Art and culture are considered the window through which the world views a society. But sadly a colonial past can cause some drastic irreversible changes to the said art and culture which will inevitably hinder the way the society functions and is perceived in the long run. With a long colonial past like the one India has, debate regarding its art and culture are bound to include the effects that colonisation has brought on. So, it’s only fair we remember this turning point in our history too.
Colonial India & Art: Early Influence & Company Style
Art existed in India way before any European traveller set foot on Indian soil. The technique used in Indian art was very diverse as it changed according to the state one decided to visit. It was rich and unique in its own way. Highlighting the spiritual beliefs of Indians, it was India’s pride.
But with the beginning of the British Raj, things started to change in the Indian art world. Driven by a mission to change India and make it more civilised the British colonisers tried to influence the Indian art world to the best of their abilities. Beginning in the 18th century which saw moderate British manifestations of Indian art, the colonisers’ attitude towards Indian art changed into utter disregard by the mid-19th century.
British colonisers’ influence ushered in a new style into the Indian art scene called the “company style”. This style was a hybrid painting technique that was made by Indian painters who were working for European patrons in the 18th and 19th centuries. Using watercolour as a primary medium, this style focused on conveying the soft textures and tones in a painting.
Credits: BBC
Colonial India & Art: Raja Ravi Varma & The Bengal School
In order to impart western values, many art schools and societies were established by the colonisers in the city of Madras, Calcutta and Bombay. With the arrival of many European painters in the Indian art scene, the usage of oil and easel painting was also encouraged. Raja Ravi Verma was an important figure during this time. A self-taught artist, he was the first Indian to infuse European techniques to interpret Indian traditions in his work. As one of the first modernists, he advocated the usage of the techniques of European academic art to develop a new aesthetic that will interpret Indian culture in a new way.
As a nationalist movement against western academic art styles and techniques that were promoted in India, The Bengal School of Arts or The Bengal School was established. Led by Abanindranath Tagore it focused on the “Indian style of painting”. Famously known for his painting, “Bharat Mata” (“Mother India”), which captures a picture of a young woman with four arms which is symbolic of many Hindu deities. The woman is seen holding objects that are symbolic of India’s tradition and spirituality. This movement influenced many artists such as Gaganendranath Tagore, Asit Kumar Haldar, M.A.R. Chughtai, etc., but its influence started to decline in the 1920s.
Colonial India & Culture: Social Evils & Rule of Law
The British Raj did help uplift the Indian culture in a lot of respects. Given how rich Indian traditions and culture are it will be wrong to say that it is not at all plagued by any superstition. The British rule did indeed put an end to many of the social evils that plagued the then-Indian society because of the existing superstitions. From sati, to child marriage to infanticide, many of these practices were put to an end or at the very least were kept in check because of the measures taken by the British colonisers. Widow remarriage was encouraged as well.
The spread of Christianity acted as an answer to the prayers of those who belonged to the lower caste and were treated as anything but humans by the rest of society. Christianity was their salvation against the age-old caste-based suppression. By introducing the “Rule of Law”, the colonisers brought in the concept of equality and how everyone is equal in front of the law. This rule however ended up eclipsing the age-old self-governing village Panchayats that acted as a system of justice and had a more personal touch to their approach.
Credits: ET
Colonial India & Culture: Lifestyle & Divide and Rule
The effect of colonisation on Indian culture is best understood in the way it affected the way people dressed, talked and ate. From wearing suits instead of traditional dhotis to exchanging pleasantries like, ‘good morning’, ‘good night’, ‘see you’, etc. to eating bread, fruits, boiled eggs, etc. as part of their regular diet, the impact colonisation had on India was very evident. Indian English literature during the colonial time was filled with writings imitating the western authors until writers like Toru Dutt Indianised their writings in English.
Its influence on music and dance can hardly go unnoticed as Indian composers such as Akbar Khan incorporated a certain amount of western melodies and harmonies in his improvisations. Western dance became so influential that it was imitated in Indian cinemas. Colonisation did help India in nurturing its scientific spirit and united it in the name of science. But with its “Divide and Rule” policy it managed to divide India in the name of religion the aftershocks of which are felt to this day.
Afterword
Propagating, “the white way is the right way”, colonisers managed to influence Indians into hating their very own skin colour. The craze around fairness and living life like an English person still exists in India. This goes on to show how deeply colonisation has impacted the Indian society. Though colonisation did help India move forward in many aspects it also caused some irreversible damage that cannot be ignored.
