Bengal Famine of 1943

The Bengal Famine of 1943 stands as one of the worst human-made disasters in modern Indian history. Occurring against the backdrop of World War II, the tragedy resulted in the starvation and disease-related deaths of an estimated 2 to 3 million people in Bengal, Orissa, and Bihar.

Immediate Causes and World War II Distortions

The famine stemmed from a complex combination of wartime economic pressures, natural disasters, and administrative failures rather than a simple absolute shortage of food grains.

Key Factors Behind the Crisis

• The Japanese occupation of Burma in 1942 cut off rice imports, which had traditionally supplied 15 to 20 percent of Bengal’s domestic demand.
• A severe cyclone accompanied by three storm surges struck coastal Bengal and Midnapore in October 1942, destroying standing crops and grain stores.
• The Midnapore crop fungus (Cochliobolus miyabeanus) destroyed major portions of the winter aman rice harvest.
• The colonial government implemented the “Denial Policy” in coastal Bengal to prevent resources from falling into invading Japanese hands.
• Under the Rice Denial Policy, authorities confiscated surplus rice from coastal districts, while under the Boat Denial Policy, over 66,000 river craft capable of carrying more than ten passengers were confiscated or destroyed, paralyzing local riverine trade and distribution.

Colonial Economic Policies and Market Failure

Wartime inflation and administrative priority on military supply chains caused a complete breakdown of market distribution.

Economic Factors

• Massive British defense spending in India was financed through currency expansion, causing rapid price inflation.
• The administrative priority remained focused on supplying military troops, defense factory workers, and civil servants in Calcutta under the “Priority Classes” distribution scheme.
• Landless agricultural laborers, rural artisans, and fishermen lacked purchasing power as rice prices escalated beyond their reach.
• Neighboring provinces like Bihar, Orissa, and Punjab banned inter-provincial grain exports to protect their local markets, creating isolated trade zones.
• Speculators, local merchants, and large landowners hoarded grain reserves in anticipation of higher profit margins.

Imperial Inaction and Political Response

The response of the colonial government in London and New Delhi faced severe criticism for prioritizing war transport over relief supplies.

Policy Choices during the Emergency

• Viceroy Lord Linlithgow refused to declare a formal state of famine under the official Famine Code, avoiding statutory relief obligations.
• British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the War Cabinet repeatedly denied requests from Indian authorities to allocate Allied shipping capacity for importing grain into India.
• The British administration prioritized Allied shipping routes for military supplies across the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans.
• The Bengal Provincial Government under Khawaja Nazimuddin proved unable to curb grain hoarding or organize effective relief kitchens in rural areas.
• Field Marshal Lord Wavell succeeded Linlithgow as Viceroy in October 1943 and deployed the British Indian Army to distribute relief rations and manage soup kitchens.

The Famine Inquiry Commission (Woodhead Commission)

The colonial administration appointed a special committee in 1944 to investigate the causes and management of the tragedy.

Findings of the Woodhead Commission

• The commission was headed by Sir John Woodhead and published its findings in 1945.
• The report calculated total mortality at approximately 1.5 million, though later independent demographic studies raised the total to between 2.1 and 3 million deaths.
• The commission identified a failure in rice supply management and criticized the Bengal government for failing to prevent hoarding.
• It cited the total failure of the central and provincial governments to control grain prices and distribute food equitably.
• The commission recommended establishing a public distribution system, price controls, and permanent agricultural monitoring mechanisms.

Historical Facts and Data

Economist Amartya Sen analyzed the 1943 crisis in his landmark 1981 work Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation. Sen demonstrated that the famine was caused by an “entitlement failure” driven by price inflation rather than a dramatic fall in total food availability. Artist Chittaprosad Bhattacharya documented the human toll through eyewitness sketches and journalism in his 1943 book Hungry Bengal. The British authorities seized and destroyed almost all copies of the publication. Renowned painter Somnath Hore captured the devastation in his sketches, while photographer Sunil Janah brought nationwide attention to the disaster through his work for the newspaper People’s War. Writer Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay wrote his famous Bengali novel Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder) based on the human tragedy of the famine. Director Satyajit Ray later adapted the book into a film in 1973. The Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), formed in 1943, staged the play Nabanna written by Bijon Bhattacharya to depict the plight of Bengal’s starving peasantry, raising funds for rural relief operations.