Q1. [4]
The Sense of Collective Belonging
This sense of collective belonging came partly through the experience of united struggles. But there were also a variety of cultural processes through which nationalism captured people's imagination — fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols, all played a part in the making of nationalism.
The identity of the nation, as you know, is most often symbolised in a figure or image. This helps create an image with which people can identify the nation. It was in the twentieth century, with the growth of nationalism, that the identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata. The image was first created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay who wrote Vande Mataram as a hymn to the motherland. Later it was included in his novel Anandamath and widely sung during the Swadeshi movement in Bengal. Moved by the Swadeshi movement, Abanindranath Tagore painted his famous image of Bharat Mata. In this painting, Bharat Mata is portrayed as an ascetic figure; she is calm, composed, divine and spiritual. In subsequent years, the image of Bharat Mata acquired many different forms, as it circulated in popular prints, and was painted by different artists. Devotion to this mother figure came to be seen as a sign of one's nationalism.
Read the case given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:
- (11.1) How did the nation become a reality in the minds of people? [1]
- (11.2) How did nationalism capture the imagination of the people? [1]
- (11.3) How did people belonging to different groups develop a sense of collective belonging? [2]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2022 32/3/1 Q11
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 06:55 · grounding stimulus
Model Answer
(11.1) The nation became a reality in the minds of people when its identity was symbolised in a figure or image with which people could identify themselves.
(11.2) Nationalism captured the imagination of the people through a variety of cultural processes — fiction, folklore and songs, popular prints and symbols all played a part in the making of nationalism.
(11.3) People belonging to different groups developed a sense of collective belonging through:
- United struggles — participating together in national movements created a shared sense of identity.
- Cultural processes — fiction, folklore, songs, and popular prints spread nationalist ideas widely.
- Symbols and icons — the image of Bharat Mata, created by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and painted by Abanindranath Tagore, gave people a common figure to identify with; devotion to this mother figure became a sign of nationalism.
Source: Chapter 2 – Nationalism in India, Section: The Sense of Collective Belonging
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Explanation
- (11.1) is 1 mark — one line about symbolising the nation through a figure/image is enough.
- (11.2) is 1 mark — just list the cultural processes (fiction, folklore, songs, prints, symbols). Don't elaborate.
- (11.3) is 2 marks — examiners expect two distinct points: united struggles + cultural processes/symbols. Mentioning Bharat Mata with Bankim Chandra and Abanindranath Tagore adds value and shows text knowledge. Keep it concise — 3 bullet points covering both marks is ideal. Never go beyond what the passage says for a case-study question.
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