Age of Identity

2020-Session 08-1

Partition of the
BENGAL-- ONE

BANGLADESH STUDIES Dr. Abdul Baqee

Human 1103 : Bangladesh Studies Part time Teacher 1
Bengal was
partitioned TWICE in
last century;

1. It was announced
on the third
December 1903,
but first partition
was carried out on
16th October, 1905.

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Bengal was
partitioned TWICE in
last century;

2. Second
partition was
carried out in
14-15 August
1947.

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The decision to effect
the Partition of Bengal
(Bengali: বঙ্গভঙ্গ) was
announced on 19 July 1905
by the Viceroy of India,
Lord Curzon.

The partition took place on 16

October 1905 and separated
the largely Muslim eastern
areas from the largely Hindu
western areas.
George Nathaniel Curzon
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 What were the reasons of 1905 Partition?
 The answer is complicated,
apparently very easy and simple.
 The British argument or the
Administrative reason;
 This premier province
 Bengal, which included grew too vast for
Bihar and Orissa, was efficient administration
admittedly much too and required
large for a single reorganization and
province of British India. intelligent division.
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 Calcutta and its
nearby districts
attracted all the
attention of the then
government.

 At that time the peasants

were miserable because of
the absentee landlords.
 The trade, commerce and
education were controlled
by very few solvent groups.
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 Especially in East Bengal,
the countryside was cut
off by rivers, no special
attention being paid to
ease the situation.

 Remoteness appeared to  Organized piracy

be the prime concern. in the waterways
existed for at least
a century.
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 The government contention was, the Partition of
Bengal was purely an administrative measure with
two main objectives;
1. It wanted to relieve
the government of
2. the government
Bengal to take of
desired to promote
administrative burden
the development of
and to ensure more
backward Assam
efficient
and East Bengal.
administration in the
outlying districts.
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  The Congress at its
 A storm of protest, as a
annual session in
result of partition, 1903 condemned
swept all over Bengal, this preposterous
particularly in Calcutta. scheme to undo
the unity of India.
 “We object to the
proposed
 The partition was
dismemberment of
Bengal and we are sure seen as the
the whole country will implementation of
rise as one man to the British policy of
protest against it.” “Divide and Rule”.
 Surendranath Banerje 9/23
1. The Calcutta Lawyers
apprehended that the
creation of a new 2. Journalists feared the
province would mean appearance of local
the establishment of newspapers, which
a Court of Appeal at would restrict the
Dacca and diminish circulation of the
the importance of Calcutta Press.
their own High Court.
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 4. The Zamindars who
3. The Business owned vast landed
Community of estates both in west
Calcutta visualized and east Bengal
the shift of trade foresaw the necessity
from Calcutta to of maintaining separate
Chittagong, which establishments at
would be nearer, Dhaka that would
and logically the involve extra
cheaper port. expenditure. 11/23
 Thus, the Indian National
Congress was destined
5. The Educated Bengali to become the main
Hindus felt that it was platform of the Indian
a deliberate blow nationalist movement.
inflicted by Curzon at
the national
consciousness and The leadership of the
growing solidarity of Indian National Congress
the Bengali-speaking viewed the partition as
population. an attempt to 'divide and
rule‘.
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 So they appealed to the people-
Muslims and Hindus in the name of
Bengali nation, Bengali language
and literature, Bengali history and
tradition, AND

 Bengali life and customs

and those appeals had
tremendous impact not
only on common Hindus
but also on some Muslims.
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 The Rising Muslim well-off group were also
against the partition of Bengal.

 The self-respect was hurt

because they were
tagged with Assam
which was then
considered as the most
backward area inhabited
by “uncivilized tribal
people”.

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 In order to seek support  His campaign
for his partition scheme, strategy was mainly
Lord Curzon toured East based on the
Bengal in February 1904. “promises of
development” in
East Bengal which
he found are very
underdeveloped
compared to West
Bengal.
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 He also gained
support of  All that Sir
Nawab Salimullah
Salimullah Khan could do was
by promising to confuse
him a loan of and
1,00,000 Pound neutralize the
at a nominal Muslims.
interest.

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 The Mohammedan
literary society brought
out a manifesto in 1905
signed by seven leading
Muslim personalities.

 The manifesto was circulated to the

different Muslim societies of both west
and east Bengal and urged the Muslims
to give their unconditional support to
the partition measure.
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 Muslim League  The meeting clearly viewed
was created in the interest of the
1906 and Muhammadans of Eastern
supported Bengal to consider that
partition of Partition is sure to prove
Bengal. beneficial to the
Muhammadan community.

 The vast majority of the population of the new

province and that all such agitation and boycotting
should be strongly condemned and discouraged.
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 Swadeshi movement
through the concept of  Agitation against the
‘Bengalee nationalism’ partition manifested
took steps against itself in the form of
partition. mass meetings, rural
unrest and a swadeshi
movement to boycott
the import of British
manufactured goods.

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  Two techniques of boycott
 Swadeshi and the and terrorism were applied
Boycott to make their mission
movement were successful.
the twin weapons
of this nationalism  The younger generation, who
and swaraj (self- were unwittingly drawn into
government) its politics, adopted terrorist
main objective. methods by using firearms,
pistols and bombs
indiscriminately.
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 The agitation also  The agitations in
generated increased Bengal, in fact, became
demands for a momentous national
national education. movement.

 The student
 The agitations in
community of Bengal
Bengal, in fact, became
responded with great
a momentous national
enthusiasm to the call
movement.
of nationalism.
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 Growth and development of
Bengali nationalism with
unprecedented pace.

 Anti-colonial Bengali nationalism turned into

Hindu revivalism (equating Motherland with
goddess Kali and adopting the song Bande
Mataram).

Many Muslims objected to this anthem.

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To be continued

 Gradual rise of Muslims self-

consciousness (a new Muslim identity).

 Violence erupted in Mymensingh and Comilla.

 Because of the challenge of the movement, the

annulment of the partition was made on the 20
August 1911 and the imperial capital was to be
transferred from Calcutta to Delhi in north India.

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