Maharashtra Board Class 9 History Chapter 1 Sources of History PDF Download

Sources of History

Till now we have studied the history of ancient, medieval and modern India. This year we have to study the history of India in the post-independence era. Sources of modern history are different from those of ancient and medieval history. We can study history with the help of various sources like written sources, material sources, oral sources and sources in the audio-visual medium. In the modern period, we have to take note of various sources at the regional, state, national as well as international level. We can write history with the help of these sources.

Written Sources

The following sources are included in the written sources.

Newspapers, Periodicals, Encyclopedias, Postage Stamps, Government Gazettes, Documents in the Archives, Diaries, Correspondence, Reference books

Newspapers

Just as newspapers are considered the fourth pillar of democracy in the modern period, they are also a major medium of information. If we consider the period from 1961 to 2000, we see that in the beginning, there was no alternative to the print media, especially newspapers. With liberalisation and widespread use of internet in India, an alternative for print media became available. Yet, the print media still continue to be powerful.

Through newspapers, we can get information about national and international affairs, politics, art, sports, literature and social and cultural affairs. Newspapers contain matters related to human life. Most national newspapers have started their regional editions. They publish supplements that give information about various topics. Newsletters of various movements, the dailies or weeklies of political parties, monthly and annual magazines are important among the print media.

Some newspapers produce special supplements towards the end of the year that take an overview of the important events of the year. Such supplements help us understand the important events of the year.

Press Trust of India (PTI)

After 1953, the Press Trust of India has been an important source of primary details of all important events and of articles on important subjects. Press Trust of India has provided reports, photographs and articles on financial and scientific issues to newspapers. PTI has now started its online service. During the 1990s, PTI started using the 'satellite broadcast' technology instead of tele-printers to send news all over the country. This material is important for writing the history of modern India.

The place where historical documents are preserved is called 'Archives'. The main office of the National Archives of India is at New Delhi. It is the largest among the Archives in Asia.

Teacher's Note

Newspapers help us understand what happened in the past. Just like your parents read the newspaper to know about today's news, we use old newspapers to know about India's history.

Exam Trick

Remember: PTI means Press Trust of India. It gives news to all newspapers. Think of it like WhatsApp - it sends the same message to many people at once.

Points to Remember

Written sources include newspapers, diaries, letters, and government documents.
Newspapers tell us about politics, sports, art, and culture.
The Press Trust of India gives news to all newspapers in India.
Archives are special places where old documents are kept safe.
The National Archives of India is in New Delhi.

Postage Stamps

The postage stamps don't reveal anything on their own. Yet a historian makes them speak. There have been several changes in postage stamps since India became independent. Postage stamps reveal a lot to us about changing times due to the variety in the sizes of the stamps, the novelty in their subjects and colour schemes.

The Postal Department issues postage stamps on a wide variety of themes like political leaders, flowers, animals, birds, an event, or the silver, golden, diamond jubilees or centenary, bicentenary, tercentenary of different events. It is therefore a valuable repository of history.

The Indian government issued the 'Jal Cooper' stamp in 1977. Jal Cooper was an internationally acclaimed philatelist, i.e. an expert on the subject of 'postage stamps'. Born in a Parsi household in Mumbai, Cooper edited 'India's Stamp Journal'. He was the founder of the first Philatelic Bureau in India, an office that collected stamps. He founded the 'Empire of India Philatelic Society'. He went on to write many books on this subject. He gave a scientific bent to his hobby. He played a pivotal role in taking the study of Indian postage stamps to the international level. Having started his career as a postage stamp collector, Cooper achieved the expertise of a philatelist at the international level. The postage stamp on Jal Cooper is an important source to understand his significant contribution to this field.

Teacher's Note

Postage stamps show us what India thought was important at different times. For example, a stamp about farmers tells us that farming was important to India.

Exam Trick

Remember: Jal Cooper was a stamp expert. A philatelist is someone who collects and studies postage stamps. Easy to remember - philatelist = postage stamp lover.

