Maharashtra Board Class 9 History Chapter 9 Changing Life 1 PDF Download

Changing Life: 1

So far, we have studied the period from the year 1961 to 2000. The speed of change in the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries has been tremendous. Human life is changing rapidly. Things which we could not have even imagined earlier, are now a part of reality.

In ancient and medieval periods, religion was an important part of a person's identity. Now, modernisation has posed some challenges before all religions, be it Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism or Judaism. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar brought about a sea change in our traditional mindset. He brought it about through the medium of the Indian Constitution.

According to our Constitution, all Indians are equal before the law, and they cannot be discriminated against on the basis of religion, race, caste, gender or place of birth. All citizens have the right to freedom of speech and expression, freedom to assemble peacefully without arms, freedom to form associations, freedom to move, to live and settle down anywhere on Indian territory and to practice any occupation. Indian citizens living anywhere in India enjoy the right to nurture their language, script and culture.

These provisions in the Constitution shook the foundations of the caste system. It helped to make the practice of vocations running in the family obsolete. Change became the trend in every field of life. The following box shows how even machines were affected.

During the British era, there were four kinds of compartments in the railway train – the first, second, inter and third class. Nominal facilities for the passengers travelling by third class and the negative attitude towards them was almost a symbol of the Indian social hierarchy. In the 1978 Railway Budget, Madhu Dandawate put an end to this third class. Later two trains were started which had no class divisions, namely, 'Sinhagad Express' on the Pune-Mumbai route and 'Gitanjali Express' on the Mumbai-Kolkata route.

Thus began a series of minor and major changes in the society. Now, anyone can go into a restaurant irrespective of his religion, race, caste or gender. In fact, we see boards outside the restaurants welcoming all.

Another very significant change during the post-independence period is the right to express opinions against the government. Earlier, there were limits on expressing any opinion against political rulers. Now Indian citizens can register their protest against the policies of the government through newspapers, speeches or other media.

Teacher's Note

The Constitution gave equal rights to all Indians. Today, people from any caste or religion can eat together in restaurants. This is like how everyone can use the same bus now, no matter who they are.

Exam Trick

Remember: Dr Ambedkar changed India through the Constitution. Constitution = equal rights for all. Just remember Dr Ambedkar's name with Constitution.

Points to Remember

The Constitution made all Indians equal before the law.
No one can be treated badly because of their religion, caste, or gender.
People can now say "no" to the government and protest.
Religious discrimination is now illegal in India.

The Institution Of The Family

During the pre-independence period, the institution of the family was an important identifying feature of Indian society. India was known all over the world as the country of joint families. However, the wave of globalisation has now given an impetus to the system of nuclear families.

Teacher's Note

Families are changing in India. Before, many people lived together in one house. Now, children move to cities for jobs and live with only their parents. This is like how villages are changing to cities.

Exam Trick

Remember: Joint family = everyone together. Nuclear family = only small family. Globalisation pushed India toward nuclear families.

Points to Remember

Before independence, Indians lived in joint families with many people.
Now families are becoming smaller (nuclear families).
Globalisation changed how families live together.
This shows how modern life is different from old life.

Social Welfare

The objective to establish the welfare state has been incorporated in the Constitution itself. India is the first country in the world to do so. The social welfare programmes aim to make opportunities for full-time employment, health care, education and development available to all Indian citizens. Indian society is riddled with large scale economic, social, educational and cultural inequalities. However, it is necessary that opportunities for development reach women, children, the differently abled, the scheduled castes and tribes as well as other minorities. This was the greatest challenge facing the government during the post-independence period. That is why, on 14th June 1964, the government of India constituted the Ministry of Social Welfare. Under this ministry various programmes are implemented for nutrition and child-development, social security and social protection, women's welfare and development. A similar arrangement exists at the state level too.

Teacher's Note

Social welfare means the government helps poor people. India's government gives money for food, health, and education to those who need it most. Like how your school gives free books to poor students.

