Intelligence Squared Kavita Puri and Sathnam Sanghera on War, Empire and the Untold Story of the Bengal Famine (Part Two)
Mar 23, 2025
Kavita Puri, an award-winning journalist noted for her work on Indian history, joins author Sathnam Sanghera to delve into the tragic narrative of the Bengal Famine. They discuss its obscurity in British and Indian history despite the millions who suffered. Puri highlights collective amnesia around this event and its ties to colonial legacies, prompting reflections on ancestral connections. The conversation emphasizes the crucial need to preserve survivors' stories and the famine's impact on nationalism and memory, linking past traumas to contemporary issues.
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Indian Amnesia on the Bengal Famine
- Indians don't commemorate the Bengal Famine because the 1940s were a tumultuous decade.
- The focus shifted to the future after the famine, partition, and independence.
A Chance Encounter with a Descendant
- Kavita Puri recounts meeting John Herbert's granddaughter, who had a picture of him and his wife in her bag.
- The granddaughter, unknowingly, sparked a renewed interest in her family's colonial past due to Puri's podcast.
Wavell's Impact on the Famine
- Viceroy Wavell, appointed by Churchill, took crucial steps to address the Bengal Famine.
- Wavell diverted military resources, set up kitchens, and secured aid, despite Churchill's initial resistance.
