8th Class Social Science Expansion Company and Bengal Nawabs Notes - Colonialism and Urban Change

 

 Colonialism and Urban Change

 

 

The British came to India as traders and gradually became the rulers of India. During their rule, they brought about many changes. They built big cities to glorify their power. However, some cities suffered a decline while other like Delhi were completely transformed during and after the British rule.

 

Colonialism had its impact on the Indian cities as well. But the impact varied from city to city. Some cities declined whereas others flourished. Industrialisation had led to urbanisation in the west. However, this was not so for India.

 

CHANGING FORTUNES OF CITIES

 

The Presidency cities like-Calcutta, Madras and Bombay became very important and developed rapidly during the British period. Calcutta became a colonial metropolis. Both, the British and the indigenous elite contributed to the growth of the city. With further British expansion, it became the capital of the British Empire in India. Bombay became a major commercial and industrial centre. Madras was an important hub in South India. The British chose it because it provided a natural harbor which gave easy access to the maritime trade. Earlier, town?s like-Dacca, Mushidabad, Ahemdabad, Masulipatnam, Chanderi and many others were flourishing centres of the textile industry. These declined because there was a demand for cheap British made goods. New ports like Bombay gained importance and Masulipatnam, an old port declined. Similarly, the capital cities of the rulers whose kingdoms were annexed by the British, declined. Thus, there was widespread de-urbanisation in India.

 

TALE OF A CAPITAL CITY: DELHI

 

Delhi has been the capital of several empires in history. It was built near the river Yamuna. For a period of 1000 years, it has been the site of at least eight capital cities created by different rulers. Many of these capitals were built in a small area of 60 square miles within Delhi. Some of them are reduced to villages today and the ruins act as a testimony of the evolution of times, while some others have been modernized. Although Delhi was destroyed many times, each time a New Delhi arose, right next to the ruins.

 

 

 

MUGHAL CAPITAL?SHAHJAHANABAD

 

Shahjahanabad, the seventeenth century city of Delhi, was built by Shah Jahan between 1639 and 1648. It was the seventh city of Delhi. The city was enclosed by about ten kilometer long wall. It spread out over a large area along the banks of river Yamuna. The city had fourteen gates only four of which exist today.

 

Q.        why do you think Shahjahanabad was built near the River Yamuna?

 

The walled city included broad avenues with water channels, markets, mosques, gardens, houses of the nobility, and the fortified palace known as the Red Fort or Lal Qila. Built of red sandstone, the Red Fort constituted the palace of the emperor and his court. It also housed the administrative officials, a military garrison, the imperial treasury, factories for the manufacture of luxury commodities, and much more. There were elegant mosques, crowded 'nohallas, enchanting bazaars, royal gardens and fountains. Chandni Chowk, a busy marketplace was designed by the Princess Jahanara. This had a canal running down the centre with pools at the intersection. Besides, there were numerous dargahs, idgahs, chowks and cul-e-sacs. The Jama Masjid stands across the road in front of the Red Fort. It is the largest mosque in India and its spacious courtyard can hold up to 25/000 devotees.

 

History Reveals

The celebrated poet Mirza Galib wrote: "If the world is body, Delhi is the soul".

DELHI; BEFORE AND AFTER THE REVOLT OF 1857

 

Though Delhi became a part of the British Empire in 1803, Calcutta continued to be the Imperial capital. The Mughal Emperor was pensioned off but allowed to live in the Red Fort.

 

Delhi a colonial city wasn't the capital of India at the time, but it was an important commercial centre. The king, the seat of power, resided in Delhi. The wealthy people and British lived in the walled city. This was unlike the Presidency cities where the city was divided into two parts- the White Town where the Europeans lived and the Black Town where the Indians lived.

 

 

The British interest in Delhi was immensely increasing. The Delhi College was established in the year, 1792; which is presently known as Zakir Husain Delhi College. It was initially founded as the Madrasa. It became the first centre in Delhi to offer English as a subject. Here all the subjects, even modern science, were taught in Urdu. There was great intellectual development in Urdu as well as English. A member of the faculty of the college bought a small press in 1837 and started 'Delhi Urdu Akhbar', probably the first newspaper in all of north India. Telegraph and photography also began to make their presence felt in the same decades. This period between 1803 and 1857 is known as Delhi Renaissance.

