Partition of Bengal & Swadeshi Movement

(1905–1911)

Administrative Background
The Viceroy & Officers: Initiated by Lord Curzon (Viceroy, 1899–1905). Key officers involved were Sir Andrew Fraser (Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal) and H.H. Risley (Home Secretary to the Government of India).
 
The Official Scheme:
Unified Bengal Population: ~78 million (comprising Bengalis, Biharis, and Odias).
Partition Plan:
Eastern Bengal & Assam: Capital at Dacca (Dhaka). Population: 31 million (18 million Muslims, 12 million Hindus). Chief Commissioner/Governor: Bampfylde Fuller.
Western Bengal, Bihar & Orissa: Capital at Calcutta. Population: 54 million (42 million Hindus, 9 million Muslims).
Risley’s Famous Quote: “Bengal united is a power; Bengal divided will pull in several different ways.”
Real Political Objectives:
Linguistic Demotion: Turn Bengalis into a minority in their own home province (in West Bengal, 17 million Bengalis were outnumbered by 37 million Hindi and Oriya speakers).
Communal Division: Foster a rift between Hindus and Muslims by creating a Muslim-majority province in the East, promising special patronage to Muslim elites.
 
Chronological Timeline
Date
Significance / Event
3 December 1903
First public proposal of the partition scheme published by the British government.
20 July 1905
Lord Curzon officially issues the order to partition Bengal.
7 August 1905
Swadeshi Movement & Boycott Resolution passed at the Calcutta Town Hall meeting chaired by Manindra Chandra Nandy (King of Cossimbazar).
16 October 1905
Partition comes into effect. Observed as Arandhan (no cooking), Rakhi Bandhan, and a day of national mourning (Banga Bhanga Day).
12 December 1911
Partition of Bengal is annulled by King George V at the Delhi Durbar under Viceroy Lord Hardinge II.
 
 
The Two Phases of the Anti-Partition Agitation
 
A. The Moderate Phase (1903–1905)
Leaders: Surendranath Banerjee, Krishna Kumar Mitra, Prithwis Chandra Ray.
Methods: Petitions, public meetings, memoranda, and propaganda through nationalist newspapers.
Important Newspapers:
Sanjibani (edited by Krishna Kumar Mitra) — First suggested the boycott of foreign goods.
Bengalee (edited by Surendranath Banerjee).
Amrita Bazar Patrika (edited by Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh).
Hitabadi (edited by Dwijendranath Tagore).
 
B. The Radical / Extremist Phase (1905–1908)
Leaders: The Lal-Bal-Pal trio (Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal) along with Aurobindo Ghosh.
Methods: Passive resistance, boycott of government schools, colleges, courts, and titles, and promotion of Swadeshi institutions.
Spreading Beyond Bengal:
Punjab: Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh (Bharat Mata Society).
Maharashtra: Bal Gangadhar Tilak (promoted Shivaji and Ganpati festivals to mobilize the public).
Madras: Chidambaram Pillai (founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in Tuticorin).
Delhi: Syed Haider Raza.
 
 
Samitis & Swadeshi Enterprises
 
A. Patriotic Samitis (Volunteer Corps)
These organizations spearheaded mass mobilization, relief work, physical training, and moral education:
Swadesh Bandhab Samiti: Founded by Ashwini Kumar Datta in Barisal (settled 159 arbitrations and had 163 branches).
Anushilan Samiti: Founded in 1902 by Pramathanath Mitra (P. Mitra), Satish Chandra Basu, and Jatindranath Banerjee (Aurobindo Ghosh was an early mentor).
Dawn Society: Founded in 1892 by Satish Chandra Mukherjee to train youth in national education and moral character.
Anti-Circular Society: Formed by Sachindra Prasad Basu in response to the oppressive Pedler and Carlyle Circulars (which banned students from participating in nationalist rallies).
 
B. Swadeshi Enterprises (Constructive Swadeshi)
Bengal Chemical & Pharmaceutical Works: Founded by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray (1901).
Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO): Promoted as part of the industrial revival (established in 1907 by J.N. Tata).
Textiles & Banking: Banga Lakshmi Cotton Mills, National Tannery (Nilratan Sircar), and Indian Mercantile Insurance.
Swadeshi Stores: Opened across Bengal to sell Indian-made cloth, salt, sugar, matches, and soaps.
 
 
Cultural & Educational Awakening
 
A. Literature, Art, and Music
Rabindranath Tagore:
Composed Amar Sonar Bangla (written specifically during the anti-partition agitation; now the national anthem of Bangladesh).
Wrote patriotic songs like Banglar Mati Banglar Jal.
Wrote the essay Swadeshi Samaj (advocating self-reliance or Atmasakti in rural villages).
Mukunda Das & Rajanikanta Sen: Composed patriotic folk songs and Jatras (street theatre) spreading Swadeshi messaging across rural Bengal.
Abanindranath Tagore: Painted the iconic image of Bharat Mata (depicted as a four-armed ascetic goddess holding a book, sheaves of paddy, a piece of white cloth, and a rosary). Founded the Indian Society of Oriental Art (1907).
Nandalal Bose: The first recipient of a scholarship from the Indian Society of Oriental Art, who revolutionized modern Indian art.
 
B. National Education Movement
National Council of Education (NCE): Established on 15 August 1906 under the leadership of Rash Behari Ghosh to provide indigenous education free from British control. (This institution later evolved into Jadavpur University).
Bengal Technical Institute: Established to impart technical training, funded by Taraknath Palit.
Bengal National College: Started with Aurobindo Ghosh as its first Principal.
 
 
Reasons for the Decline of the Movement (post-1908)
Government Repression: The British enacted harsh legislations like the Seditious Meetings Act (1907), Criminal Law Amendment Act (1908), and Indian Newspaper (Incitement to Offences) Act (1908).
Surat Split (1907): The Indian National Congress split into Moderates and Extremists at the Surat session (presided over by Rash Behari Ghosh), weakening the political momentum.
Arrest and Exile of Leaders:
Bal Gangadhar Tilak was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment and sent to Mandalay Jail (Burma) in 1908.
Aurobindo Ghosh retired from politics to Pondicherry after the Alipore Bomb Case.
Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai left active political life temporarily.
Communal Rift: The creation of the All-India Muslim League in Dacca (December 1906) under Nawab Salimullah and Aga Khan diverted Muslim participation away from the Swadeshi fold.
 
 
Annulment of Partition (1911)
Delhi Durbar (12 December 1911): Held in honor of the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary.
Decisions Taken:
The Partition of Bengal was annulled (revoked) by Lord Hardinge II.
Bengal was reorganized on linguistic lines: Bihar and Orissa were carved out into a separate province, and Assam was made a separate chief commissionership.
The Capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi (officially inaugurated as capital in 1931).