Global Bengali Hindu Coalition is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Zoom Meeting on Bangladesh, context West Bengal & India.

Speaker: Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar (details below)

Format: First the honorable Speaker will talk and then Q & A. Anybody can ask questions. (duration: 1 hour 30min).

Time: Saturday, Dec 26, 2020 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada). Bangladesh 10PM, India 9:30PM. Europe: 5PM; London: 4PM.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2202372525

Meeting ID: 220 237 2525

Speaker: Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar

Distinguished Service Professor, Politics, Economics and Law Department. State University of New York, Old Westbury, NY.

Chair, Indian Subcontinent Partition Documentation Project (ISPaD)

www.ispad1947.org; Ispad1947 channel at YouTube; ispad1947@gmail.com

Probini Foundation www.probini.org; Blog: http://empireslastcasualty.blogspot.com/2008/12/educating-poor-and-orphaned-in.html www.probini.info

Editor, Partition Center Journal; Twitter: DastidarS

MISSION

Indian Subcontinent Partition Documentation Project Inc.

ISPaD Needs Help from Y O U

Several Bengali-Americans in New York, individuals whose families were victims of partition of the Indian Subcontinent – especially of former British-Indian Bengal, formerly East Bengal, now Bangladesh – formed a partition documentation project called ISPaD or Indian Subcontinent Partition Documentation Project Inc. to save the history and experiences of lost and displaced individuals and families, their villages, their life, and that of survivors and protectors.

The Project has received not-for-profit status from the Departments of Education and State of New York and a 503-C tax-exempt status from the I.R.S. (of the U.S. Government). ISPaD is open to all.

The purposes of the project are:

  • Document information from the people affected by the partition;
  • Collect historical records;
  • Study and document demographic and social changes caused by the partition;
  • Create a center to disseminate and share the information with the public and civic groups and rights organizations engaged globally in such activities;
  • Interact with the concerned governments and international bodies to raise awareness about the plight of the victims of ethnic cleansing and support the needy;
  • Organize meetings, seminars, conduct scholarly research, and publish journals and books.
  • Solicit funds to support the above activities.

Ispad is looking for individual and family stories, documents, pictures, narratives, deeds, artifacts, books, family history, stories of refugees, survivors, protectors and that of the lost ones, tapes, films, videos of Bengal and Indian partitions – from 1947 through the present.

More Facts
INDIA
PAKISTAN
SRI LANKA
BANGLADESH

NATIONALISM

  • What is nationalism?
  • What is patriotism?
  • Can you be nationalistic and regional or sectarian?
  • Identity; which identity?
  • Identity; whose identity?

Division into India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

  • 1800s Rise of anti-colonial Indian Renaissance, Bengali Renaissance and Hindu Renaissance, also called Hindu Reformation Movement
  • Establishment of Indian National Congress with heterogeneous Indians – Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsee, Jain, Sikh and Europeans, from north, west, east and south of India
  • Independence movement was led disproportionately by Bengal-based activists; mostly Hindu
  • Colonial rulers mandated Partition of Bengal in 1905 into “Hindu Bengal” and “Muslim Bengal” when there were no such demand either by Muslims or Hindus ushering in Divide-and-Rule Policy
  • This is the beginning of colonial Divide-and-Conquer/Rule, later applied in rest of the world – Ireland, Cyprus, S Africa, E Africa, etc.
  • Britain invited a non-local Muslim to Dhaka, called him Nawab or Prince (Salimullah), and gave him over 300,000 (or 800,000) rupees to start a Muslim League Party to demand separate electorate for Muslims and Non-Muslims; takes independence demand a back seat

Pre-Partition Map of India (1946)  , Capital :New Delhi

Muslim-majority Subcontinent and her Religious Minorities: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistani and Indian Kashmir

  • 1910s: Swadeshi or Self-awareness Movement; pride in all things Indian with Mother India taking a front stage
  • Boycotting British goods is promoted for India-made goods
  • Huge number of literature, songs and music written/composed during this era, including the anthems of India and Bangladesh
  • Bengal Reunification Movement begins with nationwide support from Bombay to Calcutta to Lahore: Lal, Bal, Pal
  • Anti-British militancy rises in the independence movement
  • Bengal Reunited in 1911 with capital moved to Delhi
  • Mahatma Gandhi hasn’t arrived in India yet
  • 1942: Quit India Movement by Congress Party
  • British imprisoned all Congress Party members; not Muslim League and Communist Party members
  • Gandhi, Nehru arrested
  • Britain gives free hand to Muslim League to organize anti-Congress acts
  • Churchill punishes India and Bengal by creating a man-made Bengal Famine in 1943-44 when 3 to 7 million die during a season of bumper crop. Destroyed over 60,000 boats in rice-growing delta
  • Muslim-non-Muslim apartheid-like election is held in 1946 with Muslim League getting a foothold in many states
  • Contradiction: Bengal, Sind, Punjab, Northwest Frontier Province
  • Two colonial provinces voted for Muslim League in 1946: Bengal and Sind
  • Punjab voted for Unionist Party, Northwest Frontier Province voted for a party which wanted to stay with India
  • Yet after Partition both East Pakistan and Sind ousts Muslim League
  • Majority Bengalis demand Bengali to be a National language of Pakistan – denied
  • Thus starts Language Movement and for more power for Bengali area
  • In 1970 Pakistan’s first open election takes place, with majority seats won by Awami League, all from East Pakistan
  • Pakistan Army and West Pakistan politicians do not allow Awami to take power
  • And unleashes a terror targeting the entire Hindu minority (22% of population down from 30%), all secular Muslims and Awami League party activists
  • In 9 months 3 million people are killed and over 250,000 girls and women abused

No one is penalized, many countries give shelter to mass murderers

Religious Distribution of Kashmir Minorities:

Pakistani  and Indian Kashmir