The Documentary Podcast

Three Million: 4. The tapes

Feb 23, 2024

Discover rare interviews with Indian civil servants detailing the Bengal famine. Explore the challenges of relief efforts during wartime. Uncover the colonial responses and failures to alleviate the crisis. Delve into the forgotten history of the famine and Churchill's role.

31:21

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Episode guests

Kavita Puri

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Officials ignored famine indicators due to war priorities, neglecting populations.

Viceroy Wavell's humanitarian efforts contrasted with Churchill's delayed aid response, showcasing colonial shortcomings.

Deep dives

Revealing Unheard Testimonies from the Bengal Famine

Historian Lance Brennan's 50-hour interviews with Indian civil servants exposed the chaotic response to the Bengal famine. Officials ignored the famine code indicators due to war priorities, neglecting starving populations. The interviews unveiled a draconian policy of making people work for food relief, highlighting the colonial bureaucracy's failure to act effectively during the crisis.

Introduction

3min

Unraveling the Chaos of the Bengal Famine Through Cassette Tapes

4min

The Challenging Dynamics of Famine Declaration During War

2min

The Bengal Famine and Colonial Response

18min

Exploring the Forgotten History of the Bengal Famine

4min

Kavita Puri discovers a set of cassette tapes containing rare interviews with Indian civil servants who were on the ground across Bengal during the famine, shedding new light on colonial responsibility.

And as the need for relief in Bengal becomes ever greater, more pressure is put on the British government from India’s new Viceroy. He asks for more food imports. Could the War Cabinet and Prime Minister Winston Churchill have done more to help alleviate the famine in the middle of the war?

Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor

With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee and Professor Joya Chatterji

Interviews conducted by Lance Brennan courtesy of University of Cambridge

Interviews with GS Khosla courtesy of University of Cambridge

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The Documentary Podcast

Three Million: 4. The tapes

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Revealing Unheard Testimonies from the Bengal Famine

Wavell's Humanitarian Efforts and Colonial Ineptitude

Legacy of the Bengal Famine and Historical Reflections

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts