National Movements: Partition of Bengal and the Swadeshi Movement

The Partition of Bengal ($1905$)

Bengal was historically recognized as the "Nursery of the Indian National Movement." In an effort to suppress the growing national movement, the British administration decided to divide the region into East Bengal, which was a Muslim majority area, and West Bengal, which was a Hindu majority area. This move was a clear embodiment of the British policy of "Divide and Rule." The Home Secretary of British India in $1904$, Risley, articulated the logic behind this move by stating that a united Bengal represented a power while a divided Bengal would pull in several different ways. He noted that the Congress leaders felt this and that their business was to prevent such a division.

The Partition of Bengal was officially announced on July $20$, $1905$, by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon. Lord Brodrick served as the Secretary of State for India during the movement against this partition. At the time of the partition, Gopal Krishna Gokhale served as the President of the Indian National Congress (INC). He described the partition as a cruel mistake. Similarly, Surendranath Banerjee termed the partition as a bombshell thrown to break Hindu-Muslim unity.

The partition officially came into effect on October $16$, $1905$. This date was observed as a "Day of National Mourning." Rabindranath Tagore also called for October $16$ to be observed as "Raksha Bandhan Day" to symbolize the unity between the divided sides. Tagore emphasized this unity by stating that West Bengal and East Bengal were two chambers of the same heart, made fertile by the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, with the warm blood of Bengalis flowing through their veins. He explicitly stated that while the British government resolved to divide the people, they would not be able to separate their hearts.

Anti-Partition Movement and Slogans

The movement against the partition adopted several methods of protest. These included organizing protest meetings, demonstrations, and public meetings against the British. The public was encouraged to picket shops selling foreign goods and to burn foreign clothes in public. The primary slogans of the Anti-Partition Movement were "Use Swadeshi products" and "Boycott foreign products." A significant example of this economic boycott was the promotion of Jaggery (Sharkara) as an indigenous alternative to foreign-made sugar.

The song "Vande Mataram" became the defining slogan and anthem of the movement against the Bengal partition. Additionally, Rabindranath Tagore composed the song "Amar Shonar Bangla" during the Swadeshi Movement as a cultural expression of resistance.

The Swadeshi Movement ($1905$)

The Swadeshi Movement emerged directly as a consequence of the $1905$ Partition of Bengal. It is also known as the Vande Mataram Movement. The official proclamation associated with the formation of the Swadeshi Movement took place on August $7$, $1905$. To commemorate this movement, August $7$ has been celebrated as National Handloom Day since $2015$. Prominent Bengali leaders at the forefront of the movement included Aurobindo Ghosh, P.C. Roy, and Rabindranath Tagore.

The ideas of the Swadeshi Movement were propagated through several English newspapers, including Vande Mataram, Amrita Bazar Patrika, The Statesman, and Yugantar. Specialized organizations like the Swadeshi Sangham and the Vande Mataram Samithi also worked to spread its ideals. Furthermore, the traditional dance and drama form known as Jatra was utilized as a medium to propagate Swadeshi concepts.

Key Figures and Institutions of the Swadeshi Era

Krishna Kumar Mitra was the first to propose the idea of the "Boycott of Foreign Goods" in connection with the Swadeshi Movement in $1905$. He propagated this idea through his publication titled Sanjivani, of which he was the founder. In the realm of industry and commerce, the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company was established in $1906$ by V.O. Chidambaram Pillai. Headquartered in Thoothukudi, the company was started with a capital of $6$ lakh rupees collected from local traders. V.O. Chidambaram Pillai is famously known as "Kappalottiya Thamizhan," which translates to The Tamil Helmsman.

Scientific and artistic self-reliance was also a priority. Prafulla Chandra Ray founded the Bengal Chemical Swadeshi Stores. In the world of art, Abanindranath Tagore established the Indian Society of Oriental Art to indigenize the Indian art scene. He is also famous for painting the iconic "Bharat Mata" image during the Swadeshi struggle. Other influential organizations and individuals included Ashwini Kumar Datta, who founded the Swadeshi Bandhab Samithi, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who founded the Swadeshi Vastra Pracharini Sabha. C.R. Das founded the Swadeshi Mandali Samithi. In the field of journalism, Shyamji Krishna Varma started the publication The Indian Sociologist, and G. Subramania Iyer founded the Swadeshamitran newspaper.

Regional Leadership and Annulment

The Swadeshi Movement gained momentum across various regions of India under different leaders. In Punjab, the movement was led by Lala Lajpat Rai. In Delhi, leadership was provided by Syed Haider Raza. Madras saw leadership under V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, while Maharashtra was led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Harisarvottam Rao led the movement in Andhra.

The Partition of Bengal was eventually annulled in $1911$ during the visit of the British King, George V, to India. The Viceroy responsible for the annulment was Lord Hardinge II. At the time when the partition was cancelled, B.N. Dhar served as the President of the Indian National Congress.