Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah :
The Bengal famine was the most terrible and the most disastrous famine in more than a hundred years. The shortage began in the villages and the poor and the hungry in their thousands trudged to the cities, mainly to Calcutta, hoping for a handful of grain. Several factors contributed towards the famine, most of them connected with the war.
Large quantities of rice imported from Burma and other Far Eastern countries was stopped, because these countries were under enemy occupation. In view of the situation the British Government decided on a ‘denial’ policy. I quote from a letter by Military authorities to the Chief Secretary of Bengal, showing this:
It has been decided with the approval of the Governor General’s Executive Council that a complete ‘scorched earth’ policy for the whole of India is neither practicable nor desirable. A ‘denial’ policy has however, been formulated and this will be put into effect in certain emergencies. Briefly the policy consists of denial to the enemy of certain stocks and services by destruction or removal of essentials within the defined limits of threatened areas to be carried out in the event of invasion. Bengal is included in this area. The responsibility for initiating, coordinating and approving plans and bases, and for plans to be put into execution lies with the local military authority, but the closest co-operation of the civil authorities will be required when the time comes to translate the plan into action. I do not propose to go into details at the present juncture or to say more but the military is already making preparations to carry out the scheme should occasion arise. (Sheila Sen : Muslim Politics in Bengal)
But most of all, it was the blackmarketeers and hoarders whose criminal action was responsible for the tragedy. They knowingly and deliberately withheld stocks of rice and later sold it at exorbitant prices. Calcutta itself was in the grip of famine, at least as far as prices were concerned. All kinds of luxury food, sweets, cakes and fruits were displayed in shops and restaurants while people, men, women and children, died of hunger in the streets and on the pavements. It was most shocking, the most awful and the most terrible spectacle.
Though the seeds of this great disaster were laid by the previous government, which because of incompetence and lack of foresight, had not taken the necessary steps to avoid this, the blame for it was put on the Muslim League Government in whose tenure of office the results began to show. Then, and afterwards, the Hindu dominated Press of India, and the Western Press have blamed the Muslim League Ministry for the tragedy which was not of its making. It was merely reaping the whirlwind the previous government had sown, but to this day, whoever writes about this disaster always blames the Muslim League Ministry. It surprises me because some of these writers are men of international repute and yet are content to repeat a canard without taking the trouble to sift the facts for themselves.
Shaheed Bhai was appointed Minister for Civil Supplies; he was also holding the portfolio for Finance. He worked day and night organizing food distribution centres, and gruel kitchens allover the city. He mobilized the students for doing this work. By threatening dire punishment, he did get the rice hoarders and blackmarketeers (mostly Hindus) to disgorge their ill- gotten stocks, and rice did appear in the shops of Calcutta sooner than it would have otherwise. Rice could not be imported from the surrounding countries because they were under enemy occupation. Wheat from north India was of no use because the Bengalis were not used to eating bread, though as a result of the Bengal famine a drastic change did come about in their eating habits and I understand they do eat bread now.
Shaheed Bhai came to New Delhi many times and spent hours with officials in charge of food supplies, arranging to send as much rice as possible to famine-striken Bengal because the agents handling rice import were Ispahani and Company. The Hindu Provinces did not want to send rice. Shaheed Bhai tried to persuade the Ministry to appoint one or two Hindu agents for which he earned the enmity of the Ispahanis. The Hindu writers still blame communal consideration in the handling of rice as one of the causes of famine.
It was mainly due to Shaheed Bhai ‘s indefatigable energy that the Bengal famine came to an end when it did, but he has received scant thanks for it.
The Bengal famine was the most terrible and the most disastrous famine in more than a hundred years. The shortage began in the villages and the poor and the hungry in their thousands trudged to the cities, mainly to Calcutta, hoping for a handful of grain. Several factors contributed towards the famine, most of them connected with the war.
Large quantities of rice imported from Burma and other Far Eastern countries was stopped, because these countries were under enemy occupation. In view of the situation the British Government decided on a ‘denial’ policy. I quote from a letter by Military authorities to the Chief Secretary of Bengal, showing this:
It has been decided with the approval of the Governor General’s Executive Council that a complete ‘scorched earth’ policy for the whole of India is neither practicable nor desirable. A ‘denial’ policy has however, been formulated and this will be put into effect in certain emergencies. Briefly the policy consists of denial to the enemy of certain stocks and services by destruction or removal of essentials within the defined limits of threatened areas to be carried out in the event of invasion. Bengal is included in this area. The responsibility for initiating, coordinating and approving plans and bases, and for plans to be put into execution lies with the local military authority, but the closest co-operation of the civil authorities will be required when the time comes to translate the plan into action. I do not propose to go into details at the present juncture or to say more but the military is already making preparations to carry out the scheme should occasion arise. (Sheila Sen : Muslim Politics in Bengal)
But most of all, it was the blackmarketeers and hoarders whose criminal action was responsible for the tragedy. They knowingly and deliberately withheld stocks of rice and later sold it at exorbitant prices. Calcutta itself was in the grip of famine, at least as far as prices were concerned. All kinds of luxury food, sweets, cakes and fruits were displayed in shops and restaurants while people, men, women and children, died of hunger in the streets and on the pavements. It was most shocking, the most awful and the most terrible spectacle.
Though the seeds of this great disaster were laid by the previous government, which because of incompetence and lack of foresight, had not taken the necessary steps to avoid this, the blame for it was put on the Muslim League Government in whose tenure of office the results began to show. Then, and afterwards, the Hindu dominated Press of India, and the Western Press have blamed the Muslim League Ministry for the tragedy which was not of its making. It was merely reaping the whirlwind the previous government had sown, but to this day, whoever writes about this disaster always blames the Muslim League Ministry. It surprises me because some of these writers are men of international repute and yet are content to repeat a canard without taking the trouble to sift the facts for themselves.
Shaheed Bhai was appointed Minister for Civil Supplies; he was also holding the portfolio for Finance. He worked day and night organizing food distribution centres, and gruel kitchens allover the city. He mobilized the students for doing this work. By threatening dire punishment, he did get the rice hoarders and blackmarketeers (mostly Hindus) to disgorge their ill- gotten stocks, and rice did appear in the shops of Calcutta sooner than it would have otherwise. Rice could not be imported from the surrounding countries because they were under enemy occupation. Wheat from north India was of no use because the Bengalis were not used to eating bread, though as a result of the Bengal famine a drastic change did come about in their eating habits and I understand they do eat bread now.
Shaheed Bhai came to New Delhi many times and spent hours with officials in charge of food supplies, arranging to send as much rice as possible to famine-striken Bengal because the agents handling rice import were Ispahani and Company. The Hindu Provinces did not want to send rice. Shaheed Bhai tried to persuade the Ministry to appoint one or two Hindu agents for which he earned the enmity of the Ispahanis. The Hindu writers still blame communal consideration in the handling of rice as one of the causes of famine.
It was mainly due to Shaheed Bhai ‘s indefatigable energy that the Bengal famine came to an end when it did, but he has received scant thanks for it.
–Oxford University Press, 1991
Bengal Famine, pp. 43-44
