passed with special majority under Article 368 on January 9, 2019.  On August 8, 2016, Parliament passed the 101st Constitution Amendment Act, which introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST).)

Health - Important facts related to health, History, Determinants of health and Potential health problems

Important facts related to health 

Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, pain (including mental pain), or injury.

Health can be promoted by encouraging healthful activities, such as regular physical exercise and adequate sleep, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. Some factors affecting health are due to individual choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, while others are due to structural causes, such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get necessary healthcare services. Still, other factors are beyond both individual and group choices, such as genetic disorders.

History

The meaning of health has evolved over time. In keeping with the biomedical perspective, early definitions of health focused on the theme of the body's ability to function; health was seen as a state of normal function that could be disrupted from time to time by disease. An example of such a definition of health is: "a state characterized by anatomic, physiologic, and psychological integrity; ability to perform personally valued family, work, and community roles; ability to deal with physical, biological, psychological, and social stress". Then, in 1948, in a radical departure from previous definitions, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a definition that aimed higher, linking health to well-being, in terms of "physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity". Although this definition was welcomed by some as being innovative, it was also criticized for being vague and excessively broad and was not construed as measurable. For a long time, it was set aside as an impractical ideal, with most discussions of health returning to the practicality of the biomedical model.

Just as there was a shift from viewing disease as a state to thinking of it as a process, the same shift happened in definitions of health. Again, the WHO played a leading role when it fostered the development of the health promotion movement in the 1980s. This brought in a new conception of health, not as a state, but in dynamic terms of resiliency, in other words, as "a resource for living". In 1984, WHO revised the definition of health defined it as "the extent to which an individual or group is able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs and to change or cope with the environment. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living; it is a positive concept, emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities." Thus, health referred to the ability to maintain homeostasis and recover from adverse events. Mental, intellectual, emotional and social health referred to a person's ability to handle stress, to acquire skills, to maintain relationships, all of which form resources for resiliency and independent living. This opens up many possibilities for health to be taught, strengthened and learned.

Since the late 1970s, the federal Healthy People Program has been a visible component of the United States' approach to improving population health. In each decade, a new version of Healthy People is issued, featuring updated goals and identifying topic areas and quantifiable objectives for health improvement during the succeeding ten years, with assessment at that point of progress or lack thereof. Progress has been limited to many objectives, leading to concerns about the effectiveness of Healthy People in shaping outcomes in the context of a decentralized and uncoordinated US health system. Healthy People 2020 gives more prominence to health promotion and preventive approaches and adds a substantive focus on the importance of addressing social determinants of health. A new expanded digital interface facilitates use and dissemination rather than bulky printed books as produced in the past. The impact of these changes to Healthy People will be determined in the coming years.

Systematic activities to prevent or cure health problems and promote good health in humans are undertaken by health care providers. Applications with regard to animal health are covered by the veterinary sciences. The term "healthy" is also widely used in the context of many types of non-living organizations and their impacts for the benefit of humans, such as in the sense of healthy communities, healthy cities or healthy environments. In addition to health care interventions and a person's surroundings, a number of other factors are known to influence the health status of individuals. These are referred to as the "determinants of health", which include the individual's background, lifestyle, economic status, social conditions and spirituality; Studies have shown that high levels of stress can affect human health.

In the first decade of the 21st century, the conceptualization of health as an ability opened the door for self-assessments to become the main indicators to judge the performance of efforts aimed at improving human health. It also created the opportunity for every person to feel healthy, even in the presence of multiple chronic diseases or a terminal condition, and for the re-examination of determinants of health (away from the traditional approach that focuses on the reduction of the prevalence of diseases).

Determinants of health

In general, the context in which an individual lives is of great importance for both his health status and quality of life. It is increasingly recognized that health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science, but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual and society. According to the World Health Organization, the main determinants of health include the social and economic environment, the physical environment, and the person's individual characteristics and behaviors.

More specifically, key factors that have been found to influence whether people are healthy or unhealthy include the following:

Education and literacy

Employment/working conditions

Income and social status

Physical environments

Social environments

Social support networks

Biology and genetics

Culture

Gender

Health care services

Healthy child development

Personal health practices and coping skills

An increasing number of studies and reports from different organizations and contexts examine the linkages between health and different factors, including lifestyles, environments, health care organization and health policy, one specific health policy brought into many countries in recent years was the introduction of the sugar tax. Beverage taxes came into light with increasing concerns about obesity, particularly among youth. Sugar-sweetened beverages have become a target of anti-obesity initiatives with increasing evidence of their link to obesity.—such as the 1974 Lalonde report from Canada; the Alameda County Study in California; and the series of World Health Reports of the World Health Organization, which focuses on global health issues including access to health care and improving public health outcomes, especially in developing countries.

The concept of the "health field," as distinct from medical care, emerged from the Lalonde report from Canada. The report identified three interdependent fields as key determinants of an individual's health. These are:

Biomedical: all aspects of health, physical and mental, developed within the human body as influenced by genetic make-up.

Environmental: all matters related to health external to the human body and over which the individual has little or no control;

Lifestyle: the aggregation of personal decisions (i.e., over which the individual has control) that can be said to contribute to, or cause, illness or death;

The maintenance and promotion of health is achieved through different combination of physical, mental, and social well-being—a combination sometimes referred to as the "health triangle." The WHO's 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion further stated that health is not just a state, but also "a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."

Focusing more on lifestyle issues and their relationships with functional health, data from the Alameda County Study suggested that people can improve their health via exercise, enough sleep, spending time in nature, maintaining a healthy body weight, limiting alcohol use, and avoiding smoking. Health and illness can co-exist, as even people with multiple chronic diseases or terminal illnesses can consider themselves healthy.

The environment is often cited as an important factor influencing the health status of individuals. This includes characteristics of the natural environment, the built environment and the social environment. Factors such as clean water and air, adequate housing, and safe communities and roads all have been found to contribute to good health, especially to the health of infants and children. Some studies have shown that a lack of neighborhood recreational spaces including natural environment leads to lower levels of personal satisfaction and higher levels of obesity, linked to lower overall health and well-being. It has been demonstrated that increased time spent in natural environments is associated with improved self-reported health, suggesting that the positive health benefits of natural space in urban neighborhoods should be taken into account in public policy and land use.

Genetics, or inherited traits from parents, also play a role in determining the health status of individuals and populations. This can encompass both the predisposition to certain diseases and health conditions, as well as the habits and behaviors individuals develop through the lifestyle of their families. For example, genetics may play a role in the manner in which people cope with stress, either mental, emotional or physical. For example, obesity is a significant problem in the United States that contributes to poor mental health and causes stress in the lives of many people. One difficulty is the issue raised by the debate over the relative strengths of genetics and other factors; interactions between genetics and environment may be of particular importance.

Potential health problems

A number of health issues are common around the globe. Disease is one of the most common. According to GlobalIssues.org, approximately 36 million people die each year from non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease.

Among communicable diseases, both viral and bacterial, AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria are the most common, causing millions of deaths every year.

Another health issue that causes death or contributes to other health problems is malnutrition, especially among children. One of the groups malnutrition affects most is young children. Approximately 7.5 million children under the age of 5 die from malnutrition, usually brought on by not having the money to find or make food.

Bodily injuries are also a common health issue worldwide. These injuries, including bone fractures and burns, can reduce a person's quality of life or can cause fatalities including infections that resulted from the injury.

Lifestyle choices are contributing factors to poor health in many cases. These include smoking cigarettes, and can also include a poor diet, whether it is overeating or an overly constrictive diet. Inactivity can also contribute to health issues and also a lack of sleep, excessive alcohol consumption, and neglect of oral hygiene. There are also genetic disorders that are inherited by the person and can vary in how much they affect the person .

Although the majority of these health issues are preventable, a major contributor to global ill health is the fact that approximately 1 billion people lack access to health care systems. Arguably, the most common and harmful health issue is that a great many people do not have access to quality remedies.

