Latest / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History / The Famine That Changed Everything: Bengal 1770
Transcript
- Lucas: So last episode we talked about the Portuguese and their Hooghly settlement, and that whole wild story of pirates, Augustinian friars, and Mughal cannon fire. Today I want to step into something darker — the Great Bengal Famine of 1770. Luna: I've heard the numbers are staggering, like millions dead. Lucas: Yeah, estimates range anywhere from seven to ten million people — roughly a third of Bengal's population at the time. And it wasn't just a natural disaster. The East India Company's policies turned a drought into a catastrophe. Lucas: To understand the famine, you have to go back to 1765, when the Company acquired the diwani — the right to collect land revenue — through the Treaty of Allahabad. Suddenly they were the tax collectors, but they had no clue how to manage it. Luna: So they just squeezed as much as they could? Lucas: Exactly. They doubled the land tax demands in some districts. The revenue was fixed, but if crops failed, you still owed the same amount. And the Company's officials, like Warren Hastings who became Governor in 1772, were under pressure to send profits back to London. Lucas: Then in 1769, the monsoon failed. The rice harvest withered. By early 1770, people were eating leaves and grass. The Company didn't suspend revenue collection until it was far too late. In fact, they actually increased taxes in some areas to compensate for the shortfall. Luna: That's horrifying. So the famine was man-made. Lucas: There's a famous line from a Company official named James Grant: he said the famine was 'a great calamity, but it has lowered the price of grain, which is good for the Company.' That attitude sums it up. Meanwhile, British merchants were still exporting grain from Bengal to other parts of India because they could make a profit. Lucas: The human cost is almost unimaginable. Corpses piled up on the roadsides. The Hooghly river was clogged with bodies. Villages were completely depopulated. In some districts, over half the population died. Luna: What about the Company's response? Did they try to help at all? Lucas: Warren Hastings did set up a relief fund, but it was tiny and mostly aimed at keeping the administration running. He also imported some rice from other regions, but again, it wasn't enough. And there was a strange side effect: the famine actually reduced the population so much that land revenue collection plummeted in the following years, which hurt the Company's finances. Lucas: But out of the ashes came resistance. You had the Sannyasi Rebellion — bands of ascetics, often armed, who were originally religious pilgrims but turned into guerrilla fighters. They raided Company treasuries and grain stores, and they were joined by desperate peasants. Luna: I've heard the term 'sannyasi' — those are Hindu renunciants, right? Lucas: Right, but in this context they were more like warrior monks. They had been a fixture in Bengal for centuries, but after the famine they became a real thorn in the Company's side. The British called them 'banditti' and launched military campaigns against them. Lucas: The rebellion lasted well into the 1770s, and it was one of the first major armed challenges to Company rule in Bengal. It's often overlooked because it was localised and didn't have a single leader, but it foreshadowed later uprisings like the Sepoy Mutiny. Luna: So the famine didn't just kill millions — it also sparked a rebellion. Lucas: Exactly. And it changed the way the Company thought about governance. After the famine, there were investigations, reports, and some reforms. Hastings tried to stabilise the revenue system, but the damage was done. The famine of 1770 became a dark symbol of colonial exploitation. Lucas: One thing that's interesting: the famine also pushed many Bengalis into the hands of Hindu and Muslim religious leaders who offered solace or practical help. The Sannyasis were seen as protectors, not just bandits. And the Fakir movement — Muslim ascetics — also gained followers. Luna: It sounds like the famine reshaped Bengal's spiritual landscape too. Lucas: Absolutely. And it created a collective memory that lasted for generations. When the next big famine hit in 1943, people still remembered 1770. But that's a story for another episode. Luna: Quick honest thing, Lucas — we make these episodes because we love digging into these stories, and it's amazing that listeners keep coming back. Lucas: Yeah, and a handful of people chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that literally funds making this many of these. Keeps us ad-free and independent. Luna: It really does. So if you've been enjoying the show and want to help us keep going, that's how it works. Lucas: Anyway, back to history — one last thing about the famine. It also accelerated the drain of wealth from Bengal. The Company's profits were sent to Britain, and the devastated province had to rebuild with little outside help. That pattern would repeat across India. Luna: So the famine was a turning point in how the Company ruled — and how people resisted. Lucas: Exactly. It's a reminder that behind the grand narratives of empire, there are real human tragedies that shaped the course of history. Next time we'll look at something a bit lighter — the lost art of muslin weaving in Bengal.