{"id":59410,"date":"2025-11-19T19:23:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T13:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=59410"},"modified":"2025-11-20T11:39:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T06:09:45","slug":"national-pledge-colonial-mindset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-11-2025\/national-pledge-colonial-mindset","title":{"rendered":"PM Modi Urges 10-year National Pledge to Shed Colonial Mindset\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Modern History<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged a national resolve to<strong> shed the Macaulay mindset<\/strong>, launching a <strong>10-year mission<\/strong> to reverse the <strong>colonial-era impact of the 1835 education overhaul.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In every country people take <strong>pride in their historical heritage,<\/strong> while <strong>post-Independence India <\/strong>witnessed efforts to disown its own legacy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PM Modi noted that nations such as <strong>Japan and South Korea<\/strong> did adopt Western ideas but<strong> remained rooted in their own languages. <\/strong>This was a balance India\u2019s <strong>new education policy also seeks to encourage.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PM Modi asserted that the evils and societal afflictions introduced by Macaulay <strong>must be eradicated in the coming decade.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the \u201cColonial Mindset\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The cumulative effect of British rule created a mindset marked by:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Admiration for Western norms, governance, knowledge, and lifestyle;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Undervaluation of Indian culture, language, scientific traditions;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dependence on external validation;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Internalisation of racial and cultural inferiority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Education in pre-colonial India <\/strong>was characterised by a segmentation along religious and caste lines, under the <strong>Gurukul system.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Gurukul system favoured <strong>traditional knowledge and spiritual development.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Women, lower castes and other underprivileged people were often barred from accessing education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Initially, the East India Company assumed <strong>only minimal responsibility for education in India<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, individual officials such as <strong>Warren Hastings, Sir William Jones, and Jonathan Duncan<\/strong> were deeply interested in India\u2019s ancient and medieval knowledge systems.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Their initiatives led to the establishment of early <strong>Oriental institutions<\/strong>\u2014most notably the <strong>Calcutta Madrasa (1781), the Asiatic Society of Calcutta (1784), and the Sanskrit College at Benares (1791)<\/strong>. These were personal scholarly efforts rather than a formal educational policy of the Company.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Downward Filtration Theory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800\u20131859) <\/strong>was a British historian, politician, and member of the Governor-General\u2019s Council in India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Macaulay\u2019s Minute on Indian Education (1835): Macaulay <\/strong>advocated for the creation of a pool of Indians <strong>capable of serving British interests.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This group would be Indian by blood and colour, but English by tastes, opinions, morals and intellect.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Entry into this group would be <strong>limited to only a few Indians,<\/strong> who would then <strong>educate the rest of the population<\/strong> according to Macaulay\u2019s controversial <strong>Downward Filtration Theory.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Post Direct Crown Rule:<\/strong> After the British Crown took over from the Company following the <strong>revolt of 1857, Viceroy Lord Mayo<\/strong> made an assessment of India&#8217;s educational policy.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He found that the British were educating a few hundred Babus at a great expense, who would then do nothing toward extending knowledge to the millions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Viceroy Lord Mayo prioritised the <strong>recommendations of the 1854 \u2018Wood\u2019s Despatch,\u2019<\/strong> which called for the spread of education in both English and vernacular languages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How British Rule Created a Colonial Mindset in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Imposition of English Education: <\/strong>Education promoted Western sciences and humanities while delegitimising Indian knowledge systems, languages, and philosophies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Produced an elite class that saw British culture as superior and Indian traditions as \u201cbackward.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Undermining of Indian Institutions &amp; Traditions: <\/strong>Ancient Indian systems of governance, jurisprudence, village self-rule, and indigenous medicine were portrayed as irrational, outdated, or superstitious.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Racial Hierarchy and Social Conditioning: <\/strong>The British propagated the idea of the \u201cWhite Man\u2019s Burden,\u201d portraying themselves as racially superior and Indians as incapable of self-rule.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Segregation in clubs, rail compartments, and residential areas reinforced racial superiority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Westernized Urban Culture: <\/strong>Urban Indians began to equate English language, dress, manners, social behaviour with modernity and prestige.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Access to jobs, courts, and higher education became linked to English literacy, marginalizing vernacular cultures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Policies Leading to Psychological Dependency: <\/strong>Deindustrialisation and drain of wealth impoverished India, making British technology, capital, and institutions appear indispensable.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Indians began to see economic progress only through Western models, undermining indigenous entrepreneurship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government of India\u2019s Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reforming Colonial Laws &amp; Criminal Justice System: <\/strong>Indian Penal Code was replaced by Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), CrPC as Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Indian Evidence Act to Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The aim is to shift from colonial \u201cruler\u2019s policing\u201d to citizen-centric justice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: <\/strong>It moves away from Macaulay\u2019s rote-learning model.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Emphasises on Indian knowledge systems (IKS), classical languages, and critical thinking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promotes mother-tongue\/ regional language as medium of instruction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New Curriculum Framework (2023):<\/strong> It has integrated<strong> <\/strong>Indian philosophy, culture, mathematics, sciences into school textbooks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Yoga Day:<\/strong> The UN General Assembly in 2014, unanimously adopted a resolution for observing <strong>21st June every year as the International Day of Yoga.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Recognition:<\/strong> The Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization has established the <strong>World&#8217;s first and the only Global Traditional Medicine Centre<\/strong> (WHO GTMC) in Jamnagar, India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promoting Regional Language: <\/strong>Greater use of Indian languages in Parliament, judiciary, and government administration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/25-06-2022\/mission-karmayogi\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/25-06-2022\/mission-karmayogi\">Mission Karmayogi (2020)<\/a>: <\/strong>Moving bureaucracy from colonial command-control culture to citizen-centric service orientation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/upsc-current-affairs\/upsc-essentials\/knowledge-nugget-macaulay-minute-on-indian-education-pm-modi-upsc-exam-10372250\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged a national resolve to shed the Macaulay mindset, launching a 10-year mission to reverse the colonial-era impact of the 1835 education overhaul.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>About<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In every country people take pride in their historical heritage, while post-Independence India witnessed efforts to disown its own legacy.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">PM Modi noted that nations such as Japan and South Korea did adopt Western ideas but remained rooted in their own languages. This was a balance India\u2019s new education policy also seeks to encourage.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">PM Modi asserted that the evils and societal afflictions introduced by Macaulay must be eradicated in the coming decade.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-11-2025\/national-pledge-colonial-mindset\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59410"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59488,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59410\/revisions\/59488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}