Itihaas Gawaah Hai

We discuss the challenge of ensuring the unity of a nation with 22 official languages and the discussion and debates revolving around it. We also discuss the idea of social justice and the steps taken to ensure it post-independence India.

In this episode, we delve into the challenge of securing economic, social, and cultural justice for our country's people, including farmers, laborers, women, and lower castes who have suffered greatly throughout colonial times. We examine how our constitution was designed to ensure that political freedom envisions a path to social and economic justice for the masses.

We discuss 2 out of the 7 big topics that India as a newly independent nation faced post-independence. We discuss the impact of the Refugee Crisis and partition riots on our constitution, people, and foreign policy and we talk about the accession of princely and their merging into the Union of India. 

In this episode, we discuss in detail the international, national, and British context due to which the British decided to leave India. We also discuss the key events that led to India's independence and the unfortunate reality of partition and the formation of Pakistan.

We assess the impact of World War II on British policy and the national movement. We look at Quit India Movement in the context of the growing demands by Congress to provide more control and participation in decision-making. We discuss the August Proposal and Cripps Mission in this context. 

In this episode, we discuss the environment in the 1930s, during which communalist awareness and fire became more extensive and laid the base for the unfortunate reality of partition.

In this episode, we discuss the 1935 Government of India Act by focusing on some key clauses of the act. We will discuss the internal tug-of-war between the left wing and right wing within Congress on the issue of participating in the 1937 elections. Finally, we will discuss the achievements and limitations of the governments formed in 6-8 provinces after the elections. 

In this episode, we discuss how the Congress socialist party formed to push the ideas of socialism within Congress and helped organize peasant and worker movements under the aegis of Congress. We discuss the Karachi, Lucknow, Faizpur, and Haripura sessions of Congress that were influenced by socialist ideas. We discuss the Tripuri Session of Congress and the separation between S C Bose and INC. 

We talk about the rise of socialism and communism in the context of various national and international influences. We discuss Marxism, Socialism, and forms of socialism and communism. We use the context to understand the formation of CPI by MN Roy and the progress and limitations of the CPI. 

We discuss the revolutionary nationalist activities in the 1930s and the ideas of Bhagat Singh. We also discuss the influence of socialist and communist ideals on Revolutionary Nationalism and their contribution to the national movement. 

In this episode, we discuss how the great depression exposed the deficiencies of capitalism and its impact on different social classes and the psyche of people in third-world countries and colonies across the world. In that context, we discuss Civil Disobedience Movement and Gandhi-Irwin pact. We talk about the second roundtable conference and the communal award aimed at providing separate elector...

In this episode, we discuss the broadening base of the Indian National Movement that saw participation and increased activity from farmers across the country. We also discuss the labor strikes and trade unions as the result of awareness of the socialist and communist ideas. We discuss the work done for the upliftment of untouchables and lower caste and their participation in the national movement....

In this episode, we discuss the phase between 1924-29. We discuss how Gandhi dedicates 4-5 to spreading creative village programs across the villages of India, which plays a role in broadening the base of Congress. We also discuss the constitutional politics of the Swaraj party. We talk about the Simon Commission and how its opposition led to Nehru Report, which the All India Muslim League opposes...

In this episode, we discuss the context behind the Khilafat Movement and the inclusion of Khilafat as an agenda item along with Swaraj and justice for Punjab wrongs. We discuss how although the short-term idea was to bring Hindus and Muslims together to fight against the imperial power, in the long-term it strengthened the staunch elements within All India Muslim League and pushed the non-communal...

We look at Gandhi's initial movements conducted personally, which exposed the national leaders and common people across the country to his methods. These initial strikes and demands and the non-violent civil disobedience approach helped set the base for future movements. They laid the foundations for his rapid rise in the national movement. 

In this episode, we focus on the rapid rise of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in the Indian National Movement and the factors behind it. We analyze it in the context of World War I, in the context of the politics and prevalent political instruments of that time, and in the context of the low-energy phase of Congress, which seemed a little helter-skelter. 

In this episode, we discuss the impact of WWI on the Indian Nationalist movement. We discuss the Ghadar Movement and its contributions to the nationalist movement and to revolutionary nationalism. We also discuss the Home Rule Movement led by Tilak and Annie Besant and the role it played in making Swaraj the key demand. These movements provided energy to the national movement at the time when Cong...

In this episode, we discussed the Shimla Delegation of 1906 and the formation of Muslim League in the same year. We discuss how different elements and events such as Morley-Minto Reform of 1909, Partition of Bengal proposal of 1905, Lucknow Pack of 1916 played a role in deepening the communal consciousness in the National Movement. 

We discuss the idea of communalism and how it took birth and grew as a parallel thread to nationalism in the Indian national movement. We discuss the reasons behind the rise of communal awareness on both Hindu and Muslim sides. We also discuss the role of British policy in the rise of communalism.

This episode discusses the split in congress between Moderates and Extremists leadership after the Surat session in 1907. We also discuss the impact of the split and the change in policies of the British, and the rise of Revolutionary Nationalism to fill the vacuum, and keep the nationalistic fervor alive.  

These episodes cover the period from 1895 - 1911. We discuss how Lord Curzon's policy unknowingly provided inspiration and a new direction to the Nationalist Movement. We explore the difference between the point of view and politics of Moderates and Extremists. We also discuss Swadeshi Movement in the larger context of the extremist phase of Congress.

We discuss the formation of the Indian National Congress,  the 'safety-valve' theory, and the moderate phase of the Indian National Congress. We discuss the social base of congress at this time, which was largely elite, and thus it impacted the issues they raised with the British Government. 

This episode discusses the reform movements led by Islamic leaders and their impact on the national movement. I also discuss why women's issues were key agenda items during this time and the three phases of the women's reform movement in the national conversation. 

This episode covers one of the four threads of reform movements.  Hindu Reform Movements  Muslim Reform Movements  Women Empowerment  Caste Reform We discuss the contributions of Raja Ram Mohun Roy, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, and Swami Vivekanands.

In the previous three episodes, we covered the idea of Indian Nationalism,  farmer, and tribal movements as a part of proto-nationalism, and the War of India's Independence of 1857.  This episode focuses on the Social and Religious reform movement that gave rise to Modern Indian Nationalism and became the root of the rise of the Indian National Congress. We discuss the reasons, limitations, a...