Children were being thrown in rivers, India was starving...?
India gained independence from the british on 15 august 1947. But, by the time it got independence, its economy was completely ruined. 78 years ago, that is, 4 years before india got independence, bengal (present-day Bangladesh, West bengal of india, bihar and Orissa) had seen that terrible period of famine, in which more than 30 lakh people died of hunger.
That was the period of the Second World War. It is believed that at that time the production of grains had reduced considerably due to famine. Based on conversations with people who survived the 1943 famine, author Madhushree Mukherjee has told in one of her books that the conditions at that time were such that people were starving, throwing their children in the river. Many people even died by jumping in front of trains.
In the same book, it is also mentioned that people were alive by eating leaves and grass. The situation was so bad that people did not even have the strength to protest against the policies of the government. Only those people survived this famine who came to kolkata (Calcutta) in search of employment or those women who were forced to take up prostitution to raise their families.
The bengal famine of 1943 was a very sad and horrific tragedy that engulfed a large part of bengal, India. This famine killed about 20 to 30 lakh people and left millions homeless and destitute.
This famine was not only caused by the shortage of food grains, but british colonial policies and wartime conditions played an important role in it. The bengal famine before independence and the partition at the time of independence destroyed the economy of this country.
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