Meanings of Progress

The concept of ‘progress’ as a forward movement against a static backdrop was a prominent motif in Victorian literature and thought. ¹ In later nineteenth century, it frequently served intellectuals as a means through which concern for one’s community, mother-tongue and nation could be expressed. In each case, it evoked the image of a contest in which victory meant getting ahead of others. The use of contest as a metaphor of progress provided Indian intellectuals the opportunity to place before their audience a community larger than that of caste, religion or language. This they did by permitting a comparison of Indian society with Europe as represented in India by English rulers. The view of India as an ancient and static society had already been established in early nineteenth century (Bearce 1961). The colonizer’s presence symbolized a moving force in a static ethos, and anything that the native society did in response to the English presence became symbolic of progress.