Page 283 - Communication Processes Volume 3 Communication Culture and Confrontation
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258 Shashi Bhushan Upadhyay
instances, it served to denote the material and moral superiority of
the West and, consequently, the justification for colonial rule over
the supposedly morally degraded and materially deprived subject
people. It was selectively employed in an effort to conquer the minds
of the colonial subjects and to constantly remind them about their
comprehensive inferiority (ranging from intellectual to physical) in
comparison to the hugely successful European civilizations.
In the nineteenth century, colonial intellectuals also imbibed these
ideas and occasionally supported by the colonial rulers launched various
projects of reform aimed at the improvement of the traditional social
order. But modernity remained a problematic notion in the colonial
territory. In Europe, in its fight against the medieval inegalitarian,
superstitious and hierarchical society, it spawned the ideals of
equality, liberty and fraternity. On the other hand, as a vehicle and
tool for colonialism, it helped in undermining the physical and moral
sovereignty of the subject people in the colonies. Its implementation
in the colonial territories remained arbitrary and selective. Early
Indian nationalists, therefore, accused the colonial regime for not
doing enough to enforce modern ideas and institutions, and for failing
to implement the project of modernity. Even those, such as Tilak in
Maharashtra, and Bankim and some Swadeshi enthusiasts in Bengal,
who were opposed to social reform measures, were basically against
the intervention by colonial rulers in the social arena, and not against
the project of modernity as such.
The arrival of Gandhi on the nationalist scene, however, signified
certain paradigmatic shifts. Gandhi, under whose leadership the
mass-oriented phase of the national movement was initiated, was
fundamentally opposed to the modernist vision. About a decade before,
in 1909, he had already attempted a comprehensive critique of the
modern Western civilization in his book Hind Swaraj. Throughout
most of his life he remained a bitter critic of modern institutions and
lifestyles (Chatterjee 1986: 85–128).
Premchand, like many among the Indian intelligentsia, was much
influenced by Gandhi. The latter’s insistence on non-violence and his
criticism of the West, simultaneously implying the moral superiority
of the Eastern culture and civilization, particularly appealed to him
(for Gandhi’s views on modern civilization, see Gandhi 1997). In these,
Premchand visualized the nodal points from which the resistance to