Today’s lecture is on lesson ‘The Idea of Pakistan’. The central idea is to enlist factors which led to the demand for a separate country for the Muslims of India. The chapter deals with three important questions
1. Why the Muslims of India demanded a separate country for themselves?
2. Why is there a negative attitude towards Pakistan among the Europeans?
3. What is the attitude of Pakistanis towards Europeans?
4. And finally What arguments the writer gives to prove that Pakistan is not a theocratic state.
We will discuss the first question in today’s lecture.
Pakistan is a country of ninety five million people. You know the book was written in nineteen sixtees. So these figures are not accurate. It includes the people of East Pakistan which is now Bangla Desh. Yet due to population boom, The current figure is One hundred and ninety million. The writer believes that the idea behind the creation of this country was to fulfil a cultural or religious aspiration. The Muslims desired to free develop their way of life independently of the Hindus who were in absolute majority. The writer thinks that Pakistan is a special case in modern history as there are not many countries which are said to come into existence on the basis of ideology.
The idea of a separate country was not liked by Hindus for certain reasons. Although Hindus are three times in majority to Muslims; yet they feared Islam. There were good reasons for this fear or hatred for a Muslim state in the region. In the first place they remembered a series of defeats of the earlier generation of Hindus at the hands of Muslim right from 711 AD. Then the Muslims rules over vast parts of India for over 550 years, even over those parts which were very sacred in Hindu religion. In fact the Hindus cannot forget the shame that they had to face on this account. The result was that Hinduism reacted with immense enmity against Muslims. In fact Hinduism wanted to keep Muslim under domination. They wanted to throw Muslim out of sub continent or at the most could allow them to live as a branch of Hinduism. They would not accept an independent country of Muslims. Its consequence was that the Muslims developed a strong resistance against any such attempt to keep them dominated. These two factors were the main reason Why this idea emerged in the first place or why it faced so much opposition. Also why there was so much bloodshed during the 1947 partition. About 5 million people were killed and 14 million migrated.
Contextual Meanings Outnumber means that the Hindus were much in large number as compared to the Muslims.
Environment means atmosphere or situation
Embody means to give a concrete shape.
Doctrine means a creed.
Preponderance means majority or numerical superiority.
aspiration
Inflict means harm , make to suffer
Catastrophic something which causes great losses, disaster or ruin.
Gifted having special talents or ability. More capable than present day Hindus.
Forbears. Earlier generation, forefathers, ancestors
Invade attack to conquer
Exercised. Manged to hold
Uninterrupted without break, continuously
Impious unholy impure, unclean
Sway rule reign
Revered holy respectable sacred
Essential necessary and important
Unrelieved without decreasing endless
Antagonism hostility enmity
Determination strong intention
Subjugate dominate bring under power
Expel throw out of , banish
Absorb
Corresponding
Resistance
Obstacles
Appalling
Bloodsoaked
Partition
Comprehension Questions 1. Why Pakistan is an extraordinary country?
2. What does the writer say about the less attention that West gives to Pakistan?
3. Hindus were and still are in vast majority in India, then why did they fear Islam?
4. What caused deep wounds in the Hindu mind?
5. What were the three objectives of Hinduism about Islam and the Muslims?
6. What has been the reaction of Islam to this attitude of Hinduism?
1. Why the Muslims of India demanded a separate country for themselves?
2. Why is there a negative attitude towards Pakistan among the Europeans?
3. What is the attitude of Pakistanis towards Europeans?
4. And finally What arguments the writer gives to prove that Pakistan is not a theocratic state.
We will discuss the first question in today’s lecture.
Pakistan is a country of ninety five million people. You know the book was written in nineteen sixtees. So these figures are not accurate. It includes the people of East Pakistan which is now Bangla Desh. Yet due to population boom, The current figure is One hundred and ninety million. The writer believes that the idea behind the creation of this country was to fulfil a cultural or religious aspiration. The Muslims desired to free develop their way of life independently of the Hindus who were in absolute majority. The writer thinks that Pakistan is a special case in modern history as there are not many countries which are said to come into existence on the basis of ideology.
The idea of a separate country was not liked by Hindus for certain reasons. Although Hindus are three times in majority to Muslims; yet they feared Islam. There were good reasons for this fear or hatred for a Muslim state in the region. In the first place they remembered a series of defeats of the earlier generation of Hindus at the hands of Muslim right from 711 AD. Then the Muslims rules over vast parts of India for over 550 years, even over those parts which were very sacred in Hindu religion. In fact the Hindus cannot forget the shame that they had to face on this account. The result was that Hinduism reacted with immense enmity against Muslims. In fact Hinduism wanted to keep Muslim under domination. They wanted to throw Muslim out of sub continent or at the most could allow them to live as a branch of Hinduism. They would not accept an independent country of Muslims. Its consequence was that the Muslims developed a strong resistance against any such attempt to keep them dominated. These two factors were the main reason Why this idea emerged in the first place or why it faced so much opposition. Also why there was so much bloodshed during the 1947 partition. About 5 million people were killed and 14 million migrated.
Contextual Meanings Outnumber means that the Hindus were much in large number as compared to the Muslims.
Environment means atmosphere or situation
Embody means to give a concrete shape.
Doctrine means a creed.
Preponderance means majority or numerical superiority.
aspiration
Inflict means harm , make to suffer
Catastrophic something which causes great losses, disaster or ruin.
Gifted having special talents or ability. More capable than present day Hindus.
Forbears. Earlier generation, forefathers, ancestors
Invade attack to conquer
Exercised. Manged to hold
Uninterrupted without break, continuously
Impious unholy impure, unclean
Sway rule reign
Revered holy respectable sacred
Essential necessary and important
Unrelieved without decreasing endless
Antagonism hostility enmity
Determination strong intention
Subjugate dominate bring under power
Expel throw out of , banish
Absorb
Corresponding
Resistance
Obstacles
Appalling
Bloodsoaked
Partition
Comprehension Questions 1. Why Pakistan is an extraordinary country?
2. What does the writer say about the less attention that West gives to Pakistan?
3. Hindus were and still are in vast majority in India, then why did they fear Islam?
4. What caused deep wounds in the Hindu mind?
5. What were the three objectives of Hinduism about Islam and the Muslims?
6. What has been the reaction of Islam to this attitude of Hinduism?