 

The Revolt of 1857 changed the situation. The rebels had proclaimed the aging Bahadur Shah Zafar as the Mughal Emperor of India. Delhi was under the control of the rebels for almost four months. The British recaptured Delhi in mid-September 1857 and the city was set on a course that was to change it forever.

 

History Reveals

The recapture of Delhi is known as the 'Seige of Delhi'.

 

Delhi became a thorn in the eyes of the British. Despite their claims, the British were far from generous in the victory,. A systematic massacre was unleashed upon Delhi. The British were now inside the fort. The Mughal Emperor

 

Bahdur Shah Zafar was arrested and his two sons were publicly executed, bringing an end to the Mughal Dynasty. The British built a military garrison inside the Red Fort and evicted around 3000 people who were living there at that time and destroyed many of the residential palaces. Afraid of another rebellion, the British decided to clear a belt of 500 yard width in front of the Red Fort of all habitation; the residents were given one day to clear out. In the eyes of the British, the Muslims were enemies, so hundreds were driven out of the city and not allowed to return for many years. Mosques were demolished. Prayers were not allowed in Jama Masjid and it was converted into a soldier's camp. The Zeenat-ul-Masjid became a bakery for the British officers. The canals were filled up and parts of the walls of the walled city were destroyed. The gardens were closed. Now, the British residents of Delhi began living in mansions in the Civil Lines area, thus separating themselves from the Indians. The Delhi College was also closed down in 1877.

 

THE IMPERIAL CAPITAL?NEW DELHI

 

The British interest in Delhi was increasing. The British held many durbars after 1857. They were also inventing titles and bestowing gifts, monetary rewards and lands, in return for allegiance during the revolt of 1857. This was done to show off their power. The durbar of 1877 was held in Delhi by Lord Lytton.

 

King George V visited India in 1911 and another Imperial Durbar was organised at Delhi.

 

History Reveals

Electricity arrived when the city was being spruced up for the 1903 durbar and in its wake came the electric tram.

 

 

He announced the shifting of the imperial capital from Calcutta to Delhi. Three days after the announcement to shift the Capital, King George V and Queen Mary laid the foundation stones of the new Capital at   the site of the Coronation Durbar.

 

 

Despite the fact that they had punished Delhi for the rebellion and had moved the capital away from Delhi, they knew that not ruling from Delhi prevented a certain legitimacy that they were seeking and so within 50 odd years of moving the capital out of Delhi, they had to return. Also, the British considered Delhi to be a fine place to declare their seat of power or capital for various reasons. For them, Calcutta was too far. Moreover, the Empire had spread far and wide and a suitable place for capital was essential to control the vast English territory in India. Delhi had been the seat of power earlier and was an important city.

 

 

In the year 1912, the capital of British India had shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. In the same year, the British government set up the Delhi Town Planning Commission. They were to recommend a site for New Delhi and draw a city plan. Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker were the two architects who planned for the layout of New Delhi. They chose Raisina Hill as the appropriate site for New Delhi. The contract of building the city was bestowed on Sobha Singh.

 

 

The construction began after the First World War. By the late 1920s, work was in full swing. The city that began to rise on the plains stretching down from the Raisina Hill was coming up on the land that had been levelled and cleared of all traces of earlier settlements, graves, mausoleums, wells and villages. The new city was unlike any other city that had ever existed in this ancient land.

 

 At the heart of the city was the impressive Viceroy's House, now known as 'Rashtrapati Bhawan'; located on the top of Raisina Hill.

 

 

The King's Way, also known as 'Rajpath' now, connects India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhawan. From the King's Way, roads led up to various administrative blocks. The road crossing at right angle from King's Way was named janpath, which also connected to the Central Business District of Connaught Place. Connaught Place was designed to serve as the commercial and financial centre or the new capital. It had broad avenues lined with trees. There were huge mansions on either side of the roads. There was an excellent water supply, drainage and sewage disposal systems. The city was clean and had many parks with ample greenery. It took nearly 20 years to build New Delhi. It was on 13th February, 1931, that Lord Irwin India's Viceroy, inaugurated New Delhi as the new capital of the country.

