During the british raj in india, the subcontinent experienced countless famines and the worst hit was bengal. In 1943, some 3 million brownskinned subjects of the raj died in the bengal famine, one of historys worst. Bengal famine of 1943 project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Bengal was struck by famine again in 1866 and at the same time orissa was also badly affected. Understanding the bengal famine, 194344 through the british. Dec 20, 2010 a gruesome firsthand account of the bengal famine of 17701772 anirban uncategorized december 20, 2010 december 22, 2010 5 minutes continuing my rapid reading of choice texts from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, i came across what was purported to be an excerpt of a letter from bengal by someone present in the doab at the time. Sep 29, 2017 the bengal famine was a severe famine that occurred in british indias bengal province in 1943, during world war ii. The most important document on the bengal famine is the report of the famine inquiry commission.
Licensed to youtube by tseries music on behalf of tseries. Sens film begins with a long shot of a typical country road, edged on either side by arching banyan trees, cutting through the vast bengali. Understanding the bengal famine, 194344 through the. The food situation in india was tight from the beginning of the second world war, with a series of crop failures and localized famines. After winning the battle of plassey, the 35 year young man clive returned to england in 1760 with a fortune of 3 lakh pounds and a rent of 27 thousand pounds per year. In mrinal sens 1980 film, akaler sadhaney in search of famine, a smart, middleclass film crew from calcutta descends on a humble bengali village to shoot a movie on the bengal famine of 1943. Bengal famine of 1943 wikipedia republished wiki 2. When there was a danger of serious famine in bengal in 19434, churchill announced that the indians must learn to look after themselves as we have done there is no reason why all parts. According to richard stevensons book bengal tiger and british lion, an account of the bengal famine of 1943, on november 9, 1943, the mayor of calcutta sent a telegram to the emperor of india asking him to appoint a royal commission to investigate the causes that led to the famine in bengal causing death of thousands of men women and children in the province. The international churchill society ics, founded in 1968 shortly after churchills death, is the worlds preeminent member organisation dedicated to preserving the historic legacy of sir winston churchill. Understanding and preventing famine and famine mortality. The famine occurred mainly in the modern states of west bengal and bihar but also hit orissa, jharkhand and bangladesh. A gruesome firsthand account of the bengal famine of 17701772 anirban uncategorized december 20, 2010 december 22, 2010 5 minutes continuing my rapid reading of choice texts from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, i came across what was purported to be an excerpt of a letter from bengal by someone present in the doab at the time. An account of the bengal famine of 1943 by richard stevenson 2.
An estimated 10 million people died of starvation and faminetriggered epidemics that also affected the regions of assam, odisha, jharkhand and bangladesh. Famines are complicatedit takes many factors to create mass starvation. In 1943, there was yet another major famine in bengal leading to the death of. It is estimated that over three million people died from starvation, malnutrition and related illnesses during the famine. Bengal famine, a 1943 movie by bimal roy churchills secret war 2010, a book about the 1943 famine distant thunder 1973 film 1973, a film about the 1943 famine. In odisha, one third of the population died due to famine. Because of the poor printing, it is not possible to scan it into a text file. Millions were impoverished as the crisis overwhelmed large. But the reality is that all modern famines are manmade. Notes bengal famine of 1943 famine, and that crop failure alone could not be. The bengal famine code is an encompassing document, outlining detailed plans. Key aspects of that task concern, first, the relationship between starvation, disease and death. Famine, severe and prolonged hunger in a substantial proportion of the population of a region or country, resulting in malnutrition and starvation. The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of about.
Hoarding by indian merchants in calcutta following the japanese conquest of burma was the starting point. It has been described as one of the worst disasters of preindependent india. This article talks about the great bengal famine of 1770. Whats more, he went on to argue, the bengal famine was by no means unique in this regard. The famine has gone missing from history textbooks and documentaries. Dec 05, 2016 the bengal famine of 1943 struck the bengal province of british india presentday west bengal, odisha, bihar and the country of bangladesh during world war ii following the japanese invasion of burma. Pdf this article outlines an amendment to amartya sens entitlement approach to famines and applies it to the bengal famine of 1943. It also teaches us that history does repeat itself if we are not careful the 1943 bengal famine was very similar to the 1770 bengal famine where 10 million died. Unlike madhusree mukerjee whose book churchills secret war. The 1943 famine stands out because it was undoubtedly a manmade debacle aggravated by. At a time when leadership is challenged at every turn, that legacy looms larger and remains more relevant than ever. A gruesome firsthand account of the bengal famine of 17701772.
Bengal famine of 1943 a photographic history part 1. The year 1918 is remembered as the year of the great indian famine. In 1943, millions of people in bengal starved to death, with most historians setting the toll at 34 million. Bengal famine of 1943 a photographic history part 1 old. Understanding and preventing famine and famine mortality jeremy swift summary famine prevention is possible but requires, among other things, a better theoretical basis, building on comparative, interdisciplinary and historical research. A disastrous famine affected the lower gangetic plains of india including the regions of bengal and bihar between 1769 and 1773 where rd of the population perished. Still more disgracefully, he said in a jocular way. But unlike the 1943 famine, these ones were essentially the outcomes of the natural disasters aggravated by the human greed and foolishness. Dec 23, 2010 other factors did play an important part in the famine. The bengal famine by brian chatterton the new york. As so often happens in famines, this one was caused by a combination of natural factors, sociopolitics, and callous leadership.
