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Decline of India’s indigenous industries Embossed: Before the 18th century, India was renowned for its With a design manufacturingcapabilities,particularlyintextiles—cotton,silk, stamped wool, jute, hemp and coir being the chief ones. Indian cotton on the textiles, in particular, with rich and intricate designs, bright cloth in such a colours, and textures ranging from ultra-thin muslins to richly way that it stands out embossed fabrics were in high demand in many parts of the world. in relief. LET’S EXPLORE Do you understand all the terms used above to list and describe Indian textiles? If not, form groups of four or five and try to find out more, then compare your findings with the help of your teacher. British policy imposed heavy duties on Indian textiles imported into Britain while forcing India to accept British manufactured goods with minimal tariffs. Moreover, Britain now controlled most of the sea trade as well as exchange rates, so Indian traders found it difficult to export as earlier. The result was the ruin of Indian textile industry. In the 19th century, India’s textile exports fell sharply, while Britain’s imports into India grew even more sharply. Communities of skilled artisans who had t practised their craft for generations were reduced to poverty a and forced to return to subsistence agriculture on increasingly 8 d overtaxed land. As William Bentinck, then Governor-General of r | India, observed in 1834, “The bones of the cotton weavers are d bleaching the plains of India.” o e d Similar scenarios unfolded for India’s manufactures of iron, a steel, paper and other goods. India’s share of the world GDP kept i n declining throughout the colonial rule, reaching hardly 5 per y i cent at the time of Independence. In less than two centuries, one o of the richest lands of the world had become one of the poorest. g i l Dismantling traditional governance structures x E Before British colonisation, India possessed well-organised 100 systems of local self-governance. Village councils managed Reprint 2026-27