Swadeshi Samitis and Mass Mobilisation

The Swadeshi Movement began in 1905 as a direct reaction against Lord Curzon’s partition of Bengal. Early nationalist agitation relied heavily on petitions and speeches. The demand for direct action led leaders to create volunteer organizations known as Samitis or corps of volunteers. These Samitis became the principal vehicle for mass mobilization during the anti-partition struggle. Samitis transformed a campaign led by urban elites into a broader public movement. They functioned as local organizational hubs across Bengal and adjacent regions. Volunteers propagated the message of Swadeshi (indigenous products) and Boycott (rejection of foreign goods) through village tours, public lectures, and social service.

Prominent Swadeshi Samitis and Leaders

Several volunteer corps formed across different districts of Bengal. Each group developed specific regional networks and methods of public outreach.

Swadesh Bandhab Samiti

• Ashwini Kumar Dutta founded the Swadesh Bandhab Samiti on August 6, 1905, in the Barisal district.
• The organization operated through a network of 159 branches spread across rural Barisal.
• It published a weekly journal called Barisal Hitaishi to spread nationalist consciousness.
• The Samiti generated widespread support among the local peasantry, including Muslim farmers.
• It set up 89 arbitration courts (Salishi Adalats) in 1906, settling over 5,000 village disputes outside British legal institutions.
• Ashwini Kumar Dutta helped establish the Co-operative Hindusthan Bank in 1908 to finance local indigenous businesses.

Anti-Circular Society

• Sachindra Prasad Bose formed the Anti-Circular Society in Calcutta in October 1905.
• The society arose to counter the colonial government’s Carlisle Circular, which banned students from joining nationalist rallies.
• It provided alternative education to expelled students and arranged for the sale of Swadeshi goods.

Dawn Society

• Satish Chandra Mukherjee established the Dawn Society in 1902 in Calcutta.
• Its Industrial Section served as a storehouse and exhibition center for Indian-made goods.
• The society played a central role in training youth and laying the groundwork for the National Council of Education in 1906.

Other Regional Volunteer Groups

• Anushilan Samiti: Pramathanath Mitra, Satish Chandra Basu, and Sarala Devi founded the Calcutta Anushilan Samiti in 1902. Pulin Behari Das established its Dhaka branch in 1906, focusing on physical culture and national education.
• Sadhana Samaj and Suhrid Samiti: Both organizations operated actively in the Mymensingh district to organize local boycott drives.
• Brati Samiti: Sarala Devi Ghosal organized the Brati Samiti to impart physical training and moral education to young volunteers.
• Swadeshi Mandab: Active in the Midnapore district, this group organized local meetings and picketed shops selling foreign goods.

Major Samitis of the Swadeshi Era

Methods of Mass Mobilisation

Samitis utilized diverse constructive and confrontational methods to engage people from all social groups.

• Constructive Work (Atmasakti): Volunteers promoted self-reliance by setting up national schools, village industries, weaving centers, and indigenous stores selling local cloth, matches, and soap.
• Humanitarian Relief: Volunteers earned public trust by providing relief during famines, floods, and cholera epidemics in rural areas.
• Arbitration Courts: Samitis set up informal courts to resolve civil and criminal disputes locally, bypassing colonial judiciary systems.
• Traditional Festivals and Folk Culture: Leaders adapted popular cultural forms for political messaging. Bal Gangadhar Tilak expanded the Ganapati and Shivaji festivals in Maharashtra. In Bengal, popular folk theater (Jatra), traditional songs by Rabindranath Tagore, Dwijendralal Ray, Mukunda Das, and Rajanikanta Sen were used to spread patriotic themes.
• Picketing and Social Boycott: Volunteers picketed shops selling Manchester cloth and Liverpool salt. Those buying foreign goods faced social boycotts, including refusal of services by local priests, washermen, and cobblers.

Colonial Repression and Decline

The growing influence of Samitis prompted harsh measures from British authorities.

• The government banned public assemblies and issued circulars prohibiting student participation in politics.
• In 1908, the colonial authorities passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act, declaring many Samitis illegal.
• Key leaders faced severe persecution. Ashwini Kumar Dutta and Krishna Kumar Mitra were deported in late 1908 under Regulation III of 1818.
• Internal political divisions following the 1907 Surat Split weakened the central direction of the movement.
• By 1908, mass open mobilization through Samitis declined, pushing a section of the youth toward underground revolutionary activity.

Essential Facts on Swadeshi Samitis

The term Swadeshi originates from two Sanskrit words, Swa (self) and Desh (country). The formal proclamation of the Swadeshi Movement took place on August 7, 1905, at the Calcutta Town Hall. Krishna Kumar Mitra first suggested the boycott of foreign goods in his journal Sanjivani on July 3, 1905. During the movement, Rabindranath Tagore composed Amar Sonar Bangla, which later became the national anthem of Bangladesh. Tagore also started the Rakhi Bandhan festival on October 16, 1905, the day partition took effect, to symbolize unity between Eastern and Western Bengal. The movement led to the creation of landmark national industries. Prafulla Chandra Ray founded the Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Works in 1901. V.O. Chidambaram Pillai founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in Tuticorin in October 1906 to compete against British shipping monopolies. The British government officially annulled the Partition of Bengal in 1911 under Viceroy Lord Hardinge. The capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi in the same year.