(a) Explain the role of women in the Civil Disobedience Movement, with examples.

(i) During Gandhiji’s Civil Disobedience Movement, inspired by the Salt March, thousands of women came out of their homes to listen to him.

(ii) They participated in protest marches and manufactured salt.

(iii) Women picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops.

(iv) Many went to jail.

(v) In urban areas these women were from high caste families; in rural areas they came from rich peasant households.

(vi) Moved by Gandhi’s call, they began to see service to the nation as a sacred duty of women.

(b) How did the Indian folklore and symbols strengthen the idea of nationalism during the 20th century? Explain with examples.

(i) The idea of nationalism developed through a movement to revive Indian folklore.

(ii) In the late nineteenth century India, nationalists began recording folk tales sung by bards and they toured villages to gather folk songs and legends.

(iii) These tales they believed gave a true picture of traditional culture that had not been corrupted by outside forces.

(iv) It was essential to preserve this folk tradition in order to discover one’s national identity and restore a sense of pride in one’s past.

(v) Rabindranath Tagore collected ballads, nursery rhymes and myths and image of Bharat Mata.

(vi) In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a four-volume collection of Tamil tales called “The Folklore of Southern India”.

(vii) As the national movement developed leaders became aware of icons and symbols to unify the people.

(viii) During the swadeshi movement in Bengal, a tri colour flag (red, green and yellow) was designed.

(ix) It had eight lotuses representing the eight provinces of British India and a crescent moon, representing the Hindus and Muslims.

(x) By $\displaystyle 1921$ Gandhiji had designed the swaraj flag which was a tri colour with a charkha in the middle.

(xi) Carrying the flag during the marches became a symbol of defiance