Explain any five usages that the novels served in India.
IN India, many novels were written for glorification of India’s past, to create a sense of national pride among people and a sense of collective belongings.
- Many novels were written in all the main Indian languages, in different parts of the country, that helped in the growth of national feelings among the readers of the entire nation and propagated the idea of uprooting the foreign rule.
- Some of the greatest novelists of modern India were protagonists of the national movement like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. He infused the ideas of nationalism and freedom from colonial rule in novels like ‘Anandmath’ and “Kapalkundala’. Several other novelists wrote for the same cause.
- In Bengal, many historical novels were written about Marathas and Rajputs. These novels portrayed the nation to be full of adventure, heroism, romance and sacrifice. Bankim’s ‘Anandmath’ is a novel about secret Hindu militia, which fights Muslims to establish a Hindu kingdom. This novel inspired many kinds of freedom fighters.
- The novels also helped in the national building process by taking up the cause of the poor and downtrodden people, women and such sections of society who were being exploited by rich aristocratic people.
- Novels also attacked a social superiority of the English people who regarded the Indian culture as inferior. Novels took up the cause of nationalism and urged the people to be true to their culture and fight for the freedom of their country.