Points to Remember

Postage stamps show what was important in India at different times.
Stamps have themes like leaders, flowers, animals, and birds.
Jal Cooper was an expert on Indian postage stamps.
The Postal Department uses stamps to celebrate important events in India.
Different stamps tell different stories about India's history.

Reference Books and Government Publications

Among the print media, the information contained in the annual issues of the Publications Division of the Government of India is authentic and trustworthy. For example, the Information and Broadcasting Department published INDIA 2000, an annual reference book. This reference book is created under 'Research, Reference and Training Department'. It contains useful information about the land, its people, national emblems, political system, defence, education, cultural events and an account of the developments in the fields of science and technology, environment, health and family welfare, social welfare, media of mass communications along with basic data, related to economics, finance, planning, agriculture, water conservation, rural development, food and civil supplies, energy, industries, trade and commerce, transport, communication, labour, housing, laws and statutes, youth and sports departments, etc. It is possible for us to write history with the help of such information.

Material Sources

The following sources are included among the physical sources.

Coins, Places of worship, Things in daily use, Royal Seals, Ornaments, Museums, Clothing, Modern architecture

Coins

We can also understand history with the help of coins and the changes in the printing of currency notes. Reserve Bank of India prints the notes. It has its headquarters in Mumbai.

The coins from 1950 to those used at present, the metals used for making them, their different shapes, the diversity of subjects on them together help us to understand the important contemporary issues in India eg., coins to convey the message of population control and coins communicating the importance of agriculture and of farmers.

Teacher's Note

Coins tell us what India cared about at different times. If a coin shows a farmer, it means farming was very important to India then.

Exam Trick

Remember: Reserve Bank of India makes money. When the design of coins changes, it means India's thinking about something has changed.

Points to Remember

Coins from 1950 onwards tell us about India's history.
The metals used in coins tell us about the times.
Coin designs show what was important in India.
Some coins had messages about population control.
Some coins showed the importance of farming and farmers.

Museums

All States of India have museums that depict the characteristics and display the cultural and social heritage of the State. They enable us to understand history (eg., the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum at Mumbai, Reserve Bank Museum in Pune city). Apart from the Government Museums, some private collectors also set up their own museums. They are based on distinctive subjects. eg., coins, notes, lamps and nutcrackers in different shapes, cricket equipment, etc.

Teacher's Note

Museums are like treasure houses. They keep old and important things from India's past so we can see and learn from them.

Exam Trick

Remember: Every Indian state has a museum. Museums show the culture of that state. Visit a museum near your home to see real history!

Points to Remember

Every state in India has a museum.
Museums show the culture and history of the state.
Some museums are run by the government.
Some museums are run by private collectors.
Museums keep coins, notes, lamps, and other old objects.

Oral Sources

These sources include folktales, folksongs, proverbs, ballads and owis (Marathi verses in the oral tradition). Activists were inspired by the powadas of Lokshahir Anna Bhau Sathe and Shahir Amar Sheikh during the Sanyukta Maharashtra Movement.

Audio-Visual Sources

Television, films, internet are called 'Audio-visual media'. Many domestic and foreign television channels also come under this head, eg., History channel, Discovery channel, etc.

Film And Television Institute of India (FTII)

The Government of India started the Film and Television Institute of India at Pune in 1960 with the purpose of providing public education. An institute called Indian News Review has produced various newsreels on important events in politics, social issues, art, sports and culture. This Department has also produced various documentaries on prominent social leaders, on people who have made major contributions for the country and about important locations in India. These news releases and documentaries are useful for studying the history of modern India.

Teacher's Note

Television and films show us history in a moving picture. It is easier to understand history by watching a film than by just reading it in a book.

Exam Trick

Remember: Audio-visual means you can see and hear. TV, films, and internet are audio-visual. They show you history with pictures and sound.

Points to Remember

Audio-visual sources include television, films, and internet.
History channel and Discovery channel are audio-visual sources.
FTII is in Pune and started in 1960.
FTII makes newsreels and documentaries about India.
Documentaries tell the stories of leaders and important places in India.

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