History

  The Governor-General of Bengal was re-designated as the Governor-General of India. This made Lord William Bentinck the first Governor-General of India. Thus, the country’s administration was unified under one control. The Governors of Bombay and Madras lost their legislative powers. The Governor-General had legislative powers over entire British India. The Governor-General in council had … Read more

Vikramashila was one of the two most important centres of learning in India during the Pala Empire, along with Nalanda. Vikramashila was established by King Dharmapala (783 to 820) in response to a supposed decline in the quality of scholarship at Nalanda. Atisha, the renowned pandita, is sometimes listed as a notable abbot. It was … Read more

The Battle of Saragarhi occurred on 12 September 1897 and was fought between 10,000 Orakzai and Afghan tribesmen and just 21 soldiers of the 4th Battalion of the British India’s Sikh Regiment.All 21 Sikhs chose to defend their army post, instead of choosing to surrender.The UK parliament gave all the brave Sikh soldiers a standing … Read more

The British historians have treated the great uprising of 1857 as a sepoy mutiny. On the other hand, the staunch patriotic and nationalist Indian writers & historians regard the Revolt of 1857 as the First War of Indian Independence. It was the result of the century-old British rule in India. In comparison to the previous … Read more

During the revolt in Delhi, the local infantry killed their own European officers including Simon Fraser, the political agent, and seized the city. Lieutenant Willoughby, the officer-in- charge of the magazine at Delhi, offered some resistance, but was overcome. The aged and powerless Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed the Emperor of India. Delhi was soon … Read more

1918-1924: The early trade union phase This period marked the birth of true trade union movement in India. It was organised along the lines of unions in the industrialised world. The deteriorated living conditions caused by the first world war and the exposure with the outside world resulted in heightened class consciousness amongst the workers. … Read more

Cripps Mission was deputed by British parliament in early 1942 to contain the political crisis obtained in India. The mission was headed by Sir Stafford Cripps, a Cabinet Minister. Cripps, a radical member of the Labour Party and the then Leader of the House of Commons, was known as a strong supporter of Indian national … Read more

Gandhi returned to India in January 1915. His efforts in South Africa were well known not only among the educated but also among the masses. Gandhi was requested by Rajkumar Shukla, a local man, to look into the problems of the farmers in context of indigo planters of Champaran in Bihar. The European planters had … Read more

Arya Samaj,founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati on April 10, 1875 in Bombay (now Mumbai), is a social reform movement. Contrary to some misconceptions, it is not a religion or a new sect in Hindu religion. Swami Dayanand brought together a number of concerned members of the society to eliminate the ills prevalent within the Hindu … Read more

. The Gandhi-Irwin pact was criticised by radical nationalists, for Gandhiji was unable to  obtain from the Viceroy a commitment to political independence for Indians; he could obtain merely an  assurance of talks towards that possible end. It was organised even as many Congress leaders opposed  the Gandhi-Irwin pact, for the government had not accepted … Read more