Exam Trick

Remember: Ministry of Social Welfare = 1964. This ministry helps women, children, and poor people. It gives them jobs, health, and education.

Points to Remember

Social welfare means helping poor and weak people.
The government gives jobs, health care, and education to all.
Ministry of Social Welfare was made in 1964.
It helps women, children, and Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
India was the first country to add welfare in Constitution.

Scheduled Castes And Tribes

According to the 1971 Census, 22% people in India belonged to scheduled castes and tribes. Laws were enacted so that they got educational scholarships, and representation in Parliament as well State Assemblies. Some seats are also reserved for them in Government services.

Teacher's Note

Scheduled Castes and Tribes are people who were treated badly in the past. The government now gives them special help like free education and jobs. This is fair because they were very poor before.

Exam Trick

Remember: SC/ST = 22% of India. They get: scholarships, jobs (reserved), Parliament seats. This is called "reservation" to help them.

Points to Remember

22% of Indians are Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
They get free education and scholarships.
Some government jobs are reserved only for them.
They have seats in Parliament and State Assemblies.
This helps them because they were poor in the past.

Public Health

The Constitution of India states that the primary duty of the government is to raise the people's standard of living, to ensure proper nutrition and to improve public health. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare at the Centre helps the state governments in this regard. To make primary health services as well as medical care available to rural people, the tribals and the poor was an objective of the Sixth Five Year plan. Efforts were made towards helping people maintain good health by giving recognition to Unani, Homoeopathy, Ayurveda and Naturopathy in addition to Allopathy.

Progress in the medical field has made the life of Indians relatively free of health concerns. In 1962, the first successful open heart surgery was performed under the leadership of Dr N. Gopinath at Christian Medical College Hospital at Vellore in Tamil Nadu. Hence, it is no longer necessary to go abroad for such treatment.

Similarly, the invention of the 'Jaipur Foot' has transformed the lives of the disabled in India. Before 1968, if a person lost a leg in an accident, he had to suffer for the rest of his life. In order to remedy the situation, Dr Pramod Sethi designed and manufactured artificial limbs, noses and ears, with the help of the skilled craftsman Ramchandra Sharma.

The artificial body parts manufactured with the help of the Jaipur foot technology have made it easy for the differently abled to walk bare-foot on rough surfaces, run, go cycling, work in the fields, climb trees, and even climb mountains, etc. They save on the expenses on shoes as there is no need for footwear on these artificial limbs. They can bend their legs at the knees and sit cross-legged. These feet are also convenient while working in water or wet conditions.

Teacher's Note

Public health means keeping all people healthy. India's doctors now do heart surgery and make fake legs for disabled people. These inventions help people live better lives.

Exam Trick

Remember three doctors: Dr Gopinath (heart surgery), Dr Sethi (Jaipur Foot), and Ramchandra Sharma (craftsman). Also remember: open heart surgery = 1962 at Vellore.

Points to Remember

Dr N. Gopinath did the first open heart surgery in 1962.
Dr Pramod Sethi invented the Jaipur Foot for disabled people.
The Jaipur Foot helps people walk, run, and work in fields.
Ayurveda and Homoeopathy are now recognized by the government.
Indians don't need to go abroad for medical treatment now.

Kidney Transplant

Since this surgery can now be performed in India, doctors have succeeded in saving patients' lives. Such surgeries were not so common in India till 1971. But in 1971, it was successfully performed at the Christian Medical College hospital at Vellore in Tamil Nadu. Dr Johny and Dr Mohan Rao transplanted the kidney donated by a living person into the patient's body. Nowadays, patients from underdeveloped countries come to India for such surgeries.

Teacher's Note

Kidney transplant means putting a new kidney inside someone. Doctors in Vellore did this first in 1971. Now even people from other countries come to India for this surgery.

Exam Trick

Remember: Kidney transplant = 1971 at Vellore = Dr Johny and Dr Mohan Rao. This surgery helps people whose kidneys don't work.

