VERNACULAR MODERNITY AND COLONIAL PRIMERS IN ORISSA

With the introduction of British pattern of education in India, thereby Orissa, several changes occurred in teaching disciplines, subject matters and curricula. Introduction of English and westernization of textbooks came along with social movements such as 1857 and others and its aftermath witnessed serious changes in schools. This paper argues that in Orissa this pattern acquired a significant transition in the discipline of ethics. Taking school textbooks of the 1890s to 1920s this paper will explore how colonial ethics imparted through textbooks had the intention to civilize the native mind.