Select any one industry in your region and find out its history. How has the technology changed? Where do the workers come from? How are the products advertised and marketed? Try and talk to the employers and some workers to get their views about the industry’s history.
Industry Selected: Textile Industry
History and Technological Change: The textile industry has a long history in our region. Earlier, production was carried out using hand technology and small-scale production methods. Even at the end of the nineteenth century, a large portion of the textile output was produced not within factories, but outside, within domestic units. Over time, technological changes occurred, but hand technology remained an important part of the industrial landscape alongside factory production.
Workers: The age of industries led to the making of a new industrial labour force. Workers came from various backgrounds, with many being employed in traditional sectors. Less than 20 per cent of the total workforce was employed in technologically advanced industrial sectors, indicating that traditional production methods continued to employ many workers.
Advertising and Marketing: Products were advertised with a clear nationalist message. Advertisements became a vehicle of the swadeshi message. The appeal was direct: if you care for the nation, then buy products that Indians produce. This connected the industry to the broader national movement.
Views of Employers and Workers: Employers and workers acknowledge that while factories grew, small workshops and traditional methods did not disappear. The industry's history shows that industrialisation did not mean complete mechanisation but rather a mix of modern and traditional methods.
Explanation
This is a project-based question that requires students to conduct field research on a local industry. Since the textbook context does not provide specific information about any particular regional industry, I have constructed a sample answer using the textile industry as an example, drawing entirely from the provided context. The answer incorporates key concepts from the chapter: the persistence of hand technology and small-scale production, the creation of a new industrial labour force, the role of advertising in promoting swadeshi and nationalist messages, and the fact that traditional industries and domestic units remained significant even as factories grew. Students conducting this project would need to interview local employers and workers to gather specific historical information about industries in their own region.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify textile industry as the example (mentioned in context as a dynamic sector)
Step 2: Describe technology changes using context about hand technology, small-scale production, and domestic units
Step 3: Explain worker sources using context about new industrial labour force and workforce distribution
Step 4: Describe advertising methods using context about nationalist message and swadeshi
Step 5: Summarize views about industrial history using context about factories and traditional methods