Colonialization is a process that involves one nation or territory taking control over another
nation or territory either through use of force or by acquisition. It is the policy of a nation
seeking to extend or retain its authority over other people. Colonialization is generally done with
the aim of either developing or exploiting them to the benefit of the colonializing country and
helping colonies modernize in terms defined by the colonizers, especially in religion, economics
and health. Colonization maybe a state policy or even a private project chartered by
associations, groups or even individuals. Overpopulation, economic distress, social unrest, and
religious persecution in the home country may be factors that cause colonization,
but imperialism, more or less aggressive humanitarianism, and a desire for adventure or
individual improvement are also causes.
During colonization when the colonizing nation implements its type of education and school on
its colonies, which is a byproduct of colonization. The idea of assimilation became important in
colonization, it involves the colonized being forced to conform to cultures and traditions. It was
soon enough after making different countries their colonies that colonizers realized that having
just physical control over the colonies won’t be enough, but having mental control too would be
beneficial. The mental control is implemented through central intellectual location, the school
system or the ‘ideological state apparatus’
In India, in the eighteenth century there was generally no education given to girls. In a village of
about a hundred households, there was only one school, that too in the open. The students sat on
mats or cow dung floors and were taught as much religion as their caste admits, reading, writing
and arithmetic and accounts and some rudiments of physical and natural sciences. According to
R.C. Mujumdar, English education not only changed the education system in India, but also
brought a lot of western ideas in the country. Just like everywhere in the world, the colonial
education did bring a change in it’s political, economic, religious and moral life. Though British
did not aim at providing education to the Indian the reforms they brought in the education of
India is proved to be a boon to the struggle for freedom. This very same education brought every
Indian together and instilled a sense of unity among them.
0R.K. Narayanan was an Indian writer known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town
of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English. Narayan's mentor and
friend Graham Greene was instrumental in getting publishers for Narayan’s first four books
including the semi-autobiographical trilogy of Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts and The
English Teacher. The fictional town of Malgudi was first introduced in Swami and Friends.
Narayan’s The Financial Expert was hailed as one of the most original works of 1951
and Sahitya Akademi Award winner The Guide was adapted for film and for Broadway.
Narayanan’s swami and friends was amongst the very first books to be published. Swami and
Friends opens with the five- or six-year-old Swami going off to school at the Albert Mission
School, which his father has picked with great care because he wants Swami to get an English
education so that he can have a good government position in the Indian Civil Service, like his
own. This same mentality is seen at work in the education of the Hispanic peoples of the
Southwest United States. The novel begins with the characters challenging the social norms and
the boundaries established by the bruisers. Post colonialism is evident with the first big character
encounter in chapter 1 when Mr. Ebenear, the scripture teacher belittles the religion of Swami
and many other native people and promotes Christianity. Here, it is evident that the British
colonization has influenced people who are natives of the country, but there are still some (like
Swami and later his father and friends) who choose to challenge the lifestyle they are being
pushed towards and instead would like to retain their own cultural norms. We see post
colonialism being embodied here because Swami is not afraid to speak out against ideas that are
pushed on him and the people of his nation by the colonizers, indicating a strong sense of
nationality and fearless support for separation from British ideas.
It is believed that Narayanan chose to use the main characters as young boys to show the
rebellious side and their innocence as an excuse for their extreme actions. For instance, Mani is
an angry character who does not allow people to look down upon him or challenge him. This
could be showing the underlying anger and aggression that the people feel toward British
colonization. Contrarily, Rajam could be showing the more obedient side of the people because
his father is a high ranked police officer and he has grown up in a British centered environment.
These two characters highlight the extreme ends of the stances that existed in society at the time.
The novel not only focuses on the characters but also highlight the struggle that as going on
during the period of the novel. For instance, in the twelfth chapter an incident of 15 th August,
1930 is shown where Mahatma Gandhi is on a strike and how that strike leads to the school
students having a strike of their own and refusing to go to the classrooms. Even though all of the
students did not really understand what the strike was about, but it was pretty sure that the fact
that India now wanted liberation, united all of them. The fact that the teachers and the
headmaster were not a part of the strike shows how the school and education system was strictly
followed as the British wanted it to be. The schools were not allowed to disobey any rules
imposed by the government.
To conclude, swami and friends is a novel that does teach us a lot about the colonial period. How
the education system was adversely affected through colonialism and how the school system was
more or less helpless in this. The implications of the colonial education are even more prominent
in the current time and shows us the implications of change in culture and the westernization of
the world. In the end, the colonial education more or less ended up disconnecting people from
their roots of culture and religion, it is westernization and its substitutes that hold a stronger
influence.
BIBLOGRAPHY:
http://www.rekhareddy.com
https://sunaynauberoy.wordpress.com
https://www.thefreelibrary.com
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in
http://www.supersummary.com
Submitted by:
Rupal Arora
BA English (hons)
First year
# 1404
