Bangladesh, National Council of Education

The repressive measure adopted by the Govt.resulted in the expulsion of a large number of students from schools and colleges. This brought into prominance of two institutions,
1. Anti-circular Society, and
2. Dawn Society.
Anti-circular Society was essentially a students' organisation founded by its energetic leader Sachindra Prasad Basu. It organised the processions in the streets of Calcutta and was known as procession Party. Soon Maulavi Leakat Hossain took charge of the Procession party. He assembled a number of young boys at College Square every evening and went out in procession.
Dawn Society was a non-political institute of culture, founded in 1902, as a protest against the report of the Indian Universities commission,1902. It was run by an able Secretary, Satis Chandra Mukherjee. Its main activity was to propagate, amongst other things, India's moral and spiritual ideas.







Satish Chandra Mukherjee
(1897-1913)
Satis Chandra was a remarkable man in many respects, and had already achieved distinction as an editor of the "Dawn",founded in 1897. When the Report of the Indian Universities" Commission was published in 1902, the most uncompromising criticism was offered by Satis Chandra.The Dawn society was soon developed into a nursery of patriotism, and its extra-mural education was calculated to foster in the heart of the the students sentiments of nationalism and the spirit for sacrfice for the country.
On Nov. 11 was held , at the College Square a huge student's meeting attended by about ten thousand young menand presidedover by the barrister Ashutosh Choudhury. In the meeting an immediate need for establishing a national university was felt.
A historical conference was met on 16th Nov. 1905. Never before had so many eminent sons of Bengal met on a common platform. For, it was attended, among others, by Gurudas Banerjee, Satis Chndra Mukherjee, Hirendra nath Dutta, Ashtosh Choudhury, Rashbehari Ghosh, Rabindra nath tagore, Tarak Nath Palit, Byomkesh Chakraborty,Chitta Ranjan Das, Abdul Rasul, Nilratan Sircar, Brajendra nath Seal, Lal mohan Ghosh, and Subodh Chandra Mallik.Some distinguished students of calcutta University were also present in the meeting. After several hours of discussion the conference adopted two main resolutions ;
1. It was desirable and necessary that a NationalCouncil of Education should immediately be established with Arts, Science and Technology-on national lines and under national council,
2. that this conference, while fully appreciating the devotion and self-sacrifice of the P.R.S., M.A. and other students, should appear in the ensuing examination.
it was also announced at this conference that besides the promised one lakh of rupees from Subodh Chandra Mallik and five lakhs from another gentleman , a third person(whose name not disclosed ) offered two lakhs of rupees, and a large house with compound , while a fourth donorwas likely to contribute Rs.30,000/- per year.
Satis Chandra Mukherjee was given the charge tto give the idea a concrete shape.

Bangladesh, Effect of swadeshi movement

A short table published in the "Statesman" Calcutta, showing how sale and purchase of British cloths stored in the mofussil towns in Sept. 1905, compared with the previous year, was given below:
Didtrict..........Value of goods purchased...............Value of goods
..........................in Sept. 1904 ......................purchased in Sep. 1905
Jessore.........Rs.30,000..................................Rs.2,000
Bogra............,,1,700.........................................Rs.200.
Dacca..........5,000..........................................Rs. 2,000
Arrah..........1,500................................................200
Hazaribagh..10,000........................................500
Nadia...........15,000.......................................2,500
Maldah.........8,000......................................1,300
Burdwan......6,000.......................................1,000
"The statesman's local enquirieswith the salt merchants of Hatkhola, Sovabazar, Calcutta, revealed a worse picture forBritishsalt in Dec.1908 published in the Times of 22 June, 1909,show that cotton piece-goods declined in quantities by 89,056,000 yards equal to 18.6 %.
By this time the boycott and swadeshi movement merged with the national movement launching the struggle for freedom which was indicated by the monthly report from Bengal for Sept. 1910. The boycott of British goods turned to boycott of British rule.
Repressive measures against students:
The first step taken by the Govt. towards the repression was to send a secret circular to the Magistrates and Collectors on 10 oct. 1905. This was issued under the signature of Mr. R.W.Carlyle,officiating chief secretary to the Govt. of Bengal, it was generally called the Carlyle Circular. The following the was text of this circularwhich earned unenviable notoriety for several years to come :
1. The students of schools and colleges were being used for political purposes. That was extremely subversiveof discipline and in the highest degree of injurioufs to to the interests of the boys themselves.
2. If any attempt be made by boys attending schools and colleges in your district request was being mafde to take action in connection with boycotting, picketing,and other abuses associated with the so called swadeshi movement, be seriously dealt with and all disciplinary actions to be taken, including the penal measures.
3. The respective authorities to be informed for taking appropriate measures.
At the same time Mr.Pedler, The Director of Public Instruction, wrote a letter, dated 21 oct. 1905, to the pricipals of certain colleges asking them to show cause why their students would not be expelled.
The publication of the Carlyle Circular had created a great sensation all over the country. Its effect had heightened by the issuance of the Pedler's letter. The public of Bengal took up the challenge without any delay.
A public meeting was held under the chairmanship of Abdul Rasul, in which eminent speakers like B.C.Pal (1858-1932) would address for opening an indepedent system of national education.

