MODERN INDIA

MAINS
PARTITION OF BENGAL
PARTITION OF BENGAL (1905)
Partition of Bengal, (1905), was carried out by the then British viceroy in
India, Lord Curzon, despite strong Indian nationalist opposition. It led to a
transformation of the Indian National Congress from a middle-class
pressure group into a nationwide mass movement. Lord Curzon argued
that the division of Bengal was to make the administration of the
provinces smooth and people friendly.
THE PRESIDENCY OF BENGAL
The presidency of Bengal in those days covered an extensive area and
was inconvenient from the administration point of view. Besides Bengal,
it also included Bihar and Orissa. Lord Curzons government partitioned
the area inhabited by Bengalis, and brought it under two different
Governments. One of the new provinces retained the name of Bengal
with its capital at Calcutta; the other was called Eastern Bengal and
Assam, the new province-included Chittagaon, Decca and Rajshahi
divisions, Hill Tippera and Malda apart from Assam. The partition scheme
was formally commenced in July 1905 and put into effect on October 16.

THE ACTUAL MOTIVE FOR BENGAL PARTITION

The actual motive for partition was to break the Hindu-Muslim Unity in
Bengal (In a speech in Dacca, Lord Curzon argued that with partition,
Dacca could become the capital of the Muslim majority province, where
the Muslims could get a better deal and the Eastern districts would be
freed of the hurtful influence of Calcutta).

ANTI-PARTITION MOVEMENT
The partition took effect on 16 October 1905. The leaders of the protest
movement declared it to be a day of national mourning throughout
Bengal. It was observed as a day of fasting. There was a hartal in
Calcutta. People walked barefooted and bathed in the Ganga in the
early morning hours. Rabindranath Tagore composed the national
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song, 'Amar Sonar Bangla,' for the occasion, which was sung by huge
crowds parading the streets. This song was adopted as its national
anthem by Bangladesh in 1971 after liberation.
The streets of Calcutta were full of the cries of 'Bande Mataram' which
overnight became the national song of Bengal and which was soon to
become the theme song of the national movement. The ceremony of
Raksha Bandhan was utilised in a new way. Hindus and Muslims tied
the rakhi on one another's wrists as a symbol of the unbreakable unity
of the Bengalis and of the two halves of Bengal. In fact, both the moderate
and militant nationalists cooperated with one another during the course
of the movement.

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION

1. What led to the partition of Bengal in 1905? (2004)

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