{"id":272,"date":"2019-08-23T06:08:14","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T06:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/icp01.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/?post_type=chapter&p=272"},"modified":"2019-08-26T06:01:19","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T06:01:19","slug":"home-rule-movement","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/icp01\/chapter\/home-rule-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Rule Movement"},"content":{"raw":"
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\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n1.\u00a0\u00a0 Introduction :<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n

With the annulment of the partition of Bengal in 1911, there was no organized anti-British movement till the launching of the Home Rule Movement. The latter was carried on vigorously by Annie Besant and Balagangadhar Tilak during 1915-1917. Its main aim was not complete Swaraj<\/em> but Home Rule or internal self\u2013government. It was not carried on under the auspices of the Indian National Congress, but under the aegis of the Home Rule Leagues established by Annie Besant and Tilak.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

When it became necessary for Britain to depend on her colonies to face the First World War which broke out in August 1914, she made vague promises to the Indians. Believing the British promises, the Indians rallied round the British in the hour of crisis. As the reforms of 1909 under the Government of India Act had already incorporated the concept of a representative government the Indians were expecting the responsible government. In fac t, the British government in principle accepted in 1914 the goal of the responsible government for India. It was at this stage that the Home Rule idea was introduced by Annie Besant. It was at her request in the annual session of the Indian National Congress held in 1915 that the extremists in the Congress like Tilak were allowed to rejoin the Congress. Of course, she could not succeed in getting the support of the Congress and the Muslim League to set up the Home Rule Leagues. However, she persuaded the Congress to commit itself to a programme of educative propaganda and to a revival of the local level Congress Committees. But, she warned that if they fail to start this activity by September 1916, she would be free to set up her own league. When there were no signs of any Congress activity she announced the formation of her Home Rule League in September 1916, with herself as\u00a0President, George Arundale, her Theosophical follower as the organizing Secretary C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer as one of the General Secretaries and B.P. Wadia as the Treasurer with headquarters at Adyar in Madras, now called Chennai. Balagangadhar Tilak also started his Home Rule League on 23 April 1916. But, both the leagues avoided any friction by demarcating their area of activity. Tilak\u2019s League was to work in Maharashtra, Karnataka, the Central Provinces and Berar. Besant\u2019s League was given charge of the rest of India. Besant carried on the movement from her headquarters at Adyar in Madras and played a vital role in the movement. It was more popular in Madras Presidency than anywhere else in India. The League had 132 branches in the Presidency in 1917. By December 1917 its membership had grown to 27,000 from 7,000 in March 1917. Even non-theosophists like Jawaharlal Nehru of Allahabad, Sankarlala, Banker in Bombay, B. Chakravarthi, and Jitendarlal Benerjee in Calcutta, and Ramaswamy Iyer in Madras supported Besant\u2019s League.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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It was the theosophical society under Annie Besant which had played an important role in preparing the ground for the Home Rule Movement as also in the national movement. It was on 17 November 1875 at Newyork in U.S.A. an international organization namely the Theosophical Society was founded by Madam Blavatsky, a Russian lady and Col. H.S. Olcott, an American and their friends. However, in 1879, its international headquarters was shifted to Bombay and then to Adyar in Madras in 1886.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

In order to popularize its aims and objectives the Theosophical Society started establishing its offices and \u201clodges\u201d from 1880 onwards. The lodges were the local centers to revive Hinduism, to spread theosophy and to awaken the people towards its social and religious ideals and preached Dharma, Yoga,<\/em> and worship. The society became increasingly popular in Madras Presidency more particularly in the Telugu regions of Madras Presidency. A number of lodges were established in Andhra districts. The first of its kind was opened on May 8, 1882 at Nellore. Then, a large number of branches sprang up at different places. Though Annie Besant joined the society in England in 1889, her leadership in the society in India helped its rapid development.<\/p>\r\n \r\n

In fact, Besant worked for the regeneration of India in religious, social and educational fields since her arrival in India in 1893 as member of Theosophical Society and also President of the Society from 1907. She had a fairly large following in the south. Her society worked for the promotion of education. It had established the Besant Theosophical College and Rishi Valley School at Madanapalli in the present Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. Since then Madanapalli became the storm centre for the Thosophical movement. Thus, the society contributed for the educational development, social awakening, religious revival, for the rise of renaissance and nationalist movement. Though there was no official connection between the Theosophical Society and the Home Rule Movement, the society and its lodges extended their support and played a significant role in the home Rule Movement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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Besant\u2019s Home Rule League had, in fact, been established to carry out the following objectives:<\/p>\r\n\r\n