Socio-Cultural Impact of the British upon India
The Orientalist Phase (1772–1813)
The British socio-cultural policy during this phase was inspired by the belief that knowledge of a country's culture, institutions, and past was necessary to administer it effectively. The idea was to learn about Indian society without interfering with its socio-economic practices.
The policy found expression during the time of Lord Warren Hastings (1772–1785). He made efforts to acquire knowledge of indigenous institutions and India's past to familiarise the British in general, and those associated with the administration of India in particular, with Indian culture and traditions. Under him, European scholars like Charles Wilkins, N. B. Halhed, and Sir William Jones began researching Indian history and culture. Wilkins translated the Bhagavad Gita and Hitopadesha into English. Halhed published a text on Sanskrit grammar and prepared a detailed account of the religious and customary laws of India, which he called the Code of Gentoo Laws.
Warren Hastings founded the Calcutta Madrasa. Sir William Jones founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784. The society encouraged the study of India's ancient and medieval past. He translated Kalidasa's Abhijnanashakuntalam and the Manusmriti into English.
Lord Wellesley founded Fort William College in Calcutta. The purpose of the college was to provide knowledge of Indian languages and traditions to British officials associated with the administration of the East India Company in India.
Anglicist Phase
This phase witnessed the policy of cautious intervention. The background to this phase was shaped by the impact of the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution, along with the influence of Christian missionaries and ideologies such as Humanism, Evangelicalism, and Utilitarianism.
The major social reforms introduced under the influence of Anglicist ideas were as follows:
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The Bengal Regulations of 1795 and 1804 declared infanticide illegal and equivalent to murder.
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With the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Lord William Bentinck declared sati illegal by passing a regulation in 1829.
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In the 1830s, Bentinck initiated operations against Thuggee by appointing a special task force under the charge of Colonel William Sleeman.
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The Charter Act of 1833 provided for the abolition of slavery in India. Slavery was finally abolished in 1843.
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Due to the efforts of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act was enacted in 1856. The Act was passed during the tenure of Lord Canning as Governor-General of India.
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The Religious Disabilities Act of 1850, also known as the Caste Disabilities Removal Act, allowed religious converts to retain their ancestral property rights.
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The General Service Enlistment Act of 1856 provided that new recruits in the Bengal Army could be required to serve overseas, ending the traditional exemption from foreign travel.
Post-1857: The Phase of Indifference
In 1872, the Native Marriage Act was passed, which legalised inter-caste marriages, prohibited polygamy, and fixed the minimum age of marriage at 14 years for girls and 18 years for boys.
The Age of Consent Act of 1891 raised the age of consent from 10 to 12 years for the consummation of marriage. The background of this Act is associated with the case of Dr. Rukhmabai.
The Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, popularly known as the Sarda Act, was named after Rai Sahib Harbilas Sarda, who advocated and supported the Act in the Legislative Assembly. The Act fixed the minimum age of marriage at 14 years for girls and 18 years for boys.