Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the Hindu Dissent and the Partition of Bengal, 1932-1947

Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the Hindu Dissent and the Partition of Bengal, 1932-1947

Author: Chhanda Chatterjee

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-06-14

Total Pages: 565

ISBN-13: 1000163784

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This study on Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee will help the readers understand the circumstances under which he assumed the leading role in the carving out the province of West Bengal from the littoral that was soon to become the province of East Pakistan. The role of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee in demanding the separation of the Hindu majority districts in the western half of Bengal from the proposed East Pakistan has not been studied so far or documented. The ‘Right’ historians today try to view it as a great triumph for the Hindus while ‘Secular’ ones try to paint Syama Prasad as an ‘arch communalist’. Underlying both versions of the story is an assumption that the partition of Bengal was a much sought after goal pursued by Syama Prasad. Yet an impassioned examination of the actual documents show that Syama Prasad tried to work out a formula for the co-existence of the Hindus and the Muslims till the very last. Only when all attempts, including that of Mahatma Gandhi in the dark days of the Noakhali riots, failed to dissuade the Muslim League from trying to push the subcontinent towards partition that Syama Prasad launched his drive for the separation of the western districts of Bengal from East Pakistan. Partition was the bane of the Hindu Mahasabha. They had called a hartal on 3 July 1947 to register their disapproval of the idea. But once partition gained acceptance at all levels, beginning from the Congress to the Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, Syama Prasad saw no alternative to making the best of a bad bargain and pushed for partition. The bloodbath of 16 August 1946 in Calcutta and the reprehensible violation of Hindu women in Noakhali the following October cast the die. He took a leaf out of Master Tara Singh's plans in the Punjab for the regrouping of the provinces by isolating the non-Muslim population from the Muslim majority zones. The Congress Working Committee took the same line passing a resolution on 8 March 1947 in favour of the isolation of the non-Muslim areas in the Punjab from the predominantly Muslim ones. This strengthened Syama Prasad’s case for the partition of Bengal. However, this was a last resort measure failing all other options. Please note: This title is co-published with Manohar Publishers, Delhi. Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.


Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the Hindu Dissent and the Partition of Bengal, 1932-1947

Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the Hindu Dissent and the Partition of Bengal, 1932-1947

Author: Chhanda Chattopadhyay

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781003081739

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This study on Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee will help the readers understand the circumstances under which he assumed the leading role in the carving out the province of West Bengal from the littoral that was soon to become the province of East Pakistan. The role of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee in demanding the separation of the Hindu majority districts in the western half of Bengal from the proposed East Pakistan has not been studied so far or documented. The 'Right' historians today try to view it as a great triumph for the Hindus while 'Secular' ones try to paint Syama Prasad as an 'arch communalist'. Underlying both versions of the story is an assumption that the partition of Bengal was a much sought after goal pursued by Syama Prasad. Yet an impassioned examination of the actual documents show that Syama Prasad tried to work out a formula for the co-existence of the Hindus and the Muslims till the very last. Only when all attempts, including that of Mahatma Gandhi in the dark days of the Noakhali riots, failed to dissuade the Muslim League from trying to push the subcontinent towards partition that Syama Prasad launched his drive for the separation of the western districts of Bengal from East Pakistan. Partition was the bane of the Hindu Mahasabha. They had called a hartal on 3 July 1947 to register their disapproval of the idea. But once partition gained acceptance at all levels, beginning from the Congress to the Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, Syama Prasad saw no alternative to making the best of a bad bargain and pushed for partition. The bloodbath of 16 August 1946 in Calcutta and the reprehensible violation of Hindu women in Noakhali the following October cast the die. He took a leaf out of Master Tara Singh's plans in the Punjab for the regrouping of the provinces by isolating the non-Muslim population from the Muslim majority zones. The Congress Working Committee took the same line passing a resolution on 8 March 1947 in favour of the isolation of the non-Muslim areas in the Punjab from the predominantly Muslim ones. This strengthened Syama Prasad's case for the partition of Bengal. However, this was a last resort measure failing all other options. Please note: This title is co-published with Manohar Publishers, Delhi. Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.


Bengal Divided

Bengal Divided

Author: Joya Chatterji

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-06-06

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9780521523288

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An original and compelling account of the Hindu partitionist movement in Bengal.


