(a) Analyse the implications of First World War on the economic and Political situation of India.

(i) The war created a new economic and political situation. It led to a huge increase in defence expenditure which was financed by war loans and increasing taxes:

(ii)Customs duties were raised and income tax introduced.

(iii) Through the war years prices increased and doubled leading to extreme hardship for the common people.

(iv) Villages were called upon to supply soldiers, and the forced recruitment in rural areas caused widespread anger.

(v) Crops failed in many parts of India, resulting in acute shortages of food.

(vi) This was accompanied by an influenza epidemic. Millions of people perished as a result of famines and the epidemic.

(b) Analyse the role of folklore and symbols in the revival of nationalism in India during late 19th century.

(i) Ideas of nationalism were developed through Indian folklore and symbols.

(ii) Nationalists began recording folk tales sung by bards and they toured villages to gather folk songs and legends.

(iii) It felt that there was a need to preserve folk tradition in order to discover one’s national identity and restore a sense of pride in one’s past.

(iv) In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore himself began collecting ballads, nursery rhymes and myths, and led the movement for folk revival.

(v) In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a massive four- volume collection of Tamil folk tales, The Folklore of Southern India.

(vi) Nationalist leaders emphasised on icons and symbols for unifying people and for inspiring them for nationalism.

(vii) During the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, a tricolour flag (red, green and yellow) was designed. It had eight lotuses representing eight provinces of British India, and a crescent moon, representing Hindus and Muslims.

(viii) By $\displaystyle 1921$, Gandhiji had designed the Swaraj flag. It was again a tricolor (red, green and white) and had a spinning wheel in the centre, representing the Gandhian ideal of self-help.