5. The days of turmoil:

5. The days of turmoil:
With the ringing of the serene of World War II the global scenario began to change very rapidly. The war torn countries were placed on the inferno. While the people of colonial areas were destined to support their foreign masters.

The allied forces had made open commitments to leave the occupied territories after the great war once they send their young men to the Army, support them maintain supply lines etc. and win the war.

Most of the Indian leader’s sided with the British Raj and their allies. The politicians became the most favored personalities in the eye of the British rulers. They continued to send high level delegations in order to shape the future India.

Actually, it was part an attempt to keep the Indian leaders happy and encourage them plan for their own future. The Government appointed suppliers on recommendation of leaders paving the road to a happy link between power and money.

This has given a boost to the Indian privileged class who gradually established a firm control on all essential supplies. Though India hardly hit by guns, bombs and cannons, still faced almost all war related phenomenon like food shortage, hunger, famine, death, riot, violence, arsenal, rape and above all disease and distress.

The reason behind was not absolute natural, but mostly men made. The human loss in India was tramrndous.
From 1941 onwards return of a sizeable work force from Burma hit the Bengal very hard. Peasant families dependent on Burmese remittance were thrown amidst serious hardship.

Then came food crisis because of natural calamities and poor physical communication. Villages gradually turned unworthy for survival of many helpless families. Thousands of youths began to seek a fate elsewhere. The situation had deteriorated further when growing number of Hindu families began to migrate to West Bengal, Tripura and Assam with all their riches.

The pace ofv migration of educated and affluent Hindu families from East Bengal to West Bengal started much earlier and was pioneered by the Zamindars who found it convenient to stay at state capital in order to maintain regular contact with power and politico-economic hierarchy. Subsequently they took their family members and engaged reliable employees to look after interests.

The Zamindars used to visit their respective estates for collection of toll as well as amusement. Arrangement for dance, drama, wine and women were made on each occasion.

The common Hindu and Muslims were not concerned about it. The Zamindari system was introduced in 1793 reigned for 147 years before abolition in 1950 had it’s merits and demerits too. The political goal of the British colonial government was very well defined i.e to consolidate power base and rule India by the Indian agents.

Legal coverage to the entire program was given in the name of permanent settlement in fact it permanently settled a number of feudal lords eliminating traditional independent farmers. Most of Zamindari estates went to the minority Hindus in Muslim majority areas and the Hindu majority areas were not exceptions. They were allowed to raise land revenue, maintain their own force of musclemen and ensure justice by local level trial.

India traditionally lacked a clear cut land record system, even no proper land ownership, transfer and survey system prevailed. In the flood and erosion hit areas it was impossible to locate a land and it’s owner family. So, violent clashes were a common scene along the river banks particularly in the newly raised islands.

The introduction of Zamindai system gave the government of India better ease, sound revenue and time to look into other aspects. The Zamindars used to pay a small portion of revenue to the government treasury. While the lion shares were taken by them. It gave them riches and the wealthy Zamindars began to introduce themselves as Raja ( king ) and Maharaja (Emperor).

Good and benevolent Zamindars immensely contributed towards social uplift and patronized education, art, culture. While bad and corrupt Zamindars emerged as number one exploiter and oppressor. They used to take away any person they like. Confine them as prisoner and make them a victim od torture. Even beat them mercilessly. It was not possible to stand against the these Zamindars because they had nice bondage of relationship with power hierarchy.

Along side with the Zamindari system another dangerous thing got it’s ground in rural Bengal. Patronized by the Zamindars a section of persons began money lending and laundering. Known as Mohajans these people began lending money keeping mortgage of land, jewelries and even paddy field at a very high rate of interest.

It was during these day’s when the peasants felt the necessity of hard cash money to pay for the land revenue and buy food grains. Once a persons is brought under their net he is sure to lose everything if not the life.

Abul Kashem Mintoo

My Words

Three

Sustainable solvency makes a man comparatively less creative but mostly corrupt in most of the underdeveloped country.
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