🌟 Chapter 7 – Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners 🌟

✨ Introduction

The 18th and 19th centuries were times of great change in India. Our country was well-known for its hand-woven textiles 🧵, iron and steel production ⚒️, and highly skilled craftsmanship. But with the arrival of the British and the Industrial Revolution, the lives of weavers and iron smelters changed drastically.

This chapter takes us through the journey of Indian weavers, iron smelters, and the rise of factory owners under colonial rule.

🧵 1. Indian Weavers: Pride of India

🌸 India’s Fame in Textiles

• India was world-famous for cotton and silk fabrics.
• Names like muslin, chintz, calico, and bandanna were highly valued.
• European traders loved Indian fabrics for their fine quality, bright colours, and durability.

🔹 Muslin of Dhaka (present-day Bangladesh) was so fine that it was called “woven air”.
🔹 Chintz was a colourful fabric that became popular in Europe for dresses and curtains.
🔹 Bandanna (from the Hindi word bandhna – to tie) became famous for its tie-and-dye prints.

🎨 Techniques of Weaving

• Handlooms were used to weave cotton and silk.
• Dyeing and block printing added beauty to the fabrics.
• Skills were passed from one generation to the next.

👉 Weaving was not just a profession, it was a tradition and identity.

🚩 2. Impact of British Rule on Weavers

📉 Decline of Handwoven Textiles

• With the growth of British industries, machine-made cloth was imported into India.
• These were cheaper and faster to produce.
• Indian handloom weavers could not compete.

🔒 Policies that Harmed Weavers

• British East India Company forced weavers to sell only to them.
• Weavers were paid very low prices.
• If they tried to sell elsewhere, they were punished.

👉 This system was called “system of advances” (weavers received money in advance but had to sell at low rates).

😢 Misery of Weavers

• Many weavers became poor and unemployed.
• Families dependent on weaving had to work as labourers in agriculture.
• Famous centres like Dhaka, Murshidabad, Surat, and Machilipatnam lost their glory.

⚒️ 3. Iron Smelters of India

🌍 Traditional Iron and Steel Production

• India had skilled communities of iron smelters who produced high-quality iron.
• Special techniques were used to make Wootz steel – famous for its strength and sharpness.
• Indian swords made of Wootz were valued worldwide.

🔥 Process of Iron Smelting

1. Collection of iron ore from hills and forests.
2. Charcoal used as fuel.
3. Smelters melted ore in furnaces.
4. High-quality iron ingots were produced.

📉 Decline under British Rule

• British wanted to use forests for their own industries.
• Forest laws stopped traditional communities from cutting trees 🌳 (no charcoal for smelting).
• High taxes were imposed on smelters.
• By the late 19th century, many smelters lost their livelihood.

🏭 4. Rise of Indian Factory Owners

🌟 The Beginning of Indian Industries

Even though traditional crafts declined, some Indian entrepreneurs started modern factories.

• Jamsetji Tata founded the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) in 1907 at Jamshedpur.
• Other Indian merchants began cotton mills in Bombay, Ahmedabad, and Madras.

⚙️ Cotton Mills

• The first Indian cotton mill was set up in Bombay in 1854.
• Later, many mills came up in Ahmedabad, Kanpur, and Coimbatore.
• They used both Indian and imported machinery.

👉 These mills gave jobs to many people but also faced competition from British textiles.

🛠️ Iron and Steel Industry

• India’s iron ore deposits were rich.
• But the British discouraged large-scale Indian-owned industries.
• Still, TISCO grew to become the backbone of modern India’s steel production.

🌍 5. Impact of Industrialisation

✅ Positive Effects:

• New industries like cotton mills and steel plants were established.
• Indians learned modern methods of production.
• New cities like Bombay, Jamshedpur, Kanpur grew.

❌ Negative Effects:

• Traditional weavers and smelters lost their livelihood.
• British industries flourished at the cost of Indian workers.
• Economic hardships and poverty spread across villages.

💡 6. Important Keywords

• Muslin – fine cotton fabric from Dhaka.
• Chintz – colourful printed cotton.
• Bandanna – tie-and-dye fabric.
• Wootz steel – high-quality Indian steel.
• System of Advances – forced selling system used by the British.
• TISCO – Tata Iron and Steel Company.

📝 7. Summary (Notes Style)

• 🌸 India was famous for textiles like muslin, chintz, bandanna.
• 🧵 Weavers faced exploitation under the East India Company.
• 😢 Decline of handlooms due to machine-made cloth.
• ⚒️ Iron smelters lost jobs because of forest laws and high taxes.
• 🏭 Rise of Indian factory owners like Jamsetji Tata.
• 📉 Traditional crafts declined but modern industries grew.

❓ 8. Practice Questions

(1) Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which city was famous for Muslin?
   a) Delhi
   b) Dhaka ✅
   c) Kanpur
   d) Jodhpur
2. Who founded TISCO?
   a) Dadabhai Naoroji
   b) Jamsetji Tata ✅
   c) M.G. Ranade
   d) None

(2) Short Answer

1. Why was Indian muslin called “woven air”?
2. What problems did iron smelters face under British rule?
3. What is Wootz steel?

(3) Long Answer

1. Explain the condition of Indian weavers under British rule.
2. Describe the contribution of Jamsetji Tata in India’s industrial development.
3. Compare traditional weavers with modern factory owners.