Who speaks of India's self-reliant social system 'The rural system in India is a tiny Republic'?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, Charles Metcalfe. Sir Charles Metcalfe famously described Indian village communities as 'little republics', self-sufficient and enduring while dynasties rose and fell around them — the classic statement of the self-reliant village 'republic'.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Edmund Burke is remembered for his speeches on Indian misgovernment (e.g. the impeachment of Warren Hastings), not for the 'little republics' description of villages.  (c) James Mill wrote 'The History of British India' and was critical of Indian civilisation; the village-republic phrase is Metcalfe's.  (d) Cunningham is associated with archaeology (Alexander Cunningham) / regional histories, not this characterisation of the village.

Concept: The idea of the Indian village as a self-contained 'little republic' shaped 19th-century British and later nationalist thinking about a timeless, self-reliant rural order. Metcalfe's formulation is the most quoted.

State PCS 2020 Q53 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2020 Q53 — History PYQ with Answer