The 1905 Partition of Bengal: Divide and Rule's First Strike

In 1905, the British Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered the partition of Bengal — not along linguistic or cultural lines, but to weaken the nationalist movement. This episode traces the decision through the eyes of its architects and its opponents: from the official announcement on October 16, 1905, to the massive protests that followed. We look at the role of the Indian National Congress, the Swadeshi movement, the boycott of British goods, and the rise of revolutionary groups like Anushilan Samiti. Key figures include Curzon, Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka — who supported the partition and helped found the Muslim League in 1906 — and leaders like Surendranath Banerjee and Rabindranath Tagore, who turned Rakhi Bandhan into a symbol of Bengali unity. The partition was reversed in 1911, but it left a lasting scar: it institutionalised religious division in politics and set the stage for the 1947 Partition. We explore how a single administrative decision reshaped the destiny of Bengal.

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