Physical education - Curriculum Approach to Physical Education, Five Learning Bodies in PE (Core Learning Domains)

 

Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, including primary, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United States, it is informally called gym class or gym. Physical education generally focuses on developing physical fitness, motor skills, health awareness, and social interaction through activities such as sports, exercise, and movement education. Although syllabi vary from country to country, the general objective of PE is to promote lifelong physical activity and well-being. Unlike other academic subjects, physical education is unique in that it engages students in the psychomotor, cognitive, affective, social, and cultural domains of learning. Physical education content varies internationally, as physical activities often reflect the geographical, cultural, and environmental characteristics of each region. Although the purpose of physical education is debated, one of its main objectives is generally considered to be socializing young people and empowering them to value and participate in diverse movement and physical activity cultures.

Five Learning Bodies (Core Learning Domains) in PE

Previously, the field of physical education focused on three learning domains: affective, cognitive, and psychomotor. However, more recently, scholarship in physical education has recognized two additional learning domains: social and cultural. Recently, physical education researchers in Australia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have reframed the domains of learning in physical education to understand them as five learning bodies: the moving body, the thinking body, the emotional body, the social body, and the cultural body. This shift was made using academic literature in physical education and education at large.

Moving Body: This dimension emphasizes the development of physical competence and motor skills. This includes students' ability to perform various movements with control, coordination, and efficiency, which forms the foundation of traditional PE activities.

Thinking Body: In addition to physical movement, this aspect focuses on cognitive engagement. This includes understanding the rules, strategies, and concepts associated with physical activity and promoting critical thinking, decision-making, and reflective practice among students.

Social Body: This dimension highlights the importance of social interactions and relationships in PE settings. It considers how students collaborate, communicate, and build relationships through physical activity, thereby fostering teamwork, empathy, and a sense of community.

Emotional Body: Recognizing the emotional experiences associated with physical activity, this dimension addresses feelings such as joy, frustration, confidence, and anxiety. It underscores the role of emotions in motivation, engagement, and overall well-being in PE.

Cultural Body: This component acknowledges the cultural context and identity that students bring to PE. This includes understanding how cultural backgrounds, values, and societal norms influence students' participation in and experience of physical activity.

By combining these five learning bodies, teachers can provide a holistic approach to PE that goes beyond the traditional focus on physical activity alone. This framework encourages teachers to consider multiple aspects of student development, fostering inclusive and meaningful learning experiences in physical education.

Curriculum Approach to Physical Education

Just like education, there are different curricular approaches to physical education. Ennis identified three main curricular approaches to physical education: factory, garden, and journey.

Factory Model: The factory model views education like an assembly line, where students are expected to master specific skills through standardized instruction and assessment. In physical education, this might look like a basketball unit where all students learn the same drills (e.g., dribbling, shooting, passing) and are assessed using performance rubrics or timed tasks. The teacher leads the class with a focus on efficiency, discipline, and outcome-based results. While this ensures consistency, it can ignore individual learning needs or interests.

Example: A teacher sets up skill stations and times students on lay-up drills, assigning scores based on accuracy and speed.

Garden Model: The garden model views students as individuals with unique potential who need to be nurtured. Under this model, physical education emphasizes emotional well-being, inclusivity, and student choice. A teacher can design activities that allow for varying levels of participation and success, such as yoga, dance, or cooperative games, while ensuring that every student feels safe and supported. The emphasis is on enjoyment, personal growth, and developing a positive relationship with movement.

Example: During a fitness unit, students set personal health goals (e.g., improving flexibility, managing stress) and reflect on their progress weekly with teacher feedback.

Journey Model: The journey model views PE as a process of exploration, where learning progresses over time and is guided by curiosity and reflection. Teachers and students work together to create experiences that are meaningful and relevant. In this model, a teacher might facilitate a project where students design their own games, explore cultural sports, or explore how physical activity impacts mental health. The emphasis is on personal meaning, collaboration, and building connections outside the classroom.

Example: Students work in groups to research traditional indigenous games, learn the rules, and then teach them to their peers while discussing the cultural significance of each activity.

These curricular approaches are never fully adopted by schools or teachers. Rather, schools may use a combination of these approaches to meet students' learning needs. Furthermore, each approach is needed at different times. That said, skill mastery often occurs at the factory end of this continuum, while critical thinking skills are often part of the journey end of the continuum.

A specific approach to physical education that is not included in the three models above is a critical approach to curriculum. A critical approach often includes attention to the social and cultural aspects of physical education. Thus, a part of this instruction includes teaching about the role of inequality in health, movement, and the body.

Critical Approach: A critical curriculum approach to physical education aims to transform the subject from a place of physical performance and normative repetition to a place of critical thinking and social change. Rather than simply delivering content or developing physical skills, a critical curriculum invites students and teachers to question whose bodies, knowledge, and experiences are valued in PE, and to work toward creating a more robust learning environment.

Example: Students might reflect on gameplay and discuss how the current rules of a game limit participation, teamwork, and fairness. They would then work together to improve the rules for the next game.

Rabindranath Tagore's biography - Rabindranath Tagore's family background and Life and events of Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore FRAS (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941), also known by his pseudonym Bhanusimha (Sun Lion), was a Bengali polymath (poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter) of the Bengal Renaissance period. In 1913, Tagore became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in any category, and the first lyricist and non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. A key figure in shaping culture on the Indian subcontinent, he wrote and composed the national anthems of India and Bangladesh.

He reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art, with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the author of the "extremely sensitive, fresh, and beautiful" poetry of Gitanjali. Tagore's poetic lyrics were considered spiritual and passionate; his beautiful handwriting and magical poetry were immensely popular throughout the Indian subcontinent. He was a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Known as the "Poet of Bengal," Tagore was known by the nicknames Gurudev, Kobiguru, and Biswakobi.

A Bengali Brahmin from Calcutta, whose ancestors were from the Jessore and Bardhaman districts, Tagore began writing poetry at the age of eight. At sixteen, he published his first major poems under the pen name Bhanusinha ("Sun Lion"), which literary scholars consider long-lost classics. By 1877, he had graduated, having written his first short stories and plays, which were published under his real name. As a humanist, universalist, internationalist, and staunch critic of nationalism, he criticized the British Raj and advocated independence from Britain. His legacy has also been maintained by the establishment of Visva-Bharati University.

Tagore modernized Bengali art by abandoning strict classical methods and breaking the restrictions of language. His novels, stories, songs, dance dramas, and essays addressed political and personal topics. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair Face), and Ghare-Baire (Home and the World) are his most famous works. His poetry, short stories, and novels have been both praised and criticized for their colloquial style, colloquial tone, naturalism, and philosophical thinking. Two countries have chosen his compositions as national anthems: India's "Jana Gana Mana" and Bangladesh's "Amar Sonar Bangla." Sri Lanka's national anthem was also inspired by his work. His song "Banglar Mati Banglar Jol" has been made the state anthem of West Bengal.

Rabindranath Tagore's family background

The name Tagore is a transliteration of Thakur into English. Tagore's original surname was Kushari. He was a Pirali Brahmin ('Pirali' was once considered vulgar and offensive; a slur used to distinguish Piralis from other Brahmin sub-castes) who originally hailed from a village called Kusha in the Burdwan district of West Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore's biographer, Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay, wrote in the first volume of his book, Rabindrajibani O Rabindra Sahitya Prabhasak, that

The Kusharis were descendants of Din Kushari, son of Bhatta Narayan; Din was granted a village called Kushari (in the Burdwan district) by Maharaja Kshitisura, who became its headman and became known as Kushari.

Life and events of Rabindranath Tagore

Early life: 1861-1878

The youngest of 13 surviving children, Tagore (nicknamed "Rabi") was born on 7 May 1861 at the Jorasanko mansion in Calcutta. He was the son of Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905) and Sarada Devi (1830-1875).

Tagore was raised largely by servants; his mother died when he was a child, and his father traveled extensively. The Tagore family was at the forefront of Bengal's modern times. They hosted the publication of literary magazines; there were regular theater and song shows, both Bengali and Western classical music. Tagore's father invited several professional Dhrupad musicians to live at home and teach Indian classical music to the children. Tagore's eldest brother, Dwijendranath, was a philosopher and poet. Another brother, Satyendranath, was the first Indian to be appointed to the elite and all-European Indian Civil Service. Another brother, Jyotirindranath, was a musician, composer, and playwright. His sister, Swarnakumari, became a novelist. Jyotirindranath's wife, Kadambari Devi, slightly older than Tagore, was a dear friend and a highly influential figure. Her sudden suicide in 1884, shortly after their marriage, deeply troubled him for many years.