Bangladesh, Agitation to Swadeshi movement

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Majumdar devoted maximum time, space and energy to explain what happenned in Swadeshi movement. He took about 28-174 = 146 (v-II) pages to describe in details the situation at time in Bengal and other parts of india. An attemp is made to put it in a nutshell.
"Absolute callousness of the govt. to public opinion against the partition led the people of Bengal, in a spirit of sheer exasperation born out of frustration." In other words British authority dug their own grave by inciting the people of Bengal.
In a meeting held on 7th Aug. 1905, at Town hall, Calcutta the decision of "boycott of British goods" was adopted as the nation policy. As early as 1874, this strategy of boycott was adopted as a means for reviving Indian Industries, which had been ruined by the British commercial policy in India. the idea of boycott was also partly inspired by foreign examples. "Barisal Hitaisi" (19.7.1905) wrote,
"Will the Bengalis be able to imitate the examples of the Chinese in the boycott of foreign goods? If they can, the path is clear before them."
The cocept of boycott applied in this case was manyfold;
1. Economical, to boycott foreign goods e.g., Manchester cloth, to encourage and develop purchasing of indigenous clothes and industries,
2. to boycott other foreign materials such as salt, sugar etc.
3. to boycott attending official ceromonies,
4. to boycott allthe govt. foreign officials in attending their oersonal sevices.
Messrs K.B.Sen & co. which dealt with indigenous goods, sold off the whole of their Puja Stockin the first two weeks of Aug.
"Rakhi Bandhan" as inaugurated by Rabindra nath was observed every year on 16th oct irrespective of class and creed as a symbol for fraternal tie.
Aswini kumar dutta (1856-1923) and other leaders issued by joint signatures to the people of Barisal the main ideas of boycott,
i)Our Swadeshi clothes would ultimately be sold cheaper than the foreign clothes,
ii)The cloth we now wear was, after all, made of our cotton and jute,
iii) these raw materials were carried on by ships to England where English coolies and skilled labourers would be benefited,
iv) Indeginous clothproduction would mean employment to our men, etc
The ideas of Swadeshi was also mixed with the religion. Bengali papers like Sandhya and Bangabasi began to preachthat by using salt and sugar made of Liverpool were refined with the bones of animalsof swine and cows and if any one used to it would loose his religion. once Surendra Nath Banerjee became astonished to see during addressing a public meeting on Swadeshi that a diety was infront of him.
The ideas of swadeshi and boycott were kept alive by door to door campaign by volunteers through newspapers, processions, popular songs, occasional bonfires.








Aswini Kumar Dutta (1856-1923)

Bangladesh, Agitation through out India

Dr. Ramesh Majumdar in his HISTORY OF FREEDOM MOVEMENT said,
Seldom was a prophecy more literally fulfilled. On the basis of the data collected by the Indian Association, The annual report for 1911 gives thye gives the following summary which cannot be very far from the truth.
"from Dec. 1903 to Oct. 1905 more than 2000 public meetings attended by 500 to 50,000 people, both Hindus and Musalmans, were held in different parts of East Bengal and West Bengal to protest against the partition.The resolutions unanimously adopted at these meetings were regularly sumbitted to the Govt. of India as well as Secretary of State.The people of united Bengal, both Hindus and Musalmans, maharajas, Nawabs, Rajas, the educated community and the masses met five times at Calcutta, Town Hall to give expressionsto their feeling and protest against the ill-advised measuress. memorials were submitted by the British Indian Association , the Begal Land-holders' association, as well as nearby all the important and recognised public bodies and associationsin either part of the province, and in July 1905 when the public mind was in a state of feverish anxiety, a mamoth representation of over the signature of about 70,000 people of all classes and communitieswas submitted the Secretary of Statefrom east Bengal".
The Indian Press, Anglo Indian press were deeply wounded at the attitude of the Govt. The persons like Surendra nath Banerjee, Ambika charan Majumdar, Bhupendra nath Basu and Jogesh chandra Choudhury in the Bengal Legislative Council on July 8, after the official announcement of the final scheme of partition expressed their note of dessent. on this unilateral decision of the govt.
Some Papers in England also condemned the partition. London Daily News said,
" In India the announcement seems to have come as a complete surprise."
Krishna kumar Mitra, editot, Sanjibani, in his issue of 13th july suggested that in view of the attitude of the Govt. people should boycott all British goods, observe mourning,and shun all contactswith officials and official bodies. this suggestion was accepted in a public meetingheld at Bagerhat (Khulna District, Bangladesh) on 16 july, 1905, in which the following resolutions were passed ;
1. All British and Foreign goods should be boycotted untill partition orders were withdrawn,
2. There should be no participation in public amusement or rejoicing for six months,
In a letter published in the Amrita bazar Patrika of 17th july, 1905, believed to have been from the pen of Lal Mohan Ghosh a proposal was madeto abondon and oppose the use of English goods, specially Manchester cloth, as a meansof compelling the English to pay attention to the troubles in India.A meeting was held at Dinajpur on the 21st of July, the Maharaja of Dinajpur presided and Lal Mohan Ghosh (president, Indian National Congress, 1903) addressed the meeting .

