Development of Textile and Iron & Steel Industries in British India

India’s Textile Industry: From World Leader to Collapse

(a) The Traditional System

• In the 18th century, India was the world’s largest producer of cotton textiles.
• Production was organised in two stages:
  1. Spinning – thread spun on the charkha/takli (by women).
  2. Weaving – woven into cloth (by men).
• Support specialists:
  • Rangrez → dyer.
  • Chhipigar → block printer.
  • Aurang → warehouse.

(b) Global Fame of Indian Textiles

• Muslin: named after Mosul (Iraq), where Europeans first saw it.
• Calico: Portuguese took cotton from Calicut, hence the term.
• Chintz: printed cotton.
• Bandanna: bright scarf from “bandhna” (tie-dye).

👉 Indian cloth dazzled the world — fine muslins of Bengal, calicoes of Coromandel, and chintzes of Gujarat were luxury items in Europe.

(c) Decline of Indian Textiles

• Early 18th c.: European traders profited hugely by selling Indian cloth in Europe.
• 1720: Calico Act in Britain banned Indian printed cloth to protect England’s infant textile mills.
• Late 18th c.: Industrial Revolution in England → rapid machine production of cotton cloth.
• By early 19th c.: English textiles replaced Indian goods in Africa, America, Europe.
• 1830s onwards: cheap British cloth flooded Indian markets.
• By 1880s: 2/3 of cloth worn in India came from Britain.

👉 Indian textiles collapsed due to unfair competition, free trade policy, and lack of state support — a classic case of deindustrialisation.

(d) Rise of Cotton Mills in India

• Bombay grew as a raw cotton port in early 19th c.
• 1854: first Indian cotton mill in Bombay (Cowsajee Nanabhoy).
• 1861: first mill in Ahmedabad.
• 1862: mill in Kanpur.
• By 1900 → 84 mills in Bombay alone.

Problems:

• Could not compete with cheap British imports.
• No tariff protection (unlike Europe/USA).
• Lack of government encouragement.

Growth spurts:

1. World War I (1914–18): British imports declined; Indian mills produced for military.
2. National movement: Gandhi’s swadeshi & khadi campaign boosted Indian textiles.

Iron & Steel Industry: From Wootz to TISCO

(a) Traditional Iron and Wootz Steel

• Iron smelting was widespread in Bihar and Central India till 19th c.
• Wootz steel (“ukku” in Kannada): high-carbon steel with a water-like pattern, famed worldwide.
  • Used to make legendary swords (e.g., Tipu Sultan’s swords).
  • Studied by Michael Faraday (1818–22).

(b) Decline of Traditional Smelting

1. Forest laws restricted access to wood (for charcoal fuel).
2. Expansion of railways created huge demand, but this was met by imported British steel.

(c) Rise of Modern Steel Industry – TISCO

• 1907: Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) set up in Jamshedpur.
• 1912: Began production.
• World War I (1914–18): turning point.
  • Britain diverted its steel to the war effort.
  • Indian railways & army turned to TISCO.
  • By 1919, colonial govt. purchased 90% of TISCO’s steel.

👉 Like textiles, steel industry grew only when British imports declined (war, crisis, or boycott movements).

⚖️ Larger Lessons

• Textiles: Once the pride of India, were deliberately destroyed to promote British mills.
• Iron & Steel: Traditional skills (wootz) declined, but modern steel (TISCO) emerged late, driven by Indian capital.
• Both cases show the same pattern:
  • Britain suppressed Indian industries to serve its own needs.
  • Indian industries grew only in moments when British supply chains weakened (World Wars, nationalist movements).