Tagore mostly avoided classroom studies, preferring to travel around the estate or nearby Bolpur and Panihati, where the family had moved. His brother, Hemendranath, tutored and physically trained him—taking him swimming in the Ganges or trekking in the hills, engaging him in gymnastics, and practicing judo and wrestling. He learned drawing, anatomy, geography and history, literature, mathematics, Sanskrit, and English—his least favorite subjects. Tagore hated formal education—his studies at the local Presidency College lasted only one day. Years later, he believed that proper education does not lead to understanding; proper education fosters curiosity.

Following his Upanayana ceremony at the age of eleven, Tagore and his father set out from Calcutta in February 1873 on a several-month tour of India. Before arriving at the Himalayan hill station of Dalhousie, they visited his father's Shantiniketan estate and Amritsar. There, Tagore read biographies, studied history, astronomy, modern science, and Sanskrit, and thoroughly enjoyed the classical poems of Kalidasa. During his month-long stay in Amritsar in 1873, he was deeply moved by the melodious Gurbani and Nanak Bani sung at the Golden Temple, which both father and son visited regularly. He writes in his book, "My Reminiscences" (1912):

The Golden Temple of Amritsar seems like a dream to me. Many mornings I have gone with my father to this Sikh Gurdwara, situated in the middle of the lake. Sacred chants resonate continuously there. My father, sitting among the crowd of worshippers, would sometimes join in the bhajans, and he would be delighted when a stranger joined in his devotion, and we would return laden with sacred offerings of sugar crystals and other sweets. He wrote six poems about Sikhism and several articles about Sikhism in Bengali children's magazines.

Tagore returned to Jorosanko and by 1877 had completed several major works, one of which was a long poem written in the Maithili style by Vidyapati. Jokingly, he claimed these were lost works of the newly discovered 17th-century Vaishnava poet Bhanusinha. Those familiar with the area assumed they were the lost works of some fabricated poet. He began writing short stories in Bengali, starting with "Bhikharini" ("Beggar Woman"). Sandhya Sangeet (1882), published the same year, included the poem "Nirjharer Swapnabhanga" ("Awakening of the Waterfall").

Shantiniketan: 1901–1932

In 1901, Tagore moved to Shantiniketan and opened an ashram that included a marble-floored prayer hall—a temple—an experimental school, groves of trees, gardens, and a library. His wife and two of his children died there. His father died in 1905. He inherited and received income from the Maharaja of Tripura, the sale of his family's jewelry, his seaside bungalow in Puri, and a monthly royalty of 2,000 rupees from his books. He found readers both in Bengali and abroad; he published Naivedya (1901) and Kheya (1906) and translated poems into free verse.

In 1912, Tagore translated his 1910 work, Gitanjali, into English. On a trip to London, he shared these poems with admirers such as William Butler Yeats and Ezra Pound. The India Society of London published a limited edition of the work, and the American magazine Poetry published selected poems from Gitanjali. In November 1913, Tagore learned that he had received that year's Nobel Prize in Literature: the Swedish Academy praised the idealistic – and accessible to Westerners – nature of a small portion of his translated material, the focus of which was Gitanjali: Song Offerings of 1912. He was awarded a knighthood by King George V in the 1915 Birthday Honours, but Tagore renounced it after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. Renouncing his knighthood, Tagore wrote in a letter to Lord Chelmsford, the then British Viceroy of India, "The extraordinary severity of the punishments inflicted on the unfortunates, and the methods of carrying them out, are, we are convinced, unparalleled in the history of civilized governments... The time has come when badges of honor will more clearly illuminate our shame in the strange context of our dishonor, and I, for my part, wish to stand with my countrymen, free from all distinctions."

In 1919, he was invited by Syed Abdul Majid, President and Chairman of the Anjuman-e-Islamia, to visit Sylhet for the first time. The event attracted over 5,000 people.

In 1921, Tagore and agricultural economist Leonard Elmhirst started the "Institute for Rural Reconstruction" in Surul, a village near the ashram, later renamed Sriniketan, or "Home of Welfare." With this, Tagore sought to mitigate Gandhi's opposition to Swaraj, which he sometimes blamed for British India's perceived mental—and thus ultimately colonial—decline. He sought help from donors, officials, and scholars worldwide to "liberate the villages from the shackles of helplessness and ignorance" by "reawakening knowledge." In the early 1930s, he targeted the prevailing "abnormal caste consciousness" and untouchability. He lectured against these issues, wrote Dalit heroes for his poems and plays, and campaigned—successfully—to open the Guruvayur temple to Dalits.

 

Cabinet Mission to India 1946 | Background of the Cabinet Mission, Cabinet Mission Plan, Reaction to the Cabinet Mission.

 

On March 24, 1946, a mission of three British cabinet members arrived in British India. The mission's purpose was to discuss the transfer of power from the British government to the Indian political leadership. Its objective was to maintain India's unity and grant it independence. Formed at the initiative of Prime Minister Clement Attlee, the mission consisted of three cabinet ministers: Lord Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State for India), Sir Stafford Cripps (President of the Board of Trade), and A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty). The Viceroy of India, Lord Wavell, participated in some discussions.

The Cabinet Mission Plan formulated by the group proposed a three-tier administrative structure for British India, with a federal union at the top, individual provinces at the bottom, and groups of provinces at the intermediate levels. Three groups were proposed for Northwest India, East India, and the rest of India, designated Groups A, B, and C.

The Cabinet Mission's plan failed due to a lack of trust between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, and the British government appointed a new Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, to replace Lord Wavell with a new solution.

Background of the Cabinet Mission

Towards the end of their rule, the British realized that their short-term support for the Muslim League was contrary to their long-standing need for Indian unity. The desire for a united India stemmed from both their pride in the subcontinent's political unity and the skepticism of most British officials about the possibility of Pakistan's formation. The desire for Indian unity was also reflected in the Cabinet Mission, which arrived in New Delhi on March 24, 1946. Sent by the British government, the mission's focus was on building a post-independence India. Three members of the mission, A. V. Alexander, Stafford Cripps, and Pethick-Lawrence, favored Indian unity for strategic reasons. Wavell nicknamed these three cabinet members "The Magi."

Upon reaching the subcontinent, the mission found that both parties, the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, were more unwilling to compromise than ever before. Both parties performed well in the general and state elections, emerging as the two main parties in the subcontinent, while the separate electorates system eroded the state organization. The Muslim League won nearly 90 percent of the seats reserved for Muslims. Winning the elections gave Jinnah a strong bargaining chip with the British and Congress. Having established the separate electorates system, the British had to accept its consequences, even though a divided India was not in their favor.

Cabinet Mission Plan

After fruitless negotiations with the Indian leadership, the mission presented its proposals, finding that Congress opposed Jinnah's demand for a full Pakistan consisting of six provinces. The mission proposed a strict three-tier system for India: provinces, provincial groups, and the center. The center's power would be limited to foreign affairs, defense, currency, and communications. The provinces would retain all other powers and could form three groups. A key feature of the plan was the grouping of provinces. Two groups would be formed from the predominantly Muslim-majority western and eastern provinces. The third group would include the predominantly Hindu-majority areas of the south and center. Thus, provinces such as the United Provinces, Central Provinces and Berar, Bombay, Bihar, Orissa, and Madras would form Group A. Group B would include Sindh, Punjab, the Northwest Frontier, and Baluchistan. Bengal and Assam would form Group C. The princely states would retain all subjects and powers except those granted to the Union.

Reaction to the Cabinet Mission

Through this scheme, the British attempted to maintain India's unity, as both they and the Congress desired, and also provided Jinnah with the basis for Pakistan. These proposals effectively fulfilled Jinnah's insistence on a larger Pakistan, preventing the creation of North-East Pakistan without dividing the mostly non-Muslim districts of Bengal and Punjab. By merging the entire provinces of Punjab and Bengal, Jinnah could appease provincial leaders who feared losing power if their provinces were divided. The presence of large Hindu minorities in Punjab and Bengal also provided security to the remaining Muslim minorities in the predominantly Hindu provinces.