He said that he did not consider that any demonstration would be of any use. It was necessary to draw the attention of the British publicby adopting concrete measures.He suggested withdrawal of support to the Govt. by,

1. resignation in a bodyof all Honourary magistrates,

2. Resignation of all members of District Boards, Municipal Commissioners, and Panchayats in a body,

3. National mourning for 12 monthsduring which period the people should refuge to participatein any public rejoicing.

The examples of Bagerhat and Dinajpur was followed by Pabna. In a meeting presided by the Zamindar of Tantibanda, Jnanada Gobinda Choudhury, a resolution f Boycott was accepted. Similar protest meetings were organised in faridpur, Tangail (Myamensing), Magura, Bagura, Jessore, Manickgunge, Narayangunge, Dhaka, Birbhum, Barisal etc.
16th Oct.,1905 was fixed for effecting the Partition of Bengal. It was felt that the day should be marked as a symbol for showing unity of Bengal. About the begining of Oct. Rabindra Nath Tagore issued a letter to public which was translated in English as follows
"the day should be commemorated by an observance of "Rakhi Bandhan" to indicate the indelible unity of the Bengali Race."

The Rakhi should be of yellow colour and the MANTRA to wear the Rakhi would be " brothers live united". It was further resolved that to organise , "a Federation Hall" would be constructed ND A PIECE OF LAND on 294 Upper Circular Road had already been secured for this purpose.The scene for laying the foundation stone on , on 16th. Oct. on the scheduled place went beyond all description. No less than 50,000 people were assembled there to celebrate.

Tagore in 1906

Bangladesh, Agitation against Partition of Bengal,1905

Dadabhai Naoroji, in his presidential address at the Congress session in 1906, referred to Swadeshism as "the cradle of New India." Gandhi wrote in 1908that the the real awakening of India took place after the partition of Bengalwhich might lead to the partition of the British Empire. He also observed that the demand for the abrogation of the partition is tantamount to a demand of Home Rule.

M.K. Gandhi ( 1869-1948)
Gandhi wrote in 1908 that the real awakening in India took place after the Partition ob Bengal which might lead to the Partition of the British Empire. He also observed that the demand for the abrogation of the partition is tantamount to the demand for home rule.

Lala Rajpat Rai (1865-1928) in 1905, speaking about the Swadeshi Movement, observed, "I think the people of Bengal ought to be congratulated on being leaders of that march in the van of progress ......And if the people of India will just learn that lesson from the people of Bengal , I think te struggle is not hopeless."

Surendra Nath Banerjee (1848-1925)

Not only Surendra Nath Banerjee , Arabinda Ghosh and other leaders of Bengal, but Subramania Iyer, the eminent leader of Madras and many other leaders from different parts of India had expressed similar views.

