- Vikas Malhotra
In the 19th century, European and German companies recognized India's vast market potential due to Anglo-Saxon property law and British import policies. Siemens' construction of the first telegraph connection between India and Britain via Berlin in the 1870s marked the beginning of deep economic, intellectual, and cultural exchanges between India and Germany. These exchanges extended beyond business, fostering discussions in education, art, medicine, and science. Figures like Robert Koch, studying disease outbreaks, and Rabindranath Tagore, recruiting scholars in Germany, enriched both knowledge and cultural exchange.
Early Economic Engagements
Siemens' construction of the telegraph line between India and Britain via Berlin in the 1870s exemplified how German technology began to influence Indian infrastructure. This project laid the groundwork for future collaborations, establishing a model for technological and industrial partnerships. Back in the days, India appeared to be a gateway to the east for the German and the European firms. Many German firms started investing in India.
By the late 19th century, India had become a crucial market for the German dye industry. Leading German chemical companies like Bayer, Hoechst, and BASF exported synthetic dyes to India. Bayer established its first consignment warehouse in India in 1888 and registered "Bayer & Co. Ltd." in 1896, making it the first wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer in Asia. Bombay emerged as a hub for German firms, equipped with depots, laboratories, and technical staff. The economic engagement intertwined with socio-political motivations and aspirations influenced the intellectual, educational, and cultural exchange between India and Germany.
Intellectual and Cultural Exchange
- Educational Collaborations
The exchange of ideas between German and Indian intellectuals was profound. Figures like Rabindranath Tagore frequently visited Germany to recruit scholars for his university, promoting cross-cultural and intellectual dialogue. Interestingly, it was the British administrators who sought to implement the German political-economic model in India, British administrators visited Germany to learn about educational institutions, cooperative societies, and artisanal organizations.
Historian Kris Manjapra captures the triumph of Germany’s polytechnic and its influence on Britons through Karl Pearson, a British statistician, who stated, "We must aspire to the example of German polytechnic." Cooperative banking was exported from Germany to India in the early 20th century, with various reforms drafted in India based on the German model. These exchanges highlighted the impact of German educational and economic principles on Indian policies.
Despite reforms introduced by the British, the overall state of education in India remained distressful. Technical education was underdeveloped and dependent on the imperial motives of the government. Several historians have highlighted the dependence of the Indian textile industry on Western technology or machinery. Similarly, the machines for telegraphs in India were largely imported from Britain, denying India spin-off benefits or knowledge transfer. Industrial schools established initially aimed at supporting the British empire's military and strategic ambitions in India, such as the industrial school at Guindy, Madras, attached to the Gun Carriage Factory in 1842. On the other hand, though the Indo-German collaborations were primarily motivated by business reasons, they helped Indian industry to acquire modern technology from the German firms and establish training institutions in India.
- Industrial Training and Development - The Kala Bhavan
In response to the Swadeshi movement, which emphasized the development of indigenous industries, German businesses supported the establishment of industrial training institutions in India. Bayer collaborated with Tribhivandas Kalyandas Gajjar, an Indian chemist, to found "The Kala Bhavan" in Baroda in 1890. Modelled after polytechnic institutions, the school offered courses in Chemical Analysis and Dyeing, among other subjects, with instruction primarily in Gujarati.
Historians note that, the Kala Bhavan quickly became popular, attracting 814 students with diverse academic backgrounds, including many from artisanal castes. Students learned trades such as calico printing using modern machinery from Germany and England. The school emphasized practical skills, dedicating only a third of the curriculum to theoretical studies. This hands-on approach was crucial in meeting industry requirements and fostering student success.
Most students at Kala Bhawan came from rural backgrounds. Researchers recounts that in 1896, out of 204 students enrolled, 39 had an artisan background and 44 were farmers and cultivators. These students, limited to understanding vernacular languages, benefited from the staff's efforts in translating books to Gujarati and Marathi under the 'Sayaji Gnyana Manjusa' project. This effort led to significant student success, with students from artisanal backgrounds setting new standards, like those appreciated by the British Royal family at the ‘Society for the Preservation of Indian Art, London’ in 1895.
Further, German intellectuals such as Prof. Schumacher and Dr. Ehrard, supported by German firms, worked closely with Kala Bhavan staff to enhance the chemical technology department. Bayer played a significant role by providing financial support, scholarships, and employment opportunities for students. Thus, amid colonial industrialization and limited resources, the accomplishments of Kala Bhawan reflected the success of Indo-German collaboration in industrial education, exemplifying a broader Indo-German partnership extending beyond mere business interests.
Indian Diaspora in Germany
Indo-German engagement was profound, with the Indian diaspora in Berlin numbering around 400 to 500 in the 1920s. Scholarships were offered to Indian students to study in Germany, fostering anticolonial sentiments that were carried back to India. The exchange of literature and resources was significant, such as the gift of 400 German books to Rabindranath Tagore on his 60th birthday in Darmstadt. The experiences of Indian intellectuals in Germany helped establish key economic institutions in India, such as the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce founded by Benoy Kumar Sarkar. Sarkar promoted Bengali as a language of learning and founded various other institutions, encouraging Indo-German exchange, and facilitating visits by Germans like Oskar von Miller, an engineer and founder of the German Museum of scientific and industrial objects in Munich in 1927.
There were also notable exchanges among intellectuals from both countries regarding rural banking and the adoption of economic models for agrarian economies. However, the British empire's influence in India was significant, and the policies enacted by the colonial government aimed to maintain the dominance of the British economy over the Indian economy.
Conclusion
The 19th century Indo-German relationship was marked by significant economic, intellectual, and cultural exchanges. German companies, educational institutions, and intellectuals played crucial roles in shaping India's industrial and technical landscape. Despite the overarching control of British imperial policies, the collaborations between German and Indian entities fostered advancements in education, industry, and anti-colonial sentiment. These interactions laid important foundations for India's development, influencing its journey towards independence and beyond.
In the subsequent article, I'll delve into the Indo-German collaboration within the realm of skills and training during post-independence India.
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