In the NCERT textbook OUR PASTS – III (Part 2) for class VIII, Chapter 8: ‘Women, Caste and Reform’ features an image titled “Hook swinging festival” as an example of Indian customs and rituals that European officials in the nineteenth century criticized as barbaric. Zoom in and explore a painting by F. B. Solvyns of this hook-swinging festival to explore how artwork can have clues regarding popular sentiments and reactions. Such use of imagery will prompt students to delve into the details of social critique in colonial India and better understand the socio-cultural context in which these social reforms came about.