In a letter to Hatim Alvi, the mayor of Karachi, on June 10, 1946, Jinnah explained that approving the Cabinet Mission Plan was only the first step. Once Group B and Group C were formed in the North-West and North-East, nothing would prevent them from separating later. He insisted, "We can work on two decks, provincial and group, and hoist the topmast at any time." Above all, Jinnah wanted equality between Pakistan and India. He believed that state groups could best ensure this. He claimed that Muslim India was a "nation" that should receive equal central representation as Hindu India. Despite preferring only two groups, the Muslim League Council accepted the mission's proposals on June 6, 1946, after receiving a guarantee from Wavell that the League would be included in the interim government if Congress did not accept the proposals.

Congress also accepted these proposals, as they were seen as rejecting the demand for Pakistan. It believed that if its Constituent Assembly drafted a Group Constitution, each state should have one vote. Therefore, in Group B, Muslim-majority Bengal and Hindu-majority Assam would receive one vote each. However, the Muslim League interpreted this plan to mean that a state's influence in the Group Constituent Assembly would be based on its population. Another disagreement concerned Congress's stance that an independent Constituent Assembly would not be bound by the Plan. Jinnah insisted that it would become binding once the Plan was adopted. The Group Plan maintained India's unity, but the organization's leadership, especially Nehru, increasingly believed that the scheme would weaken the central government's ability to achieve the party's goals. The socialist section of the Congress, led by Nehru, wanted a government that could industrialize the country and eliminate poverty.

Furthermore, Nehru and Gandhi insisted that the Congress-dominated North-West Frontier Province be excluded from any Pakistani territory within the Federation, a point Jinnah disliked.

Nehru's speech on July 10, 1946, rejected the idea that the province would be forced to join any grouping and stated that Congress was neither bound nor committed to the plan. In effect, Nehru's speech destroyed the Mission Plan and its chance to keep India united. Jinnah considered this speech another example of Congress's betrayal. With Nehru's speech on grouping, the Muslim League withdrew its previous approval of the plan on July 29.

Interim Government and its fall

Wavell, worried by the decline of British power, was desperate to form an interim government. Ignoring Jinnah's vote, he approved a cabinet with Nehru as interim Prime Minister. Jinnah was distraught and frustrated by his "groups"' refusal to support Pakistan. To secure Pakistan and convince Congress that he could not be sidelined, he urged his supporters to use "Direct Action" to demonstrate their support for Pakistan, similar to Gandhi's Civil Disobedience Campaign. However, this led to religious riots and massacres in some areas. Direct Action Day further strengthened Wavell's resolve to form an interim government. Nehru's cabinet was formed on September 2, 1946.

Millions of Indian Muslim families hoisted black flags in protest against the formation of the Congress government. Jinnah himself did not join the interim government, but appointed Liaquat Ali Khan to a secondary role. Congress refused to give him the crucial post of Home Minister and instead offered him the position of Finance Minister. Liaquat Ali Khan angered the Congress by using his role to prevent Congress ministries from functioning. He, at Jinnah's behest, demonstrated the impossibility of a single government for India.

Britain attempted to revive the Cabinet Mission Plan in December. To do so, it sent Nehru, Jinnah, and Wavell to meet with Attlee, Cripps, and Pethick-Lawrence. Their convincing arguments were enough to persuade Nehru to return to India and declare, "We have now completely stopped looking to London." Meanwhile, Wavell initiated the Constituent Assembly, which the League boycotted. He had hoped the League would join because it had joined the Interim Government. Instead, the Congress became even more insistent, urging the removal of Muslim League ministers. Wavell was unable to obtain a declaration from the British government clearly stating its objectives.

On December 15, 1946, Mahatma Gandhi met with the leaders of the Assam Congress and urged them to refuse to join Group C in the Constituent Assembly. He further said, "If you don't act now and properly, Assam will be ruined. Tell Mr. Bardoloi that I am not at all worried. I have made up my mind. Assam must not lose its soul. It must be saved before the whole world... It is an absurd suggestion that Bengal should somehow dominate Assam." Therefore, he rejected the grouping plan in the Cabinet Mission Plan to prevent the Muslim League from taking control of Hindu-majority Assam. Gandhi feared that the League would use its power in a confederal arrangement to continue large-scale Muslim infiltration into Assam and make it a Muslim-majority province.

Given the deteriorating situation, Wavell formulated a breakdown plan that called for a gradual withdrawal of British forces, but the Cabinet considered his plan dangerous. When he insisted on his plan, he was replaced by Lord Mountbatten.

Swadeshi Movement in India | Timeline of the Swadeshi Movement | Impact of the Swadeshi Movement.

 

The Swadeshi movement was a self-reliance movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and helped to strengthen Indian nationalism. Following the public announcement of the British government's decision to partition Bengal in December 1903, anger among Indians grew. In response, the Swadeshi movement was formally launched from Calcutta's Town Hall on August 7, 1905, to oppose foreign goods by relying on domestic production. Mahatma Gandhi described this as the soul of Swaraj. The movement gained further momentum when wealthy Indians donated money and land to the Khadi and Village Industries Society, enabling textile production in every household. This included other village industries, enabling villages to become self-sufficient and self-reliant. The Indian National Congress used this movement as a weapon in its fight for independence, and finally, on August 15, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the tricolor flag of hand-spun khadi with the Ashoka Chakra at Princess Park near India Gate in New Delhi.

The government decided to partition Bengal in December 1903. The official reason was that Bengal, with a population of 78 million, was too large to administer; however, the real reason was that it was a centre of rebellion, and British officials could not control the protests, fearing they would spread throughout India. In August 1904, George Curzon, 1st Marquess of Kedleston, was reappointed Viceroy of India (1899–1905), and he presided over the partition of Bengal in 1905. In The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600–1947, Dennis Judd wrote:

"Curzon hoped... to bind India to the Raj forever. Interestingly, his partition of Bengal and the bitter controversy that followed significantly helped reinvigorate the Congress. Curzon generally dismissed the Congress in 1900 as "tottering towards its decline." But he made the Congress more active and effective in India than at any time in its history."

Bengal was divided along religious lines: the western part was mostly Hindu and the eastern part was mostly Muslim. This divide and rule strategy gave rise to the Swadeshi movement. The British reunified Bengal in 1911 and made New Delhi its capital. The Swadeshi movement gained new meaning after Bengal's reunification.

Timeline of the Swadeshi Movement

The Swadeshi movement was the cornerstone of India's struggle for independence, emphasizing self-reliance, indigenous production, and economic opposition to the British Raj. It went through several phases in different historical contexts, each with its own distinct strategies, leaders, and national goals. Each phase shows how the idea of ​​Swadeshi evolved—from a boycott movement to a broader vision of national self-reliance and economic sovereignty.

First Swadeshi Movement (1850-1918): Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Ganesh Venkatesh Joshi, Bhaswat K. Nigoni, V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, Subramania Bharati, Subramania Shiva, and Ram Singh Kuka led this movement. Bal Gangadhar Tilak led the Ganesh festival in 1893 to popularize the use and consumption of indigenous materials, from clay to sweets. Namdhari Sikhs boycotted English clothing, education, and courts in 1871-1872, and instead promoted hand-spun khadi cloth, local education, and khap panchayats. Chidambaram Pillai took over the British India Steam Navigation Company and transformed it into an Indian-owned shipping company, which was renamed the Swadeshi Shipping Company in October 1906. The Lal-Bal-Pal trio actively organized several committees during the Swadeshi movement, but became inactive after 1908 due to exile and arrest.

Second Swadeshi Movement (1918–1947): The movement gained further momentum in 1918 when Mahatma Gandhi introduced the spinning wheel in Mumbai, introducing it as a new symbol and tool of the Swadeshi movement. On July 31, 1921, he pledged to boycott foreign goods by burning 150,000 tons of British cloth at the Elpinstone Mill compound in Parel, Mumbai. Mahatma Gandhi organized Khadi spinning centers across the country and declared Khadi spinners as freedom fighters. Indians began abandoning British goods and adopting Indian products, even though they were more expensive. The impact was profound, and sales of British products declined by 20%.

Third Swadeshi Movement (1947–1991): Under Nehruvian socialism, the Indian government and subsequent prime ministers focused on import substitution, expanding the public sector, and protectionist policies to promote India's self-reliance, establishing heavy industry, scientific institutions, and a planned economy aimed at economic sovereignty. In the post-independence era, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and several of its affiliated organizations also adopted Swadeshi as their core economic principle, although they did not always support protectionism and halting the process of globalization.

