In 1947, British India was divided into two dominions: India – a secular state with a predominantly Hindu population – and Muslim Pakistan. The partition was carried out in accordance with the “Mountbatten Plan” on the basis of the religious affiliation of millions of inhabitants of the former colony (Schmidt, 122). The context here was a sharp confrontation between the Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims who inhabited British India, which was further fueled by the British (Bloomberg Quicktake: Originals: Why India’s Mix of Nationalism and Religion Can Be Deadly, 3:55). Thus, the implementation of the “Mountbatten plan” only confirmed the significant influence of the religious factor in determining the political and socio-economic future of India (Schmidt, 122). However, while one can argue that historical religious practices, indeed, deeply affect Indian society even today, British colonialism still had a more prominent impact on it.
Hinduism has a significant influence on the everyday life of an orthodox Hindu: on his thinking, behavior, and value orientations. The ancient Indian treatises Dharma-Shastras contain a set of rules of conduct for every Hindu who cannot neglect the performance of the rites that are mandatory for his caste. Dharma, or the rites and rituals of the upper and middle castes, differ from the dharma of the lower castes and untouchables. The caste system strictly regulated the social order of ancient India (Khan Academy: Varnas and the Caste System, 0:10). Although the caste system is abolished by the Indian Constitution, in real life, it continues to persist almost everywhere (Bloomberg Quicktake: Originals: The Man Challenging India’s Caste System, 1:23). Therefore, it should be noted that religion has a prominent place in the Indian society even though India is a secular state.
The beginning of the reformation of Hinduism and thus the Indian social order, however, was laid by the activity of the Bengali thinker R. M. Roy (1772-1833) in the nineteenth century – the first half of the twentieth century. In Hinduism, there was a whole complex of phenomena connected with the reformation process, but ultimately, it was majorly led by British colonialism. The motive was the British conquest and establishment of the East India Company and the British crown in power (TRT World: India’s Colonial History, 1:20). The transformation of India into a modern economy began as the railways, canals, roads, and other structures were established (Daily Dose Documentary: British Imperialism in India, 2:34). Then, the spread of the culture and religion of the British occurred, which influenced the representatives of the higher castes – the Brahmins and Kshatriyas, the landed aristocracy, and the priestly elite.
Under these conditions, the first attempts to reform Hinduism began to be made through the influence of Western standards. For example, according to the appeals of the reformers, the colonial authorities banned the cruel custom of sati – the self-immolation of widows, persecuted the murder of newborn girls, and limited child marriages. Missionaries intensified their activity in converting representatives of the lower castes and untouchables to Christianity, which posed a direct threat to the priesthood (Jeffrey, 163). Members of the higher strata of the Hindu community began to show interest in Christianity and Western liberal ideas (Jeffrey, 164). After India gained independence in 1947, it began to form a centrally planned economy to compete with regional and global leaders (Global Economics: The Indian Economy- Next Big Shot?, 1:30). The society transformed from a religion-led order to a more structured one, based on the distribution of power between dedicated non-religiously affiliated branches.
British colonialism played a major role in shaping contemporary India. While its influence is largely considered controversial, it still led Indian society through a set of important reformations and changes. While historical religious practices such as Hinduism continue to remain highly relevant to society, their influence has been steadily decreasing among the majority of the now diversified population. Thus, it can be concluded that British colonialism had a more significant impact on the development of India than native religion.
References
Bloomberg Quicktake: Originals. (2021a). The man challenging India’s caste system. YouTube. Web.
Bloomberg Quicktake: Originals. (2021b). Why India’s mix of nationalism and religion can be deadly. YouTube. Web.
Daily Dose Documentary. (2022). British imperialism in India. YouTube. Web.
Global Economics. (2021). The Indian economy – next big shot? YouTube. Web.
Jeffrey, C. (2017). Modern India: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
Khan Academy. (2017). Varnas and the caste system. YouTube. Web.
Schmidt, K. J. (1995). An atlas and survey of South Asian history. Sharpe.
TRT World. (2021). India’s colonial history. YouTube. Web.