The other ones that had hit bengal were in the years 1783, 1866, 1873, 1892, 1897 and finally in 1943. Further, the treasure of nawab sirajuddaula was looted in such a way that 20% was appropriated to the zamindars and. The bengal famine of 1943 struck the bengal province of british india presentday west bengal, odisha, bihar and the country of bangladesh during world war ii following the japanese invasion of burma. The economist and philosopher amartya sen, who lived through the 1943 bengal famine as a young member of a prominent family that fed the destitute, opened his seminal book poverty and famines. Famines usually last for a limited time, ranging from a few months to a few years, and can result in death by starvation and disease.
Pdf entitlement, shortage, and the 1943 bengal famine. Sovietfamine 1932l1934 ukraine stalinscollectivizationofagricultureand transferofmillionsoftonsofgrainfrom ukrainetorussialeadstonationalfamine. The year 20 marks the 70th anniversary of the bengal famine which resulted in the death of an estimated 1. Churchills shameful role in the bengal famine time. What are some good books on the bengal famine of 1943.
Bengal, which prior to the partition of india covered the state of west bengal in india and bangladesh, suffered from a calamitous famine in 1943, when two million people died of starvation 1. The bengal famine is a perfect example of how ineffective policymaking can lead to disaster. The bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided bengal now independent bangladesh and the indian state of west bengal in 1943. The bengal famine of 1943 was a devastating famine in the bengal province of british india during world war ii. I cannot however claim any firsthand memory as i was only two in 1943 so my knowledge. In the following year, there was a famine in madras, and there was a countrywide famine in 1899. Like all famines the supply of food is not as important as the ability to pay. This famine was no exception as prices skyrocketed and the poor in rural areas suffered. Neogy revealed at the famine enquiry that the manual itself began. The bengal famine of 1943 remains a relatively unexplored topic of the modern indian history. Repeat of great bengal famine unlikely thanks to fungicides. Gideon polya, an australian biochemist, has called the bengal famine a manmade holocaust.
Apr 08, 2015 when there was a danger of serious famine in bengal in 19434, churchill announced that the indians must learn to look after themselves as we have done there is no reason why all parts of the british empire should not feel the pinch in the same way as the mother country has done. The natural factors included a cyclone, which hit bengal on january 9, 1943, flooding the rice fields with salt water and killing 14,500 people, as well as an outbreak of the helminthosporium oryzae fungus, which took a heavy toll on the remaining rice. Pdf on jun 1, 1999, auriol weigold and others published famine management. It is undeniably true and sen shows it lucidly that one cannot have a precise idea of the. Jul 19, 2011 political artist chittaprosad vividly captured the human cost of the 1943 bengal famine, a calamity that scarred the last years of british rule in india. I think the most authentic and rich source for examining and finding evidences against churchill in this incident is madhusree mukerjees book, churchills secret war, which reveals a side of churchills largely ignored in the west and considerably tarnishes his heroic sheen. Despite the insightful and thoughtprovoking works on the bengal famine by amartya sen poverty and famines. The role that currency played in the great bengal famine. There was one more result of the battle of plassey and battle of buxar.
About 250 years ago, bengal suffered a debilitating famine under colonial rule, partially brought on by changes in the colonial. Tauger seems to think he can get an adequate picture of total food supply in bengal from the data from just two rice research stations in two districts in undivided bengal which had twentyseven districts by quoting the generalizations made by the author of an article that. He emphasised that famine has to be understood as a complex form of human violence. Mukerjee delves into official documents and oral accounts of survivors to paint a horrifying portrait of how churchill, as part of the western war effort, ordered the diversion of food from starving indians to already wellsupplied. British authorities took advantage of wartime censorship to keep the news quiet. In 1943, some 3 million indian subjects of the british raj died due to bengal famine. The people of bengal are not unfamiliar to famines. Altogether about 3 million people may have died as a result of the famine as disease killed those weakened by starvation 2.
The estimated number of victims that succumbed to death due to diseases, starvation, population displacement, malnutrition, lack of medical care, and the unsanitary environment is estimated at 2. The orissa famine of 1866 affected the east coast of india from madras northwards, an area covering 180,000 miles and containing a population of 47,500,000. Political artist chittaprosad vividly captured the human cost of the 1943 bengal famine, a calamity that scarred the last years of british rule in. The famine inquiry commission 1945 documents a large number of.
The famine only ended because bengal thankfully delivered a strong rice harvest by 1944. Documents in econstor may be saved and copied for your personal and scholarly purposes. Amartya sen, in his reply to my letter the truth about the bengal famine, nyr, march 24, wrote. A famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any faunal species, which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. The bengal famine 19421944 revisited find, read and. The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of about 10 million people. The famine that had killed two to three million people and brought starvation to millions more in bengal in 1943 was not, he maintained, a result of shortage of food sen 1976, 1977. In documents held by the ministry the commission did interview pinnell.