Fourth Swadeshi Movement (1991–present): Initiated by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, this movement emphasized liberalization, privatization, and globalization—encouraging Indian businesses to become globally competitive. This ultimately ushered in a new Swadeshi era, where Indian entrepreneurs like Infosys, Wipro, and Tata emerged as global players, opening up the economy. Since 2014, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, campaigns like Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local have emphasised manufacturing in India, reduced foreign dependency and promoted indigenous startups and MSMEs, thereby reviving public discourse on economic nationalism and swadeshi values ​​through digital platforms and policy reforms.

Impact of the Swadeshi Movement

The intellectual roots of the Swadeshi movement lie in the economic critiques of Dadabhai Naoroji, particularly his landmark 1876 book, "Poverty of India." In this book, Naoroji introduced the concept of "Drain Theory," in which he argued that British colonial rule systematically drained wealth from India. His analysis provided a basis for economic nationalism, which later fueled the Swadeshi sentiment. Naoroji elaborated on these arguments in his influential book, "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India" (1901). His election to the British House of Commons (1892–1895) as a Liberal Party (UK) MP for Finsbury Central was a pivotal moment in Indian political history, as he brought these economic grievances directly to the attention of British parliamentarians. Naoroji's work played a key role in shaping early nationalist thinking and laid the ideological foundation for the Swadeshi movement, which emerged in the early 20th century as a campaign to boycott British goods and promote indigenous industry.

In his later years, Mahatma Gandhi promoted Swadeshi, self-reliance, and boycotted foreign goods, leading to a 62% increase in Indian textile sales by 1936 and a 76% increase by 1945. His charkha initiative sought to empower local people to spin yarn, challenge British economic control, and confront colonial structures.

The Swadeshi movement is the backdrop for Rabindranath Tagore's 1916 novel "Ghare Baire" (The Home and the World). Among other difficult themes, the novel explores the pitfalls of zealous nationalism. Satyajit Ray's 1984 film "Ghare Baire" (The Home and the World) is based on this novel. In Richard Attenborough's 1982 film Gandhi, after Gandhi's speech at Elphinstone Fort in Mumbai, Indians burned English clothes and vowed to wear indigenous khadi.

According to a 1999 article, E.F. Schumacher (author of Small is Beautiful) was influenced by Gandhi's concept of swadeshi.

On August 7, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated India's first annual National Handloom Day to promote indigenous handloom and khadi products. This date was chosen because the Swadeshi movement was announced on August 7, 1905, to avoid foreign goods and use only Indian products.

In 2019, Kangana Ranaut's film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (film) was based on Rani Jhansi, who valiantly fought against the British in 1857. Khadi (hand-spun fabric) made from cotton, brocade, and Paithani was extensively used to showcase the spirit of Swadeshi. Before becoming queen, this historical figure learned to weave cloth.

In July 2020, Tooter, a new social media platform that is a cross-over of Facebook and Twitter, was launched. The social media platform is now gaining attention for calling itself Swadeshi Movement 2.0.

On August 18, 2020, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced the Swadeshi Microprocessor Challenge with a prize pool of ₹4.3 crore for the special challenge following the ban on Chinese investment on Tuesday. At the 18th Investiture Ceremony of the Border Security Force (BSF) on July 17, 2021, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other agencies are working on indigenous anti-drone technology to combat this threat. He said, "Smuggling of drugs, weapons, and explosives through drones has become a major challenge."

On July 25, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation through the 79th episode of his monthly radio program, "Mann Ki Baat," encouraging people to buy Indian arts and crafts and crediting Indian customers for the increase in Khadi sales. "Buying Khadi is serving the people and the country. When you buy and post it online, use #myhandloommypride." He also recalled the celebration of National Handloom Day on August 7, saying, "When the Swadeshi movement started years ago, many of our artisans joined it."

On July 28, 2021, GoCoop, India's first online marketplace for artisans and weavers, is hosting an exhibition called Go Swadeshi in Bangalore. The exhibition will showcase handmade textiles by over 30,000 artisans and 12,000 women. It will feature India's largest handmade textile collection, including sarees, clothing, accessories, home furnishings, and over 70,000 fabric products. In 2015, GoCoop won India's first National Award for Handloom Marketing (Ecommerce) 2015.

Nutrient - an important element that living things need to survive | Types of Nutrients : Macronutrients and Micronutrients

 

A nutrient is anything an organism uses to survive, grow, and reproduce. The need to consume nutrients in food applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or removed from cells to form non-cellular structures such as hair, scales, feathers, or exoskeletons. Some nutrients can be metabolically broken down into smaller molecules in energy-releasing processes, such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and fermentation products (ethanol or vinegar), producing end-products such as water and carbon dioxide. All organisms need water. Essential nutrients for animals include energy sources, certain amino acids that combine to form proteins, a subset of fatty acids, vitamins, and some minerals. Plants also require various minerals absorbed through their roots, as well as carbon dioxide and oxygen absorbed through their leaves. Fungi live on dead or living organic matter and obtain their nutrient requirements from their host.

Different organisms have different essential nutrients. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is essential for humans and some animal species, but most other animals and many plants can synthesize it. Nutrients can be organic or inorganic: organic compounds include most carbon compounds, while all other chemicals are inorganic. Inorganic nutrients include nutrients such as iron, selenium, and zinc, while organic nutrients include proteins, fats, sugars, and vitamins.

One classification used to describe the nutrient requirements of animals divides nutrients into macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein, water), consumed in large quantities (grams or ounces), are primarily used to create energy or incorporated into tissues for growth and repair. Micronutrients are needed in smaller quantities (milligrams or micrograms); they play minor biochemical and physiological roles in cellular processes, such as vascular function or nerve conduction. Low levels of essential nutrients or diseases that interfere with absorption lead to deficiencies that affect growth, survival, and reproduction. Consumer advisories for dietary nutrients, such as the United States Dietary Reference Intake, are based on the amount needed to prevent deficiency and provide macronutrient and micronutrient guides for both lower and higher intake limits. In many countries, regulations require food product labels to provide information about the amount of any macronutrient and micronutrient present in the food. Excess nutrients can have harmful effects. Edible plants also contain thousands of compounds, commonly called phytochemicals, that have unknown effects on disease or health, including a separate group of non-nutrient compounds called polyphenols, which are not well understood as of 2024.

Types of Nutrients

Macronutrients

Macronutrients are described in many ways.

The chemical elements that humans consume in the largest quantities are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, called CHNOPS.

The chemical compounds that humans consume in the largest quantities and from which they provide the most energy are classified as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Water should also be consumed in large quantities, but it does not provide calories.

Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride ions, along with phosphorus and sulfur, are included in macronutrients because their needs are greater than those of micronutrients, i.e., vitamins and other minerals, often called trace or ultratrace minerals.

Macronutrients provide energy:

Carbohydrates are compounds made up of different types of sugars. Carbohydrates are classified according to their number of sugar units: monosaccharides (such as glucose and fructose), disaccharides (such as sucrose and lactose), oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides (such as starch, glycogen, and cellulose).

Proteins are organic compounds consisting of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Because the body cannot make some amino acids (called essential amino acids), they must be obtained from food. During digestion, proteins are broken down into free amino acids by proteases.

Fats consist of a glycerin molecule to which three fatty acids are attached. Fatty acid molecules contain a -COOH group attached to an unbranched hydrocarbon chain that is either linked by a single bond (saturated fatty acids) or by both double and single bonds (unsaturated fatty acids). Fats are essential for the formation and maintenance of cell membranes, maintaining body temperature, and maintaining skin and hair health. Because the body doesn't make some fatty acids (called essential fatty acids), they must be obtained from food.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are essential dietary elements that are required in varying amounts for metabolic and physiological functions throughout life.

Dietary minerals, such as potassium, sodium, and iron, are elements found in the earth and cannot be synthesized. Their requirements in the diet are expressed in micrograms or milligrams. Just as plants obtain minerals from the soil, dietary minerals are obtained directly from plants or indirectly from the animals they eat.

Vitamins are organic compounds that are required in micrograms or milligrams. The importance of each dietary vitamin became apparent when it was discovered that a deficiency of that vitamin can cause disease.

