The essentials
Much of what we know about the colonial countryside comes from official records: revenue records, survey reports, district gazetteers, and reports of commissions of enquiry. These were produced by officials who wanted to understand and control Indian society, mainly to collect revenue and maintain order.
The Fifth Report, submitted to the British Parliament in 1813, was one of a series of reports on the administration and activities of the East India Company in India. It ran to over a thousand pages, with large appendices that reproduced petitions of zamindars and ryots, reports of collectors and statistical tables. It was produced at a time when the Company's monopoly and its misrule were being debated in Britain, and many groups there wanted to end the Company's monopoly over trade with India.
Key points
- The Fifth Report tended to exaggerate the collapse of traditional zamindari power, partly because it was written to criticise Company administration.
- The Deccan Riots Commission report (1878) recorded statements of ryots, sahukars and officials; but it reflected the government's wish to show that its revenue demand was not the cause of discontent.
- Accounts like those of Francis Buchanan record useful details on landscapes and people but see the land through the Company's eyes, focusing on resources and "improvement".
- Historians must ask: who wrote the report, for whom, for what purpose, and whose voices are missing?
Exam tips
For any source-based question, comment on the author's purpose and possible bias, and suggest other sources that could be used to cross-check (for example, local records, petitions, oral traditions).