Partition of Bengal

Friday, December 30, 2005 outlook: rants and raves Part -2

Which made Aurobindo quip" It would require a furnace".

1. Srinivasa-Raghavan - writes in his column about some historical facts which I'm sure not many indians know about it. His article is an eyeopener on this recent controversy whether Jinnah was Secular or not...The short point is that Jinnah was no more communal than Nehru or Gandhiji was. He became an instrument of forces that hethought he could control but could not eventually. But that is not sounusual, is it?

2. You are twisting historical facts to show that Bengali Hindus objected partition of Bengal to maintain their supremacy over Muslims. As I have stated in “Discussion” against chapter “War of independence”, British rule introduced their own system of education in Bengal since middle of eighteenth century, i.e. after battle of Pallesy. This education system, whose original purpose was to create clerical staff or writers for British administration in India, in the process, exposed it’s students to revolutionary developments of Germany, England and France. This imparted nationalistic feeling in them and made them bold enough to organise movement against imperial British rule. They started dreaming to become master of own destiny by getting independence from British Rule. British understood that their education system had given birth to a Frankestine. But, there was no way for them to go back, as knowledge is not a thing, which the giver can take back at it’s own will. In the mean time, movement for independence turned towards anarchism.

But, most of the Bengali Muslims remained unaware of these developments in own land, due to lack of interest in education. Some of the prominent Muslim leaders did blunder by advising Muslims to remain away from politics, till they know it’s tricks. But, they did nothing to train Muslim community to enter politics. They went on provoking Islamic fundamentalism, because, they were afraid that their own charisma as leader would vanish if their followers get enlightened. Anyway, British also understood it. To encourage division between Hindu and Muslims, they conferred knighthood on Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, who always advocated in favour of friendship with British and was originator of two nation’s theory. British rule created Indian National Congress to give a platform to Indian people to let out frustration, so that entrapped frustration does not lead to revolution. But, British kept Muslim community out of Indian National Congress by branding it as shelter of Hindu fundamentalists with the help of some Muslim leaders of that time. It is really surprising why learned people like Sir, Syed could not see through British politics. Bengali Hindus in the mean time became ready to make supreme sacrifice for the nation. Even two Hindu Bengali girls took the risk of assassinating a British District Collector in East Bengal. Bomb was thrown on District collector of Midnapur by two Hindu Bengali boys. They loved to go to gallows for national cause.

So, British decided to partition Bengal to break backbone of nationalistic movement. In fact, most of the Muslims at that time in East Bengal were illiterate and used to feel happy by living a quite life earning daily breads by hard toil. They were indifferent to movement for independence, because they looked at it as something alien to their life style. It was same to illiterate Bengali Hindus also. Since, number of educated Bengali Hindus at that time in Bengal was many times more than that of Bengali Muslims, Bengali Hindus had to take the burden of spear heading the movement. Hence, partition of Bengal was proposed by British to curb nationalistic movement by making Bengali Hindus minority in certain locations, so that they could be socially and economically ruined. It was never out of any sympathy for Muslim community. Sanjoy Ghose, Kolkata posted by ansh at 11:23 AM