Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

(Solutions)

Let's Recall

1. What kinds of cloth had a large market in Europe?
Answer: Cotton and silk textiles had a huge market in Europe. Different varieties of Indian textiles sold in the Western markets were;

• chintz, 
• cossaes or khassa, 
• bandanna and 
• jamdani. 

From the 1680s, there started a craze for printed Indian cotton textiles in England and Europe, mainly for their exquisite floral designs, fine texture and relative cheapness.
2. What is jamdani?
Answer: Jamdani is a fine muslin on which decorative motifs are woven on the loom, typically in grey and white. Often a mixture of cotton and gold thread is used.
3. What is bandanna?
Answer: 'Bandanna' refers to brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head produced through a method of tying and dying.
4. Who are the Agarias?
Answer: The Agarias are an Indian community of iron smelters.

5. What are Namdas and Gabbas?

Answer: Namdas are traditional Kashmiri carpet whereas Gabbas are colourful rugs crafted out of old woolen blankets.

6. Define Chikdi woodwork.

Answer: Chikdi is a wood work popular in the Rajouri district of Jammu region. Wooden items like combs, utensils and decorative pieces are carved out of wood.
5. Fill in the blanks:
(a) The word chintz comes from the word __________.
(b) Tipu's sword was made of _________ steel.
(c) India's textile exports declined in the _________ century.

(d) ________ is an indigenous form of wood work practiced in Jammu and Kashmir.

(e) Samba in Jammu region was famous for making _______ in India as well as Britain 
Answer:
(a)The word chintz comes from the word chhint.
(b)Tipu's sword was made of Wootz steel.
(c)India's textile exports declined in the nineteenth century.

(d) Khatambundi is an indigenous form of wood work practiced in Jammu and Kashmir.

(e) Samba in Jammu region was famous for making printed fabric in India as well as Britain 

Let's Discuss

6. How do the names of different textiles tell us about their histories?
Answer: 

1. European traders first encountered fine cotton clothes from Indian carried by Arab merchants in Mosul in present-day Iraq. So they began referring to all finely woven textiles as 'muslin'.
2. When Portuguese first came to India in search of spices they landed in Calicut on the Kerala coast in South West India. The cotton textiles which they took back to Europe, along with the spices, came to called "Calico".
3. Chintz is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful flowery designs.
4. Bandanna refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. Originally the term derived from the word “bandanna” (Hindi for tying).
7. Why did the wool and silk producers in England protest against the import of Indian textiles in the early eighteenth century?
Answer: By the early eighteenth century, worried by the popularity of Indian textiles, the wool and silk makers in England began protesting against the import of Indian cotton textiles. At this time, the textile industries had just begun to develop in England. Unable to compete with Indian textiles, English producers wanted a secure market within the country by preventing the entry of Indian textiles.
8. How did the development of cotton industries in Britain affect textile producers in India?
Answer: Effects of the development of cotton industries in Britain on the textile producers in India were:

Competition- Indian textiles had to compete with British textiles in European and American markets.
High duties- Exporting textiles to England became increasingly difficult due to the very high duties imposed on Indian textiles imported into Britain.
Capture of foreign markets- By the beginning of the nineteenth century, English-made cotton textiles ousted Indian textiles from their traditional markets, thereby throwing thousands of Indian weavers out of employment.
Capture of the Indian market- By the 1830s, British cotton cloth flooded Indian markets. By the 1880s, two-third of all cotton clothes worn by Indians were made of cloth produced in Britain. 
Thus, Indian textiles declined in the nineteenth century.
9. Why did the Indian iron smelting industry decline in the nineteenth century?
Answer: The Indian iron smelting industry declined in the nineteenth century for the following reasons.

1. Charcoal - an essential ingredient in the iron smelting process - could not be obtained easily due to new forest laws.
2. The government grant access to iron smelters in the forests, in return to pay a very high amount in tax to the forest department for every furnace they used. This reduced their income.
3. By the late nineteenth century, iron and steel was being imported from Britain. Ironsmiths began using the imported iron to manufacture utensils and implements. 
4. In the late nineteenth century, a series of famines devastated the dry tracts of India. As a result, many of the local smelters stopped work.

10. What problems did the Indian textile industry face in the early years of its development?
Answer: The development of cotton industries in Britain affected textile producers in India in several ways.

1. Exporting textiles to England became increasingly difficult since very high duties were imposed on Indian textiles imported into Britain. 
2. English made cotton textiles successfully outsets Indian goods from their traditional markets in Africa, America and Europe.
3. Thousands of weavers in India were now thrown out of employment.
4. English and European companies stopped buying Indian goods and their agents no longer gave out advances to weavers to secure supplies.
5. The textile factory industry in India faced many problems. It found it difficult to compete with the cheap textiles imported from Britain.
6. In most countries, governments supported industrialisation by imposing heavy duties on imports. This eliminated competition and protected infant industries.

11. What helped TISCO expand steel production during the First World War?
Answer: Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) was founded by Jamsetji Tata and established by Dorabji Tata on 26 August 1907. The reasons of its expansion were:

1. In 1914 the First World War broke out.
2. Steel produced in Britain now had to meet the demands of war in Europe.
3. So imports of British steel into India declined dramatically and the Indian Railways turned to TISCO for the supply of rails.
4. As the war dragged on for several years, TISCO had to produce shells and carriage wheels for the war.
5. By 1919 the colonial government was buying 90 percent of the steel manufactured by TISCO.
6. Over time TISCO became the biggest steel industry within the British Empire.