 

DELHI AFTER THE PARTITION

 

With independence came partition and with partition came a total transformation in the life of all people living in Delhi. The city experienced some of the worst note and killings.

 

An estimated 25 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims crossed the newly drawn borders to reach their new homelands. Delhi received the highest number of refugees and the population grew rapidly. Many Muslims sought refuge in Purana Qila and Humayun's Tomb-these were the two camps set up for the Muslim refugees. Thousands of Hindus and Sikhs were pouring into Delhi from what is now West Pakistan. They settled in camps across the city or took shelter in other places around the city. These camps later developed into colonies like-Nirankari Colony, Tilak Nagar, Moti Nagar, Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, Lajpat Nagar and Karbala, etc., from the early fifties. The camping site of the refugees from East Pakistan eventually became Chittaranjan Park in the 1970s. Markets, hospitals, schools and colleges came up to meet the increased demand for goods and services. Also, the migrants were different in skills, tastes and occupations. Thus, the culture of Delhi also underwent a change.

 

The Walled City after Independence

New Delhi that had get little to do with Shahjahanabad,   now   increasingly   and disparagingly was called 'Purani' or Old Delhi, which was in a terrible state. The population had increased dramatically over the years. The canals bringing in fresh water to the city was not enough for the population. The drainage was insufficient and needed maintenance. The channels to remove wastes were broken. All this was due to the increased population and the neglect by the government. Some improvements were made by the Delhi Municipal Committee. A surface drainage system was built but that was insufficient. The Government catered to the needs of 'New Delhi' but 'Old Delhi' was neglected.

 

Decline of Havelis and emergence of Bungalows

 

The rich people used to live in grand mansions called hauelis. These were large walled compounds and were homes to large joint families. Each haveli had a beautiful entrance. Inside there was a large courtyard surrounded by public rooms where visitors were made to sit. Only males could go to the public rooms. Around the inner courtyard were the family rooms. Also, there was accommodation for the staff serving the haveli. These havelis were difficult to maintain and slowly got divided amongst the family. Often the front portion was converted into shops or offices. Many havelis were neglected and were in a state of ruin.

 

 

The British preferred to live in Bungalows. These were sprawling, single storied buildings with huge gardens at front. The colonial bungalows were meant for nuclear families but they had ample space inside. There were big balconies, rooms, living room, dining room and kitchen. Servants used to live outside the main building in their quarters.

 

PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF DELHI

 

The Lahore Gate Improvement Scheme was planned by Robert Clarke in the year 1888 for the Walled City residents. The government set up Clarkgunj, a new locality. This was well planned. A new market square was to be developed. The streets were laid out in a grid pattern. This scheme was unsuccessful. The Government conducted the first census in 1931. This showed that Old Delhi was extremely congested. Also, the population in this area was expanding. Thus, the need for improvement was felt. As a result, the Delhi Improvement Trust was set up in 1936.  Housing plans for people of different economic backgrounds was introduced. It built areas like Daryaganj for wealthy Indians. Houses were grouped around parks. Within the houses different members of the same family had their own private spaces within the home.

 

 

Delhi's transition from a city comprising Old Delhi, New Delhi and a handful of villages post- Partition to today's city with global aspirations, has been a fascinating tale of people shaping a city and vice-versa.

 

Around the world

 

 

The arrival of European settlers had a devastating effect on the original inhabitants-the aborigines of Australia. The Europeans brought with them diseases which were unknown to the aborigines, to which they had no natural resistance. Many were killed by the outbreak of diseases such as smallpox. As the number of colonists increased, forcing the aborigines out of their traditional lands, conflict often broke out between the two sides. Thousands of aborigines died in fighting. Gold was discovered in New South Wales and Victoria in 1851. This immediately attracted thousands of gold seekers from the European countries and China. Many of them found nothing and were unable to pay their passage home and settled in Australia.