Westernization has been a result of 150 years of British rule. It can be understood as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Adoption of European life style
Option (1) Adoption of European life style — Correct. M.N. Srinivas defines westernisation as the changes brought about in Indian society and culture as a result of over 150 years of British rule, at the levels of technology, institutions, ideology and values. Small sections of people adopted western life styles or ways of thinking, and there was also a general spread of Western cultural traits such as new technology, dress and food.
NCERT (2025-26): “Westernisation … M.N. Srinivas defines westernisation as ‘the changes brought about in Indian society and culture as a result of over 150 years of British rule, the term subsuming changes occurring at different levels…technology, institutions, ideology and values’. There were different kinds of westernisation. One kind refers to the emergence of a westernised sub-cultural pattern through a minority section of Indians who first came in contact with Western culture. This included the sub culture of Indian intellectuals who not only adopted many cognitive patterns, or ways of thinking, and styles of life, but supported its expansion. Many of the early 19th century reformers were of this kind. The boxes show the different kinds of westernisation. There were, therefore, small sections of people who adopted western life styles or were affected by western ways of thinking. Apart from this there has been also the general spread of Western cultural traits, such as the use of new technology, dress, food, and changes in the habits and styles of people in general.…” “Srinivas suggested that while ‘lower castes’ sought to be Sanskritised, ‘upper castes’ sought to be Westernised.…” |