Essential Nutrients

An essential nutrient is one that is essential for normal physiological function, that the body cannot produce at all or in sufficient quantities, and therefore must obtain from food. In addition to water, which is universally required to maintain homeostasis in mammals, essential nutrients are required for various cellular metabolic processes and the maintenance and function of tissues and organs. Nutrients considered essential for humans include nine amino acids, two fatty acids, thirteen vitamins, fourteen minerals, and choline. Additionally, several molecules are considered conditionally essential nutrients because they are required in certain developmental and pathological conditions.

Amino Acids

An essential amino acid is an amino acid that an organism needs but cannot make on its own, and therefore must obtain it from food. Of the twenty standard protein-forming amino acids, humans cannot make nine: phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, and histidine.

Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are fatty acids that humans and other animals must consume because the body needs them for good health, but the body cannot make them. Only two fatty acids are considered essential for humans: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid).

Vitamers and Vitamers

Vitamers exist in several similar forms called vitamers. Vitamers of a given vitamin perform that vitamin's function and prevent deficiency symptoms. Vitamins are essential organic molecules that are not categorized as amino acids or fatty acids. They typically function as enzymatic cofactors, metabolic regulators, or antioxidants. Humans require thirteen vitamins in their diet, most of which are actually groups of similar molecules (e.g., vitamin E includes tocopherols and tocotrienols): vitamins A, C, D, E, K, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9), and cobalamin (B12). Vitamin D requirement is conditional, as people exposed to excessive ultraviolet light from the sun or artificial sources produce vitamin D in their skin.

Minerals

Minerals are foreign chemical elements essential for life. Although the four elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON) are essential for life, they are so abundant in foods that they are not considered nutrients and mineral intake is not recommended. Nitrogen provides the necessary nutrients for protein, which is made up of nitrogen-containing amino acids. Sulfur is essential, but again, it is not recommended. Instead, the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine ​​are recommended.

The essential nutrient trace elements for humans, listed by dietary requirement (indicated in mass), are potassium, chloride, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, chromium, molybdenum, and selenium. Additionally, cobalt is a component of vitamin B12, which is essential. There are other minerals that are essential for some plants and animals, but may or may not be essential for humans, such as boron and silicon.

Choline

Choline is an essential nutrient. Choline is a family of water-soluble quaternary ammonium compounds. Choline is the parent compound of the choline class, containing three methyl substituents linked to ethanolamine and amino functions. Healthy humans who consume artificially engineered foods lacking choline develop fatty liver, liver damage, and muscle damage. Choline was not originally considered essential because the human body can produce small amounts of choline through phosphatidylcholine metabolism.

Conditionally Essential Nutrients

Conditionally essential nutrients are organic molecules that an organism can normally produce, but in small quantities under certain conditions. In humans, these conditions include premature birth, low nutrient intake, rapid growth, and certain diseases. Inositol, taurine, arginine, glutamine, and nucleotides are classified as conditionally essential and are particularly important for the nutrition and metabolism of the newborn.

Partition of India - An important event in the history of india | Partition of Bengal

The Partition of India in 1947 divided British India into two independent states: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Bengal and Punjab were divided into two provinces based on the district's non-Muslim (mostly Hindu and Sikh) or Muslim population. The British Indian Army, Royal Indian Navy, Indian Civil Service, railways, and central treasury were also divided between the two new states. This partition was finalized in the Indian Independence Act 1947, ending British rule, or Crown rule, in India. India and Pakistan became two self-governing countries, legally established at midnight on August 14–15, 1947.

With the partition of British India and the withdrawal of British forces from the Indian subcontinent, the Indian Independence Act stipulated that the princely states would be freed from their Subsidiary Alliance and other obligations to the British, while the British abandoned their obligations to the states, allowing the rulers to decide whether to join India or Pakistan or remain independent outside of either. Sardar Patel stated in a speech in January 1948, "With the end of paramountcy, every Indian state became a separate independent entity." Political integration of the princely states into the two new dominions began with several mergers in August 1947, but most occurred later. In particular, the rulers of Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, and other states chose independence.

Partition displaced 12 to 20 million people along religious lines, creating a major refugee crisis involving large-scale migration and population transfer within the newly formed dominions. Widespread violence occurred, making it difficult to estimate the loss of life and property before, during, or after Partition. As of 2009, estimates still ranged between two hundred thousand and two million. The violent manner of Partition created an atmosphere of hostility and suspicion between India and Pakistan, which continues to impact India-Pakistan relations today.

The term "Partition of India" does not include the earlier separation of Burma (now Myanmar) and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from British India. It does not include the inclusion of areas of French India into India during the period 1947–1954, or the inclusion of Goa and other districts of Portuguese India into India in 1961. Other political entities in the region that existed in 1947, such as Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives, remained unaffected by Partition. 

Background

Pre-World War II (1905–1938)

Partition of Bengal: 1905

In 1905, during his second term as Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon divided the Bengal Presidency—the largest administrative subdivision in British India—into the Muslim-majority East Bengal and Assam Provinces and the Hindu-majority Bengal Province (present-day Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha). Curzon's action, the partition of Bengal—which had been considered by various colonial administrations since the time of Lord William Bentinck, though never implemented—changed nationalist politics more than ever before.

Bengal's Hindu elite, many of whom owned land leased to Muslim peasants in East Bengal, strongly opposed this. The large Bengali-Hindu middle class, concerned that Bengalis might outnumber Biharis and Oriyas in the new Bengal Province, saw Curzon's action as a punishment for their political power. The widespread protests against Curzon's decision primarily took the form of a Swadeshi campaign, which included a boycott of British goods. Occasionally, but openly, protesters also resorted to political violence, including attacks on civilians. This violence was ineffective, as most planned attacks were either prevented by the British or failed. The slogan underlying both types of protests was Bande Mataram, the title of a song by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, which refers to a mother goddess who variously represents Bengal, India, and the Hindu goddess Kali. As English-educated students from Calcutta returned to their villages and towns, unrest spread from Calcutta to surrounding areas of Bengal. The religious fervor of the slogan and political anger over Partition converged when young people in groups like Jugantar began bombing public buildings, looting with weapons, and assassinating British officials. Because Calcutta was the imperial capital, both the anger and the slogan soon became famous throughout the country.

The partition of Bengal was strongly opposed by the Hindu majority, and fearing reforms in favor of the Hindu majority, India's Muslim elite demanded separate voting areas for Muslims from the new Viceroy, Lord Minto, in 1906. They also demanded representation proportional to their population, reflecting both their status as former rulers and their record of cooperation with the British. This resulted in the founding of the All-India Muslim League in Dhaka in December 1906. Although Curzon had by then resigned and returned to England after a quarrel with his military chief, Lord Kitchener, the League supported his partition plan. The Muslim elite's opinion, reflected in the League's, had gradually solidified over the previous three decades, beginning with the 1871 census of British India, which for the first time estimated the population in Muslim-majority areas. On Curzon's part, the desire to appease the Muslims of East Bengal stemmed from British concerns following the 1871 census and the history of Muslims fighting against them in the 1857 Revolt and the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

In the three decades following the 1871 census, Muslim leaders across North India faced intermittent public hostility from some new Hindu political and social groups. For example, the Arya Samaj not only supported the cow protection movement in its campaign but also organized "reconversion" programs to convert Muslims back to Hinduism, upset by the number of Muslims in the census. In the United Provinces, Muslims became further agitated by the increased Hindu political representation in the late 19th century and the political consolidation of Hindus sparked by the Hindi-Urdu controversy and the anti-cow slaughter riots of 1893. In 1905, Muslim fears grew when Tilak and Lajpat Rai attempted to gain leadership positions in the Congress, and the Congress itself coalesced around the symbol of Kali. For example, many Muslims knew that the slogan "Vande Mataram" first appeared in the novel "Anandamath," in which Hindus fought their Muslim oppressors. Finally, Muslim elites, including Nawab Khwaja Salimullah of Dhaka, who hosted the League's first meeting at his mansion in Shahbag, knew that a new province with a Muslim majority would directly benefit Muslims seeking political power.

