Three Million 4. The Tapes
Mar 11, 2024
Kavita uncovers rare cassette tapes revealing interviews with civil servants during the Bengal famine, shedding light on colonial responsibilities. The chaotic bureaucratic responses exacerbated the crisis, as imperial interests eclipsed urgent relief needs. Winston Churchill’s complex legacy comes under scrutiny, exposing troubling racial views amid wartime decisions. The podcast contrasts Britain's VE Day celebrations with the ongoing suffering in India, stressing the importance of confronting historical narratives and preserving the memories of those impacted by the famine.
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Discovery of Rare Interviews
- Kavita discovers rare interviews with Indian civil servants about the Bengal famine, recorded in the 1980s and never broadcast before.
- These tapes provide a unique ground-level view of the crisis and colonial response.
Famine Code Was Ignored
- The British created a famine code to detect famine and trigger relief, but it was never officially declared in Bengal during the 1943 crisis.
- Declaring famine would have forced Britain to supply food, but they avoided it due to war priorities.
Work-for-Food Relief Policy
- Relief efforts required the physically weak to work for food, reflecting a harsh philosophy that charity disables the poor.
- This system echoes earlier British workhouse policies from England and Ireland famines.