Hi RKN Thanks for your post. I understand the class distinction you draw in 1947 India but am not persuaded by it I am afraid. Regards Cornel ----- Original Message ----- From: "Radhakrishnan Nair" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 5:39 AM Subject: Re: [Goanet] Goanet as learning instrument re Democracies
> <<Cornel wrote: There was definitely a middle class in 1947 and well > before that in India. It was largely the educated/informed middle > clas that propelled the Quit India movement surely.>> > > Not really, sir! What you call the "educated/informed middle class" > were the upper class people -- the landed gentry, though they were by > and large comparable to today's middle class. Some of them were > fabulously rich, like the Nehrus. It's said that Motilal Nehru offered > to pay the British in the currency of their choice for India's > freedom! > > There is hardly any evidence of a middle-class population in British > India. There was a miniscule minority of WOGs and well-to-do > businessmen and the vast majority of the poor and depressed classes -- > though, towards the fag end of its regime, the British did make an > attempt to create an English-speaking middle-class population of > 'babus'. > > Regards, > RKN > _______________________________________________ > Goanet mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org > _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
