The 1947 Partition of Bengal: A River of Blood

In 1947, the partition of India also divided Bengal along religious lines, creating East Pakistan and West Bengal. The Radcliffe Line, drawn in just five weeks, split villages, families, and rivers. This episode traces the political maneuvering behind the partition, from the Lahore Resolution of 1940 to the final boundary award. We explore the role of H.S. Suhrawardy's United Bengal proposal, the violence that erupted in Noakhali and Calcutta, and the mass migration that followed. Names like Cyril Radcliffe, Sarat Chandra Bose, and Mountbatten feature prominently. We also discuss the cultural and economic dismemberment of Bengal, with its jute mills on one side and tea gardens on the other. The episode ends with the long aftermath: the linguistic and economic grievances that would eventually lead to the Bangladesh Liberation War. For listeners of earlier episodes on the Language Movement and the 1971 war, this provides the crucial backstory.

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