Points to Remember

First kidney transplant was done in 1971 in Vellore.
Dr Johny and Dr Mohan Rao did this surgery.
A kidney from one person was given to another person.
Now people from other countries come to India for this.
This shows India's progress in medical science.

Test-Tube Baby

Right from early times, having a baby is considered to be of utmost importance in the Indian family system. The support of 'test-tube baby' technology has been available to childless couples since 1978. It was under the supervision of Dr Subhash Mukhopadhyaya that the experiment of the test-tube baby was successfully carried out at Kolkata. This was the first successful attempt at artificial conception. A girl named Durga was born. This technology helped to solve the problem of childless couples who wanted children.

Teacher's Note

Test-tube baby means a baby made in the laboratory. A girl named Durga was the first test-tube baby in India in 1978. Now many couples without children can have babies with this technology.

Exam Trick

Remember: Test-tube baby = 1978 = Dr Subhash Mukhopadhyaya = Kolkata = Durga. This helps couples who cannot have children naturally.

Points to Remember

Test-tube baby technology started in 1978 in India.
Dr Subhash Mukhopadhyaya did this experiment at Kolkata.
The first test-tube baby was a girl named Durga.
This helps childless couples to have children.
It is an important invention in medical science.

Immunisation

Before 1978, every year, six Indian infants out of every 10 who were born faced fatal health problems in the very first year of their birth. The immunisation programme was taken up to overcome the threat of polio, measles, tetanus, TB, diphtheria, and whooping cough. The 'pulse polio' immunisation programme started in 1995 has controlled polio.

Teacher's Note

Immunisation means giving medicine to stop diseases. The government gives free vaccines to all children. This stops diseases like polio. Like how your school gives you polio drops every year.

Exam Trick

Remember: Immunisation = vaccines for children. Pulse polio = 1995. Diseases stopped = polio, TB, measles, tetanus. Six babies out of 10 died before 1978.

Points to Remember

Immunisation means giving vaccines to stop diseases.
Before 1978, six babies out of ten died from diseases.
Pulse polio programme started in 1995.
It stopped diseases like polio, TB, measles, and tetanus.
All children now get free vaccines from the government.

Urbanisation

Urbanisation is a process of the concentration of population in a city or urban area. Increasing population is one major reason for urbanisation. A few other factors affecting urbanisation are air, water and the economic as well as social organisations necessary for community life.

In the context of post-independence India, the increase in urban population is also due to factors such as reduction in the mortality rate, industrialisation, unavailability of means of livelihood in rural areas, job opportunities in cities and the resulting migration. To reduce the strain on cities, it is necessary to make jobs available in villages, achieve a balance in economic development, control the expansion of metros and provide necessary services and facilities in both the urban as well as rural areas.

Teacher's Note

Urbanisation means more people moving to cities. People leave villages to find jobs in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. This makes cities crowded and villages empty.

Exam Trick

Remember: Urbanisation = people moving to cities. Reasons = jobs, factories, hospitals. Problem = cities become crowded. Solution = make jobs in villages.

Points to Remember

Urbanisation means population moving to cities.
People leave villages for jobs in cities.
Factories and industries are in cities, not villages.
Cities become crowded and expensive.
Government should give jobs in villages to stop this.

Rural Area

A village is a permanent settlement of farmers near the land they themselves tilled, either individually or collectively. Villages came into existence when farming began. Villages in India are thinly populated. A dense cluster of houses surrounded by farmland is a unique feature of the Indian village. A settlement smaller than even a village is called a hamlet. Compared to the urban community, the village community is very small.

Villages are not uniform across India. There are differences based on regional and physical features.

Teacher's Note

A village is where farmers live and grow crops. Villages have few houses spread over large farmland. A hamlet is smaller than a village. Indian villages are very small and quiet compared to cities.

Exam Trick

Remember: Village = farmers + farmland. Hamlet = smaller than village. Villages thinly populated = few houses. Cities densely populated = many houses close together.

Points to Remember

A village is where farmers live near their farmland.
Villages are thinly populated with scattered houses.
A hamlet is smaller