The different ways in which British colonialism lives on in contemporary India:
A. Learning Indian classical music and dance
B. Eating using fork and spoon
C. Wearing skirts and trousers
D. Online education
E. Driving on the left side of the road
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → B, C, E only
A. Learning Indian classical music and dance Incorrect. Classical music and dance are Indian traditions far older than colonial rule; learning them does not carry anything from the British.
B. Eating using fork and spoon Correct. Our eating habits still carry British ways, as the ‘bread-omlette’ and ‘cutlets’ of roadside eateries show; eating with fork and spoon is a western table manner that came with colonial contact.
C. Wearing skirts and trousers Correct. Skirts and trousers are western clothes that came with colonial rule; school uniforms, too, follow the British model, and many even include neck-ties.
D. Online education Incorrect. Online education is a recent development made possible by the internet; it has nothing to do with the colonial past.
E. Driving on the left side of the road Correct. We drive on the left side of the road like the British, one of the many ways in which British colonialism lives on in contemporary India.
NCERT (2025-26): “…The following are just some of the many instances we face in our daily life. We have a parliamentary and a legal system, a police and educational system built very much on the British model. We drive on the left side of the road like the British. We have ‘bread-omlette’ and ‘cutlets’ as menu offered in many roadside eateries and canteens. A very popular manufacturer of biscuits, is actually named after Britain. Many school uniforms include neck-ties. We often admire the west and as often resent it. These are just some of the many and complex ways that British colonialism lives on in contemporary India.” |