১৯৪৩ সাল - ‘অশনি সংকেত’ ও দুর্ভিক্ষ প্রতিরোধে মহিলাদের প্রত্যক্ষ অংশগ্রহণ/ 1943 Sal - ‘Ashoni Sanket’ O Durvikkho Protirodhe Mohilader Protyokkho Anshogrohon

Abstract

The study of Indian history marks a significant turning point in the 1940s. It was during this decade that women began participating directly in politics - a trend of self-identity formation that persisted into later periods. Beyond this, the 1940s witnessed several momentous events that shook every stratum of society, profoundly impacting the lives of women.

           The decade began with the Second World War (1942–45), the impact of which pushed colonial nations like India toward a dire economic crisis. Concurrently, the food crisis and the Great Famine of 1943 completely destabilized the socio-economic fabric of Bengal; death and malnutrition became commonplace sights.

           On one hand, the launch of the 'Quit India' movement at the call of the National Congress highlighted the role of women in the anti-imperialist struggle. On the other hand, the exigencies of the war - fueled by the collusion of black marketeers, hoarders, and the British government's callous bureaucracy - precipitated a man-made famine in Bengal in 1943 that caused immense anguish to women. Approximately six million destitute people faced this crisis. The year 1943 remains infamous in Bengal's history, marking the most devastating famine since 1757. The Second World War was raging; Japanese forces had occupied Burma (Myanmar). Just as in Singapore, the defeat of British power in Burma appeared inevitable. What if enemy troops were to invade India via Burma? Prime Minister Winston Churchill adopted a drastic strategy known as 'Scorched Earth' - aiming to thwart the enemy by destroying resources that were essential or useful to them. The British administration halted riverine transport, causing agricultural supply chains to collapse. Food grains were requisitioned from all quarters for the military. Furthermore, warehouses were confiscated to ensure that Japanese troops could not lay their hands on rice stocks. Rice imports from Burma ceased. Food prices in the market skyrocketed, and a severe food crisis gripped the rural areas. Above all, the dark clouds of famine loomed over the destiny of Bengal. Nearly five million people perished amidst the desperate cry for food; emaciated, skeletal bodies of the starving collapsed along roadsides and in open fields. It was against this harrowing backdrop of famine that Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay penned Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder), a poignant tale of rural life.