What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

EDITORIAL 1: Princely state of Jaisalmer

Context

• Chaitanya Raj Singh, was a scion of the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Jaisalmer.
• In the context of the Jaisalmer princely state, no authentic historical sources mention any Maratha dominance, invasion, taxation, or authority.
• On the contrary, our royal records clearly state that the Marathas never had any interference in the Jaisalmer princely state.

Northern expansion’ of the Marathas

• In the first half of the 18th century, with the Mughal empire breaking up, the then Peshwa of the Maratha empire, Baji Rao I, could not resist a Maratha drive into the north.
• By then, the Marathas were already collecting tribute from erstwhile Mughal dominions in the Deccan.
• The Marathas then pushed into parts of Rajasthan, the areas around Delhi and Punjab, and Bundelkhand, besides attacking parts of Orissa, Bengal, and Bihar, they established control over Malwa after the Battle of Bhopal. The Bengal raids were under Baji Rao’s successors.
• The early conquests in this period, saw the Marathas make little attempt to displace the local powers. Rather, they let local rulers remain in control, entering agreements with zamindars to collect tribute.
• The Marathas were collecting chauth and sardeshmukhi from the Rajput territories.

Jaisalmer never part Maratha empire

• A retired professor of history at Jawaharlal Nehru University said that the Marathas raided parts of Rajasthan a number of times to claim tribute.
• Once the Marathas consolidated their position in the Deccan, they began their expansion towards the north.
• Malwa was annexed to the Maratha empire, and Orissa was also under Maratha rule. To start with, they entered Rajasthan on the invitation of the Rajput chieftains, to address their succession disputes.
• The Rajputs paid tribute to the Marathas. While the Marathas did take control of some territory, no Rajput state was ever annexed to be directly ruled by the Marathas.
• The Maratha equation was not the same with all rulers of that region. The Marathas didn’t raid Jaisalmer and Bikaner. They never went too far. Most of their attacks were confined to Jaipur and Jodhpur. Jaisalmer was under the Bhati clan of Rajputs.

The nature of the Maratha empire

• Maratha rule was patchy and irregular across much of central India. Some regions were fully administered by the Peshwa’s men and others only thinly administered, and populated by recalcitrant zamindars who managed to defy Maratha authority from behind walled strongholds.
• Scholars have been divided over the nature of the Maratha polity and whether it was a confederacy.
• Maratha polity has revolved around three themes:the Maratha polity as a ‘rising’’of the regional consciousness of Maharashtra; the Maratha polity as Hindu response to oppressive Muslim rule; the Maratha polity as brave attempt to change the nature of Hindu society and better the lot of its poorest members.
• It is true that the dominant clan of the Marathas in the 18th century made a general claim of sovereignty over almost the entire north and north-western parts of India as well as the Deccan. However, their actual control varied enormously.

Conclusion

The tight timeline given for the preparation of the new textbooks hardly allows for original research in every single relevant primary source. Also maps should be made using different shades of colours. One indicating direct control, another for tributary states, one for territories that were captured but did not remain under control, and another indicating influence.

 

 

EDITORIAL 2: Why an order by Mumbai’s civic body on feeding pigeons is now before HC

Context

On August 6, hundreds of people clashed with police to tear down tarpaulin sheets put up by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at the Dadar Kabutarkhana to stop the feeding of pigeons at the historic landmark.

On feeding pigeons

• Over the past few weeks, civic authorities have cracked down on the feeding of pigeons in public places in Mumbai, acting on directives issued by the state government and the Bombay High Court.
• Public opinion has been divided between those who have welcomed the action, citing health concerns linked with the birds, and critics including animal rights activists and members of the Jain community, for whom the feeding of pigeons holds religious significance.

Jains and kabutarkhanas

• Feeding of pigeons is considered a pious duty in Jainism, which views this as a form of jeev daya, or compassion for living beings.
• Members of the community have historically erected pigeon houses in their homes and neighbourhoods — wooden structures holding up platforms that rise up to 7 metres in height, on which grain is scattered.
• Larger structures called kabutriyas or kabutarkhanas, often built with community funds,were erected across Mumbai over the past century.
• The oldest of these was built by the Jain merchant Devidas Kothari in 1923 and includes a pyau or fountain.
• Many are located near Jain temples and in neighbourhoods with large Gujarati populations. Feeding pigeons after offering prayers at the temple is part of the foundational memory of many Jains.
• The Dadar kabutarkhana too is located near a Jain temple.Records show that in 1937, seeking permission to construct an enclosure for the protection of pigeons and other birds.
• In 1948, the temple trustees asked for permission to build a home and a water troughfor the pigeons on the traffic island.

Directives by govt, HC

• The long tradition of feeding pigeons notwithstanding, the explosion in the birds’ population, and the rising instances of pulmonary ailments among humans being traced to their feathers and droppings, have raised concerns in recent years.
• The court observed that “human health” was “paramount” and that the rights of humans and animals should be balanced. It declined to pass an interim order to allow feeding of pigeons, but halted the demolition of heritage kabutarkhanas.
• On July 24, the court said that there cannot be anything more vital than human health and if any hazard is caused due to pigeons’ congregation at feeding areas, the same was a matter of grave social concern.
• The HC asked BMC to install CCTV cameras to monitor “mischievous” feeders, depute beat marshals or civic officers at feeding sites, and use nets to prevent pigeons from congregating.

Where matters stand

• The BMC is now considering the option of allowing feeding in a staggered manner for a few hours of the day, in line with the CM’s directive to permit controlled feeding, officials said.
• The HC cited an opinion by Dr Sujeet Rajan of Bombay Hospital recommending dismantling of pigeon-breeding areas at the earliest.

Conclusion

Therefore, the court said, it was considering setting up a committee of experts, and if this committee agreed with the BMC’s decision, the authorities should consider an alternative workable mechanism for the pigeons.