The Long History of Partition in Bengal

The Long History of Partition in Bengal

Author: Rituparna Roy

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-02-13

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1003851894

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This book focuses on the aftermath of the 1947 Partition of India. It considers the long aftermath and afterlives of Partition afresh, from a wide and inclusive range of perspectives and studies the specificities of the history of violence and migration and their memories in the Bengal region. The chapters in the volume range from the administrative consequences of partition to public policies on refugee settlement, life stories of refugees in camps and colonies, and literary and celluloid representations of Partition. It also probes questions of memory, identity, and the memorialization of events. Eclectic in its theoretical orientation and methodology, this book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of partition history, colonialism, refugee studies, Indian history, South Asian history, migration studies, and modern history in general.


The Partition of Bengal and Assam, 1932-1947

The Partition of Bengal and Assam, 1932-1947

Author: Bidyut Chakrabarty

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2004-08-02

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 1134332742

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The fragmentation of Bengal and Assam in 1947 was a crucial moment in India's socio-political history as a nation state. Both the British Indian provinces were divided as much through the actions of the Muslim League as by those of Congress and the British colonial power. Attributing partition largely to Hindu communalists is, therefore, historically inaccurate and factually misleading. The Partition of Bengal and Assam provides a review of constitutional and party politics as well as of popular attitudes and perceptions. The primary aim of this book is to unravel the intricate socio-economic and political processes that led up to partition, as Hindus and Muslims competed ferociously for the new power and privileges to be conferred on them with independence. As shown in the book, well before they divorced at a political level, Hindus and Muslims had been cleaved apart by their socio-economic differences. Partition was probably inevitable.


Urbanisation in Bengal

Urbanisation in Bengal

Author: Pallavi Chakravarty

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-08-16

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1040085830

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This volume presents a comprehensive study of the urbanization of Bengal from ancient to postcolonial times. It analyses the notion of urban space, examines the institutions which constitute the ‘urban’, and explores the crises brought about by the Partition. The book highlights the key features of urbanization in colonial Bengal––the print culture, institutions of Western education and Western medicine, and the census as a ‘modern form of knowledge’. It also looks at the refugee movement and discusses the contribution of Partition refugees in urbanizing Bengal. Rich in archival sources, this book will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of urban history, urban studies, Indian history, colonial history, postcolonial studies, partition studies, and South Asian history, particularly those interested in Bengal.


My People Uprooted

My People Uprooted

Author: Tathagata Roy

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 502

ISBN-13:

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Gives An Overview Of Bengal Society And Hindu-Muslim Relations In Bengal From The First Partition Of The Province In 1905 - Traces The Events Leading To The Partition Of The Province In 1947 - Describes The Persecution And The Exodus Of The Hindus From East Bengal In Different Phases - Analyses The Course Of Events Why Hindus Could Not Resist - Why There Was No Recipocal Movement As In Punjab - Why Bengali Hindus Swallowed The Insult And Ignonminy And Why Interested Quarters Sought To Obliterate This Sad Chapter Of History. 11 Chapters - Appendix - Bibliography - Index.


The Defining Moments in Bengal

The Defining Moments in Bengal

Author: Sabyasachi Bhattacharya

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2014-05-27

Total Pages: 553

ISBN-13: 0199089345

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This work explores some of the constitutive elements in the life and mind of Bengal in the twentieth century. The author addresses some frequently unasked questions about the history of modern Bengal. In what way was twentieth-century Bengal different from 'Renaissance' Bengal of the late-nineteenth century? How was a regional identity consciousness redefined? Did the lineaments of politics in Bengal differ from the pattern in the rest of India? What social experiences drove the Muslim community's identity perception? How did Bengal cope with such crises as the impact of World War II, the famine of 1943 and the communal clashes that climaxed with the Calcutta riots of 1946? The author has chosen a significant period in the history of the region and draws on a wealth of sources archival and published documents, mainstream dailies, a host of rare Bengali magazines, memoirs and the literature of the time to tell his story. Looking closely at the momentous changes taking place in the region's economy, politics and socio-cultural milieu in the historically transformative years 1920-47, this book highlights myriad issues that cast a shadow on the decades that followed, arguably till our times.


Bengal Divided

Bengal Divided

Author: Nitish Sengupta

Publisher: Penguin Random House India

Published: 2012-11-19

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 9386495309

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In 1905, all of Bengal rose in uproar because the British had partitioned the state. Yet in 1947, the same people insisted on a partition along communal lines. Why did this happen? Exploring the roots of alienation of the two communities, Nitish Sengupta peels off the layers of events in this pivotal period in Bengal’s history, casting new light on the roles of figures such as Chittaranjan Das, Subhas Chandra Bose, Nazrul Islam, Fazlul Huq, H.S. Suhrawardy and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. Bengal: The Unmaking of a Nation is a thought-provoking and important work of scholarship.