World War I, Lucknow Pact: 1914–1918

World War I marked a major turning point in the imperial relationship between Britain and India. 1.4 million Indian and British soldiers served in the British Indian Army, and their participation had a profound cultural impact: news of Indian soldiers fighting and dying alongside British troops, as well as news from countries like Canada and Australia, traveled far and wide across the world through the new medium of newsprint and radio. This raised India's international profile, and it continued to rise throughout the 1920s. This led to, among other things, India becoming a founding member of the League of Nations in 1920 under its own name and participating in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp under the name "Les Indes Anglaises" (British India). Back in India, this led to calls for greater self-government for Indians, particularly among leaders of the Indian National Congress.

The 1916 Lucknow session of the Congress was also the occasion of a sudden reconciliation between the Congress and the Muslim League, sparked by the wartime alliance between Germany and Turkey. Because the Ottoman Sultan retained control of Islamic holy sites like Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem, and because the British and their allies were now at odds with the Ottoman Empire, some Indian Muslims began to doubt British "religious neutrality," a doubt already evident after the reunification of Bengal in 1911, a decision seen as detrimental to Muslims. In the Lucknow Pact, the League supported the Congress proposal for greater self-government, put forward by Tilak and his supporters; in return, Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims in the provincial legislatures as well as the Imperial Legislative Council. In 1916, the Muslim League had 500 to 800 members and in subsequent years, it lost much influence among Indian Muslims. Within the League, the pact was not fully accepted, as it was negotiated by a group of "Young Party" Muslims from the United Provinces (UP), notably the brothers Mohammad and Shaukat Ali, who supported a pan-Islamic cause. It received support from Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a young lawyer from Bombay who later played a leadership role in the League and the Indian independence movement. In later years, when the full implications of the pact became clear, it was seen as more beneficial to the Muslim minority elite in provinces like UP and Bihar than to the Muslim majority in Punjab and Bengal. At the time, the "Lucknow Pact" was a significant milestone in the nationalist movement, and the British also recognized it as such.

Jyotirao Phule - A great social reformer, Early Life, social activism and Establishment of Satyashodhak Samaj.

Jyotirao Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890), also known as Jyotiba Phule, was an Indian social activist, businessman, anti-caste social reformer, and writer from Maharashtra.

His work spanned many areas, including the abolition of untouchability and the caste system, and his efforts to educate women and the oppressed. He and his wife, Savitribai Phule, were pioneers of women's education in India. Phule started his first school for girls in 1848 at Tatyasaheb Bhide's home, or Bhidewada, in Pune. Together with his followers, he founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers) to advance equal rights for the lower castes. People of all religions and castes could join this association, which worked for the welfare of the oppressed.

Phule is considered a key figure in the social reform movement in Maharashtra. The word Mahatma was first used in 1888 at a special function organised in his honour in Mumbai.

 

Early Life of Jyotirao Phule

Jyotirao Phule, also known as Jyotiba Phule, was born in 1827 into a Hindu gardener family in Satara district. Gardeners traditionally cultivated fruits and vegetables. Among the four varnas of the caste system, they were considered Shudras. Phule was named after the Hindu deity Jyotiba. He was born on the day of Jyotiba's annual fair. Phule's family name was originally Gorhe, and it originated in Katgun village, near Satara city. Phule's great-grandfather, who worked there as a chaugula, or minor village official, moved to Khanwadi in Pune district. There, his only son, Shetiba, plunged the family into poverty. The family, which included three sons, moved to Pune in search of employment. The boys were taken in by a florist, who taught them the secrets of the trade. Their skill in growing and arranging flowers became renowned, and they adopted the name Phule (flower-man) instead of Gorhe. He was so impressed by Peshwa Bajirao II's commission to make flower cushions and other items for royal court ceremonies that he granted him 35 acres of land tax-free under the inam system. The eldest brother plotted to gain sole control of the property, allowing the younger two siblings, Jyotirao Phule's father, Govindrao, to continue farming and selling flowers.

Govindrao married Chimnabai and had two sons, of whom Jyotirao was the youngest. Chimnabai died before he was a year old. At that time, education was not valued highly in the backward Mali community, so after attending primary school, where he learned the basics of reading, writing, and math, Jyotirao was taken out by his father. He joined other family members in both the shop and the fields. However, a man from Phule's own Mali caste recognized his intelligence and convinced his father to allow him to study at the local Scottish Mission High School. Phule completed his English schooling in 1847. As was customary, he was married at the young age of 13 to a girl from the Mali community chosen by his father.

A turning point in his life came in 1848, when he attended the wedding of a Brahmin friend. Phule joined the wedding procession as was customary, but his friend's parents later scolded and insulted him for doing so. They told him that, being from the Shudra caste, he should have stayed away from the ritual. This incident had a profound impact on him and shaped his understanding of the injustices inherent in the caste system.

Jyotirao Phule's social activism

Education

In 1848, at the age of 21, Phule attended a girls' school in Ahmednagar run by Christian missionary Cynthia Farrar. He also read Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man" in 1848, which instilled in him a deep sense of social justice. He realized that oppressed castes and women were marginalized in Indian society, and that education for these communities was essential for their emancipation. To this end, that same year, Phule first taught his wife, Savitribai, to read and write, and later, the couple opened the first indigenous school for girls in Pune. He also taught his sister, Sagunabai Kshirsagar (his aunt's daughter), to write Marathi alongside Savitribai. Pune's traditional upper-caste society disapproved of his work, but many Indians and Europeans wholeheartedly supported him. The conservatives in Pune even forced him to isolate himself from his family and community. During this time, his friend Usman Sheikh and his sister Fatima Sheikh gave him shelter. They also helped him start a school at their home. Later, the Phule couple started schools for children from the then-untouchable castes, such as the Mahar and the Mang. In 1852, three Phule schools were operating, enrolling 273 girls, but by 1858, they all closed. Eleanor Zelliot attributes these closures to the decline in private European donations due to the 1857 rebellion, the withdrawal of government aid, and Jyotirao's resignation from the school management committee due to differences over the curriculum.

Women's welfare

He saw young widows with their heads shaved and no joy in life. Seeing these social evils that fueled discrimination, he decided to educate women. He started with his wife. Every afternoon, Jyotirao would sit with his wife, Savitribai Phule, and teach her while she went to the fields where he worked and brought him food. He sent his wife to receive training at a school. In 1848, the couple opened India's first girls' school in Vishrambagh Wada, Pune.

He supported the remarriage of widows and, in 1863, started a home for pregnant widows from wealthy castes to give birth in a safe place. His orphanage was established in an effort to reduce the rate of child murder.

In 1863, a horrific incident occurred in Pune. A Brahmin widow named Kashibai became pregnant, and her attempts at abortion failed. After giving birth, she killed the child and threw it into a well, but her deed was discovered. She was convicted and imprisoned. This deeply saddened Phule, and so, together with his old friend Sadashiv Ballal Govande and Savitribai, he started an infanticide prevention center. Pamphlets advertising the center were posted throughout Pune, stating: "Widows, come here and give up your child safely and secretly. It is your choice whether you want to keep the child at the center or take it with you. This orphanage will care for the children." The Phule couple ran the infanticide prevention center until the mid-1880s.

Phule tried to eradicate the stigma of social untouchability associated with oppressed castes by opening his home and the use of his water well to members of oppressed castes.

Views on religion and caste

Phule appealed for the restoration of the rule of the great Mahabali, which predated the "treacherous overthrow of the Aryans." He presented his own version of the Aryan Invasion Theory, arguing that the Aryan conquerors of India, whom the theory's proponents considered racially superior, were actually brutal oppressors of the native inhabitants. He believed that they established the caste system as a framework of slavery and social division, ensuring the dominance of their Brahmin successors. He also viewed the subsequent Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent as oppressive foreign rule, but was emboldened by the arrival of the British, whom he considered more intelligent and who did not support the varna system introduced and recreated by those previous invaders. In his book, Gulamgiri, he thanked Christian missionaries and British colonialists for making the oppressed castes realize that they deserved all human rights. The book, "Slavery," addressed women, caste, and reform, and was dedicated to those working to abolish slavery in the US.

Phule considered the incarnations of Vishnu to be symbols of oppression caused by the Aryan conquest and revered Mahabali as a hero. His criticism of the caste system began with an attack on the Vedas, the most fundamental Hindu texts. He considered them a form of false consciousness.

He is credited with coining the Marathi term "Dalit" for those outside the traditional caste system.

