In the Indian nationalist movement, personalities and ideas emerged and evolved in response to British rule over a period of two centuries, first by the English East India Company and from 1858 the British parliament. Bengal, the seat of British rule saw the emergence of a nascent English-speaking educated class in administration and allied professions like law and commerce. Macaulay understood that long-term rule would require incorporation of certain sections of educated Indians, who were subsequently referred to as brown sahibs.

He also streamlined the administration with strict rules for British colonial administrators to justify the White Man’s rule as being better than that of the natives. A typical example of this period was Dwarkanath Tagore, grandfather of Rabindranath who was involved in a number of successful business enterprises. The real break in comprehending the nature of British rule and the task before India at that initial stage was best projected by Raja Rammohan Roy, the first modern man in India who emphasized on certain universal values like recognizing the historic importance of the French Revolution, meeting Bentham and fighting for the freedom of the press, comparable to Milton who in 1644 opposed censorship and upheld a free press for ascertaining truth and furthering social progress.

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Rammohun also realised the urgent need for reforming a stagnant society in view of the prevailing inhuman practices including sati. He accepted the fact that India was in a situation of backwardness and was confident that its encounter with a more advanced order would be beneficial as it would imbibe a scientific temper, toleration, and the rule of law. He was of the view that India’s apprenticeship would be long, one that would last a century and half. His demands for civil liberties and political reforms reappeared as the demands of the early Congress.

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