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Q76 (IAS/2020) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Early national politics Official Key

With reference to the book "Desher Katha" written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the freedom struggle, consider the following statements : 1. It warned against the Colonial State's hypnotic conquest of the mind. 2. It inspired the performance of swadeshi street plays and folk songs. 3. The use of 'desh' by Deuskar was in the specific context of the region of Bengal .. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 1 (1 and 2 only). Published in 1904, Desher Katha (Tales of the Nation) was a seminal work by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar that played a pivotal role during the Swadeshi Movement.

  • Statement 1 is correct: Deuskar warned against the "hypnotic conquest of the mind," arguing that British rule survived not just through force, but by psychologically convincing Indians of the superiority of Western civilization and the "benevolence" of colonial rule.
  • Statement 2 is correct: The book’s vivid documentation of economic exploitation reached the masses through oral traditions. It directly inspired Swadeshi street plays (Jatras) and folk songs, becoming a textbook for revolutionary activists.
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: Although written in Bengali, Deuskar used "desh" to refer to the entire Indian nation, not just the region of Bengal. His focus was on the pan-Indian struggle against colonial economic drain, making his appeal nationalist rather than regional.
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to the book "Desher Katha" written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the freedom struggle, consider the following statemen…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 3.3/10
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This is a classic 'Bouncer' derived from the periphery of standard texts. While Spectrum mentions Deuskar as a populariser of economic critique, the specific phrasing ('hypnotic conquest') comes from academic discourse or specific cultural anniversaries. The key was to identify the 'trap' in Statement 3 regarding the scope of nationalism.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Did the book "Desher Katha" by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar (written during the Indian freedom struggle) warn against the Colonial State's "hypnotic conquest of the mind"?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 28: Economic Impact of British Rule in India > Economic Issue a Stimulant to National Unrest > p. 552
Strength: 5/5
“The nationalist agitation on economic issues served to undermine the ideological hegemony of alien rulers over Indian minds that the foreign rule was in the interest of Indians, thus exposing the myth of its moral foundations. It was also shown clearly that India was poor because it was being ruled for British interests. This agitation was one of the stimulants for intellectual unrest and spread of national consciousness during the moderate phase of freedom struggle (1875-1905)—the seed-time of national movement. Till the end of the 19th century, the nationalists had been demanding some share in political power and control over the purse.”
Why relevant

Says nationalist agitation undermined the ideological hegemony of alien rulers over Indian minds, exposing the myth that foreign rule was in Indians' interest — a pattern of concern with mental/ideological domination.

How to extend

A student could use this rule to look for similar language/metaphors in Desher Katha (e.g., 'conquest of the mind', 'hegemony', 'myth') to see if the book frames colonial rule as mental domination.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 1: Sources for the History of Modern India > Newspapers and Journals > p. 9
Strength: 4/5
“Indian nationalists and revolutionaries living abroad published newspapers and journals—Indian Sociologist (London, Shyamji Krishnavarma), Bande Matram (Paris, Madam Cama), Talwar (Berlin, Virendranath Chattopadhyay), and Ghadar (San Francisco, Lala Hardayal) to infuse a feeling of nationalism among Indians living abroad. Newspapers depict almost all aspects of life in colonial India from around the 1870s onwards. From the 1920s onwards, newspapers tracked the major events during the freedom struggle. However, newspaper accounts cannot be seen as unprejudiced or completely objective. The accounts that were published in a newspaper in London by the pro-British Raj people were bound to be different from the report in an Indian nationalist paper.”
Why relevant

Notes that nationalists used newspapers and journals abroad to 'infuse a feeling of nationalism' — indicating an active struggle over public opinion and minds via print media.

How to extend

A student could check whether Desher Katha addresses press/propaganda or countermessaging as tools of colonial mental influence or resistance.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 2: Major Approaches to the History of Modern India > Cambridge School > p. 18
Strength: 3/5
“According to this school of thought, the fundamental contradiction under colonial rule was not between imperialism and the Indian people, but among the Indians themselves. Further, Indian nationalism was not the product of a struggle of the Indian people against colonial exploitation, but what arose from conflict among the Indians for getting the benefits given to them by the British rulers. The leaders of the national movement, according to this school, were inspired by the quest for power and material benefits. This approach has been criticised by many scholars on the ground that it takes the mind or ideals out of human behaviour and reduces nationalism to 'animal politics'.”
Why relevant

Describes a historiographical critique that some approaches 'take the mind or ideals out of human behaviour', highlighting that debates explicitly treated 'mind/ideals' as central to political behavior under colonial rule.

How to extend

A student might test whether Desher Katha engages explicitly with Indian minds/ideals (rather than only material grievances), which would support the plausibility of a warning about 'hypnotic' influence.

Political Theory, Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Freedom > Political Theory > p. 19
Strength: 3/5
“These are deep thoughts that lead us to pause and consider their implications. We must not, her words suggest, be afraid of the opinions of other people, or of the attitude of authority, or of the reactions of the members of our community to the things we want to do, of the ridicule of our peers, or of speaking our mind. Yet we find that we often exhibit such fear. For Aung San Suu Kyi living a 'dignified human life' requires us to be able to overcome such fear. From these two books of Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi, we can see the power of the ideal of freedom, an ideal that was at the centre of our national struggle and the struggles of the peoples of Asia and Africa against British, French and Portuguese colonialism.”
Why relevant

Discusses freedom as overcoming fear of authority and opinion — a theme about psychological domination and liberation of mind relevant to claims of 'hypnotic' conquest.

How to extend

Use this conceptual link to look for passages in Desher Katha that frame colonial rule as creating fear/mental paralysis or call for psychological emancipation.

India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > Conclusion > p. 49
Strength: 2/5
“A growing anger against the colonial government was thus bringing together various groups and classes of Indians into a common struggle for freedom in the first half of the twentieth century. The Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi tried to channel people's grievances into organised movements for independence. Through such movements the nationalists tried to forge a national unity. But as we have seen, diverse groups and classes participated in these movements with varied aspirations and expectations. As their grievances were wide-ranging, freedom from colonial rule also meant different things to different people. The Congress continuously attempted to resolve differences, and ensure that the demands of one group did not alienate another.”
Why relevant

Explains how diverse grievances coalesced into national consciousness, implying intellectual/unifying processes that counter colonial influence over people's thinking.

How to extend

A student could compare Desher Katha's emphasis (if any) on building national consciousness against colonial mental domination to see if it uses 'conquest of mind' rhetoric.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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