History & Civics
How did the people react to the Partition of Bengal?
2ⁿᵈ Phase of INM
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Answer
People started a strong movement against the partition, known as the Anti-partition Movement.
- The Partition of Bengal led to a mighty upsurge which brought people and political leaders together.
- The Indian National Congress and the nationalists of Bengal opposed the partition. Within Bengal, different sections of the population — zamindars, merchants, lawyers, students and women — rose up in opposition to the partition of their province.
- Many protest meetings were held by eminent leaders like Surendranath Banerjee, Krishna Kumar Mitra, P.C. Ray, B.C. Pal and Ananda Mohan Bose.
- The Early Nationalists and the Assertive Nationalists cooperated with one another during the course of the movement.
- The leaders condemned partition through newspapers like Bengali, Hitabadi and Sanjibani. They declared it a day of national mourning throughout Bengal.
- There was strike in Kolkata.
- The streets of Kolkata were full of the cries of 'Bande Mataram' which became the theme song of the national movement.
- Rabindranath Tagore composed the patriotic song, 'Amar Sonar Bangla' (My Golden Bengal), for the occasion which was sung by huge crowds parading the streets.
- The ceremony of Raksha Bandhan was celebrated in a new way. Hindus and Muslims tied rakhis on one another's wrists as the symbol of unbreakable unity of the Bengalis and the two halves of Bengal.
- In the afternoon, there was a great demonstration when the veteran leader Ananda Mohan Bose laid the foundation of a Federation Hall to mark the indestructible unity of Bengal. All gathered there took the vow to follow Swadeshi.
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Related Questions
Read the excerpt given below and answer the questions that follow:
Rabindranath Tagore endorsed the Swadeshi movement through his songs and poems. There was a change in his attitude as noted by Sumit Sarkar in his book, Swadeshi Movement in Bengal. He says: "[From] trying in vain to placate the foreign ruler and talking big in a foreign tongue, he (Tagore) urges volunteers to the villages instead, spreading social and political enlightment in the melas and through magic lantern lectures, and, above all to revive our traditional samaj, channelling all constructive work through it once again."
(a) What was the impact of the Anti-Partition Movement?
(b) How did the people react to the Partition of Bengal?
(c) What was Lord Curzon's argument in favour of the Partition of Bengal? How did the nationalists interpret Lord Curzon's motives?
When and by whom was the Partition of Bengal promulgated?
Read the excerpt given below and answer the question that follows:
Tagore's 'Banglar mati, Banglar jol', and the sentiment of brotherhood and patriotism that it invokes
In 1905, Curzon partitioned Bengal on communal lines which Rabindranath Tagore opposed strongly, and wrote a hymn for communal harmony, brotherhood, and a united Bengali identity. The TMC government has now declared 'Banglar mati, Banglar jol' the state anthem.
The song calls for unity for all Bengalis by invoking the beauty of Bengal - its natural environs, its language, its people, and its soul. This is perhaps best expressed in the final stanza of the song which is loosely translated as:
The soil of Bengal, the water of Bengal; The air of Bengal, the fruit of Bengal; Let them be blessed; Oh my Lord.
[All] Bengalis' life, [all] Bengalis' soul; All brothers and sisters in Bengal's homes, may they be united; Oh my Lord— Indian Express, September 9, 2023
Name another song composed by Rabindranath Tagore during the Anti-partition agitation.
Read the two statements given below about the Partition of Bengal and select the option that shows the correct relationship between (A) and (B).
(A) The partition of Bengal "was a mere readjustment of administrative boundaries."
(B) The nationalists believed that the Government did not intend to strike at the roots of Indian nationalism.
- (B) contradicts (A).
- (B) is the reason for (A).
- (A) is true, but (B) is false.
- (A) and (B) are independent of each other.