It’s August going and for West Bengal it’s the month of movement. The struggle for food is no doubt a classic example of mass-mobilization especially when people are suffered, tortured and exploited. To understand the gravity of the movement we need to go through the historical events of that time and the consequence impact on the society and lives of the people belonging to the struggling class.
Actually the spiral flow had started to gear up when Bengal witnessed the great famine of 1943, the 1946 riot and also the partition of India and with it a great number of people had to bear the tag of being refugee as they had to leave their native land where they possessed wealth, houses and their cultural roots. When a huge number of people flocked to west Bengal due to the decision made by the national leaders like Nehru and Jinnah as religion identity was alimented as the most necessary matter to stay stick to the land or to become the part of a journey of being a refugee. When this partition took place, maximum amount of the land fit for jute cultivation was in the part of East Pakistan later which would be known as Bangladesh. So the jute industry of newly formed West Bengal portion began to struggle because of the lack supply of raw jute. This turned into a grave situation and economy had to undergo toil due to this.
Also India after independent was financially weak and also because of the pressure of the refugees and less employment opportunities it was very hard to manage financial solidity. So to change this situation where people could get at least some earning to lead at least a life better than a street dwellers, the policy makers of the nation decided to cultivate jute in the rice field. They also promised that the matter of food insecurity would be cared. But Alas following the true character of selfish authoritarian government forgot what they had promised and common people had to struggle a lot even to manage one time meal in those years. Sooner people understood the British only left India but the characteristic as being rulers were perfectly adopted by the Indian version of national rulers and the food situation in Bengal took a serious turn since 1955, particularly during the months between April and September, when it became more acute.
The price-index of rice rose from Rs 382 per ton in December 1955 to Rs 532 in December 1956. The situation deteriorated in early 1959. Mass starvation, deaths, suicides and tragic migration of hundreds of thousands of people from the rural regions to the cities, particularly to Calcutta in search of food and employment became a regular feature.
In 1958 a wide spread scarcity of food was unleashed as Government instead of introducing ration system started to patronize the agents of hoarding and black-marketing. In many villages people stayed hungry . Even people had to fight very hard of their own existence . The slogan for the demand for food was raised but Government showing the ugly face decided to stop the movement through oppression, using police organization as a force of ruthless torture and whipping the people .
Next year in 1959, under the leadership of left ideology, a mass movement was formed and centralized . Price Increase and Famine Resistance Committee (PIFRC), a broad platform to connect with people and make them united with the aim to organize a state-wise movement was formed. Then congress led government was still very adamant . So the vehemence of the movement and the magnitude of the torture unleashed both sides were increasing very rapidly. Communists started to demand for the distribution of surplus land to the landless agricultural labourers and poor peasants, extension of modified rationing scheme to cover all needy people, building up of adequate food stocks, reduction of prices and curbing of hoarding and speculation and those matched with interest of common people of struggling class, automatically those became the need of the people .
From early days of May it flourished and on 15 June protest day was observed. West Bengal witnessed general strike on 25th June. On August 8, the state food convention was organized, which called for direct action throughout the state from August 20. From that day onwards, the movement gained further momentum and events moved swiftly. Government pumped massive oppression but unity of the people overcame every strike of ruthless punishment . By 27th August 7000 people were arrested. People arrested were from the different section of the society – peasants, workers, students and middle-class employees. Thousands of women were part of all these sections who courted arrest.
31st August was started with a mass rally with the call to make the food minister resign and to make food available for all. The rally was peaceful but the police cordoned and started arresting without any provocation. Suddenly then police violently beat the mob and mercied none. Even females with children in their lap were beaten mercilessly. 80 people were martyred . Countless dead bodies were vanished. Around 3000 were wounded. Not only in the streets of Calcutta, but the streets of Medinapur , Tamluk, Ghatal, Burdwan , Baharampur and Gangarampur also witnessed such kind of brutality. Next day student strike began. The situation became such unstable, government had to enforce army to tackle the situations. Later on 26 September, the foundation of a permanent Martyrs’ Column was laid.
So August carries the legacy of a movement of the people for the people by the people. The saga of struggle for food is till valid lesson for atrocities of government that has a inflow of dominative characteristic to stripe people under its shows of rule. The spirit is still high and never forgettable. Long live the spirit of the movement to inspire us to stand tall against the social oppression of the state in any form at any time.