Sree Arabinda Ghosh (1872-1950)

Bangladesh, Protests against the Partition, 1905

The publication of the original proposals towards the end of 1903had aroused unprecedentedopposition, especially among the influential educated middle class Hindus.The proposed territorial adjustment seemed to touch the existing interest groups and consequently led to staunch opposition. The Calcutta lawyears apprehended that the creation of a new province would mean the establishment of a new court of appeal at Dhakaand diminish the importance of their own High Court. Journalists feared that the appearence of the local news papers which would restrict the circulation of the Calcutta press. The business community of Calcutta visualised the shift of trade from Calcutta to Chittagong, which would be nearer, and logically the cheaper port. The zamindarswho owned vast landed property both in west and east Bengal foresaw the necessity of maintaining separate establishments at Dhaka that would involve extra expenditure.
The educated Bengali Hindus felt that it was a deliberate blow inflicted by Curzon at thational consciousness and growing solidarity of the Bengali- Speaking population. The Hindus of Bengal, who controlled most of the Bengal's commerceand the different professions and led the rural society , opined that the Bengalee nation would be divided, making them a minority in a province including the whole of Bihar and Orissa. They strongly believe that it was the prime object of the govt. to encourage the growth of Muslim power in eastern Bengalas a counterpoise to thwart the rapidly growing strength of the educated Hindu community. Economic, political and communal interests combined together to intensify the opposition against the partition measure. The British press , the Anglo Indian Press and even some administratorsopposed the intended measure.

In 1902, Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah (center in robes) with local elites In Ahsan manjil Dhaka (photo: Fritz Kapp)

In 1904, Curzon, Governor General, and viceroy of India Shahbagh on a visit with Lady curzon (photo:fritz Kapp

Elephants on the march at Peelkhana, Dhaka (photo: 1895-90, Fritz Kapp)

Viceroy Curzon's escort in Dhaka (photo; Fritz Kapp)

Bangladesh, Divide and rule by British

Lord Curzon (1899-1905)
Bangladesh was the creation of the concept of the two nation theory adopted by the then leaders of the Muslim League and the divide and rule policy of the British.
After the growth of capitalism to its monopoly stage during the end of the 19th and the begining of the 20th century The British took the weapon of ruling India by divide and rule. They took three steps for fulfilling their ambition;
1. Partition of Bengal,
2. Separate electorate of the minority group in India, and
3. creation of Pakistan and to divide India permanently in the interest of the monopoly capitalists.
Partition of Bengal :

Map of Eastern Bengal and Assam Province
Partioning Bengal was not a bad idea in regards to the ,
1. Administrative point of view,
2. Security point of view, and
3. To take care of villages for better collection of revenues and other aspects.
Bengal which included Bihar and Orissa since 1765, was administratively two large for a single province of British India. The premier province grew too vast for efficient administration and required reorganisation and intelligent division.The lieutenant Governorof Bengal had to administer an area of 189,000 sq.miles by 1903 the population of the province had risen to 78.50 million. Cosequently, many districts in eastern Bengal had been practicaally neglected because of isolation andand poor communication which made goodjimpossible. Calcutta and its nearby districts attracted all the energy and attention of the Govt. The condition of peasants was miserable under the exaction of absentee landlords and trade, commerce and education were being impaired.The administrative machinary of the province was under staffed. Especially in east Bengal, in country side so cut by rivers and creeks, no special attention had been pai to the peculiar difficulties of police work till the last decade of the 19th century. Organised piracy in the waterways had existed for at least a century.
Along with administrative difficulties, the problems of famine, of defence or of linguastics had at one time or other prompted the govt. to consider the redrawing of administrative boundaries. Occasional efforts were made to rearrange the administrative unit of Bengal. In 1836, the upper province was sliced off from Bengal and placed under lieutenant governor. In 1854, the Governor-Generai-in-councilwas relieved of the direct administration of Bengal which was placed under a lieutenant governor. In 1874, Asssam (alongwith Sylet) was severed from Bengal to form a Chief-commandership and in 1898, Lushai Hills were added to it.
Proposal for pastitioning Bengal was first considered in 1903. Curzon's original scheme was based firstly on geographical point and susequently it took the shape of a communal basis.
The Govt.'s proposal was officially published in Jan. 1904. In Feb. 1904, Curzon ,officially, visited east Bengalto ascertain the public opinion. He went to Dhaka, Chittagong, and Mymensing and addressed public meetings.
The scheme was approved by the Govt. of Bengal and Assam. The new province would consist of Hill Tripura, the divisions of Chittagong, Dhaka, and Rajshahi (exclluding Darjeeling) and the district Maldah amalgamated with Assam. this district would br renamed as Eastern Bengal and Assamwith its capital at Dhaka and would cover an area of 106,540 sq.miles with a population of 31 million of which 18 million Muslim and 12 million Hindu. The other portion would lose 5 Hindi speaking districts to Central Province and would add Chtonagpur and 5 Oriya speaking districts of C.P.with an area of 141,580 sq.miles having a population of 54 million of which 42 million Hindus and 9 Million Muslims.
This is to be noted that in both the states the Bengalee speaking Hindu population would be minority.