At an Education Commission hearing in 1882, Phule appealed for help in educating the lower castes. To achieve this, he advocated making primary education compulsory in villages. He also demanded special incentives to attract more lower castes to high schools and colleges.

Establishment of Satyashodhak Samaj

On September 24, 1873, Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj to focus on the rights of oppressed groups such as women, Shudras, and Dalits. Through this society, he opposed idol worship and criticized the caste system. The Satyashodhak Samaj campaigned to spread rational thinking and rejected the need for priests.

Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj with the ideals of human well-being, happiness, unity, equality, and simple religious principles and customs. A Pune-based newspaper, Dinabandhu, voiced the Samaj's views.

The Samaj's members included Muslims, Brahmins, and government officials. Phule's own Mali caste provided a significant number of members and financial supporters for the organization.

Biography of Savitribai Phule | Savitribai Phule's social work, Early life, Education, career and Personal life.

 

Savitribai Phule (3 January 1831 – 10 March 1897) was an Indian educator, social reformer, and poet, considered the first female teacher of modern India. Along with her husband, Jyotiba Phule, she played a key role in advancing women's rights and education in Maharashtra, leaving a legacy that influenced social reform movements across India. She is also considered a pioneer of India's feminist movement, working to eliminate discrimination and mistreatment based on caste and gender. Savitribai Phule and her husband were pioneers in women's education in India. In 1848, they opened their first school for girls, known as Bhide Wada, at Tatyasaheb Bhide's home in Pune. Later, she co-founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (meaning "Society of Truth Seekers") in 1873 and led its women's wing.

Born and raised in the Mali community, Savitribai was married to Jyotirao Phule at a young age and was initially illiterate. Her education began with homeschooling by her husband and later under the supervision of Sakharam Yashwant Paranjpe and Keshav Shivram Bhawalkar. She received teacher training in Pune and Ahilyanagar and became India's first professionally trained female headmistress and teacher. In 1848, together with Jyotirao and Sagunabai Kshirsagar, she opened the country's first girls' school in Bhidewada, Pune, despite strong opposition from society, offering a progressive syllabus in math, science, and social studies.

Savitribai's career is marked by her persistent efforts to advance the education of girls and marginalized communities. By 1851, she and Jyotirao ran three girls' schools in Pune, each with approximately 150 students. She opened a total of 18 schools, as well as initiatives such as the "Mahila Seva Mandal" to promote women's rights in 1851 and the "Bal Hatya Nivarak Gruha" (a center to prevent the killing of children) for widows in 1853. Savitribai's literary contributions include Kavya Phule (1854) and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (1892). She died of bubonic plague in 1897. Today, her legacy as the "Mother of Modern Education in India" lives on, remembered through monuments, the names of institutions, and cultural events.

Early life

Savitribai Phule was born on January 3, 1831, in Naigaon village, Satara district, Maharashtra. She was the youngest of four children of Lakshmi and Khandoji Nevse Patil, both of whom belonged to the Mali community. Savitribai married her husband, Jyotirao Phule, at the age of nine, when he was 13.

Savitribai Phule's education

Savitribai was illiterate at the time of her marriage. She was educated at home by her husband and her mother, Sagunabai Shirsagar, while working in the fields. After completing her primary education from Jyotirao, she continued her studies under the guidance of her friends, Sakharam Yashwant Paranjpe and Keshav Shivram Bhawalkar. In 1846–47, she passed her third and fourth-year exams from an English school, and that same year, she helped Sagunabai open a school for backward communities in Maharwada. She enrolled in two teacher training programs: the first at an institution run by American missionary Cynthia Farrar in Ahmednagar, and the second at a normal school in Pune. Savitribai became India's first trained female teacher and headmistress.

Educational Career of Savitribai Phule

After completing her teacher training, Savitribai Phule began teaching girls in Pune. She did so with Sagunabai Kshirsagar, Jyotirao Phule's sister. Jyotirao Phule was a revolutionary feminist and Jyotirao's mentor. In January 1848, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule, along with Sagunabai, started their own school in Bhidewada, which became India's first girls' school. Bhidewada was the home of Tatya Saheb Bhide, who was inspired by the trio's work. According to some sources, the school initially had nine girls and later grew to 25. Bhidewada's curriculum included a traditional Western curriculum of math, science, and social studies. Due to social opposition and isolation from the orthodox community, Phule moved to the home of his friend Usman Sheikh. There, Savitribai Phule and Usman's sister, Fatima Sheikh, continued their efforts to educate the girls in the neighborhood.

By the end of 1851, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule were running three separate schools for girls in Pune. The three schools combined had approximately 150 students. Like the curriculum, the teaching methods at all three schools differed from those used in government schools. Author Divya Kandukuri believes that Phule's methods were considered superior to those used in government schools. Because of the name, the number of girls studying in Phule's schools exceeded the number of boys attending government schools.

Unfortunately, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule's success faced considerable opposition from conservative locals. Kandukuri says that Savitribai often carried an extra sari to school because her conservative opponents would attack her with stones, cow dung, and abuse. Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule lived at Jyotirao's father's house. However, in 1849, Jyotirao's father asked the couple to leave because their work was considered sinful according to the Manusmriti and related Brahmin texts.

After leaving Jyotirao's father's house, the Phule family moved in with the family of Jyotirao's friend, Usman Sheikh. It was there that Savitribai met Fatima Begum Sheikh, who would become her close friend and colleague. According to Nasreen Syed, a well-known expert on Sheikh, "Fatima Sheikh already knew how to read and write, so her brother Usman, a friend of Jyotirao's, encouraged Fatima to pursue a teacher training course. She went to normal school with Savitribai, and they graduated together. They were the first Muslim women teachers in India." Fatima and Savitribai opened a school in the Sheikh's home in 1849.

In the 1850s, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule played a key role in starting two educational trusts: the Native Male School, Pune, and the Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs, and Others. These two trusts incorporated several schools, led by Savitribai Phule and later Fatima Sheikh. In an interview with the Christian missionary magazine Gyanodaya on September 15, 1853, Jyotirao spoke about Savitribai and his work, saying, "I realized that the education a child receives from its mother is very important and good. Therefore, those who care about the happiness and well-being of this country must pay attention to the condition of women and do their best to educate them if they want the country to progress. With this thought in mind, I first started a school for girls. But my caste brothers did not like that I was educating girls, and my own father expelled us from the house. No one was willing to provide space for the school, nor did we have the money to build it." People were reluctant to send their children to school, but Lahuji Ragh Raut Mang and Ranba Mahar explained the benefits of education to their caste members.

Together with her husband, she taught children from different castes and opened a total of 18 schools. In 1852, three Phule schools were operating, enrolling 273 girls, but by 1858, they had all closed. Eleanor Zelliot attributes these closures to the 1857 rebellion, the withdrawal of government aid, and Jyotirao's resignation from the school management committee due to differences over curriculum. In 1863, the Phule couple, along with their old friend Sadashiv Ballal Govande, started a child murder prevention center called the Bal Hatya Pravartak Griha, primarily for pregnant widows. Pamphlets advertising the center were pasted around Pune, reading: "Widows, come here and give birth to your child safely and secretly. It is your choice whether you want to keep the child at the center or take it with you. This orphanage will care for the children." The Phule couple ran the infanticide prevention centre until the mid-1880s.

Personal Life

Savitribai and Jyotirao had no children of their own. It is said that they adopted Yashwantrao, the son of a Brahmin widow. However, there is currently no definitive evidence for this. It is said that when Yashwantrao was ready for marriage, he had difficulty finding a suitable partner because he was born to a widow. Therefore, Savitribai is believed to have arranged his marriage to the daughter of Dinoba Sasane, a worker in her organization, in February 1889.

Death

In 1897, Savitribai and her adopted son, Yashwant, opened a clinic in the area around Nalasopara to treat those affected by the third global pandemic, the bubonic plague. This clinic was located on the southern outskirts of Pune, in an area free of the infection. Savitribai lost her life while valiantly trying to save the son of Pandurang Babaji Gaekwad. When she learned that Babaji Gaekwad's son had contracted the plague in the Mahar settlement outside Mundhwa, Savitribai Phule rushed to his aid and took him to the hospital. Meanwhile, Savitribai contracted the plague and died at 9:00 pm on March 10, 1897.