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GS History Modern India
Q.

Which of the following activities were associated with Swadeshi Movement?

1. Use of traditional festivals and melas for nationalism

2. Emphasis on 'Atmasakti' or self reliance

3. Boycott of foreign goods

4. Use of samitis or corps of volunteers

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct. The Swadeshi period saw the creative use of traditional popular festivals and melas as a means of reaching out to the masses. The Ganapati and Shivaji festivals, popularized by Tilak, became a medium for Swadeshi propaganda not only in Western India but also in Bengal. Traditional folk theatre forms such as jatras are extensively used in disseminating the Swadeshi message in an intelligible form to vast sections of the people, many of whom were being introduced to modern political ideas for the first time.

Statement 2 is correct. Another important aspect of the Swadeshi Movement was the great emphasis given to self-reliance or 'Atmasakti' as a necessary part of the struggle against the government. Self reliance in various fields meant the re-asserting of national dignity, honor and confidence.

Statement 3 is correct. Among the several forms of struggle thrown up by the movement, it was the boycott of foreign goods which met with the greatest visible success at the practical and popular level. Boycott and public burning of foreign cloth, picketing of shops selling foreign goods, all became common in remote corners of Bengal as well as in many important towns and cities throughout the country. Women refused to wear foreign bangles and use foreign utensils, washermen refused to wash foreign clothes and even priests declined offerings which contained foreign sugar.

Statement 4 is correct. Corps of volunteers (or samitis as they were called) were another major form of mass mobilization widely used by the Swadeshi Movement. The Swadesh Bandhab Samiti set up by Ashwini Kumar Dutt, a school teacher, in Barisal was the most well known volunteer organization of them all.

Thus, Option D is Correct.

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