Volume-I, Issue-V, May 2025 > Volume-I, Issue-VI, July 2025 > Atmadeep, Volume-II, Issue-I, September 2025
Volume-II, Issue-I, September, 2025 |
Received: 25.09.2025 | Accepted: 28.09.2025 | ||
Published Online: 30.09.2025 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.01W.201 | |||
পঞ্চাশের মন্বন্তর কালে বাংলাদেশের নারীদের অবস্থা ও বাংলা উপন্যাসে তার প্রতিফলন সুজন সাহা, গবেষক, বাংলা বিভাগ, কটন বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, গুয়াহাটি, অসম, ভারত |
The
Condition of Women in Bangladesh during the Famine of the 1940s and Its
Reflection in Bengali Novels
Sujan Saha, Research
Scholar, Department of Bengali, Cotton University, Guwahati, Assam, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
During the Second World War, India, then a
colony under the British Empire, was drawn into the global conflict. While the
British sought Indian support, responses varied: the Communist Party extended
cooperation, whereas the Indian National Congress and the Azad Hind Fauj
opposed British efforts. These political dynamics, combined with war-related
policies, contributed to the catastrophic Bengal Famine of 1943. Scholars have
increasingly argued that man-made and artificial factors — rather than purely natural
causes — played a predominant role in the crisis.
Women and girls bore a disproportionate share of
the suffering during the famine. Cultural norms and patriarchal practices led
them to eat last and least within households, heightening their vulnerability
to malnutrition and related health complications. Additionally, the famine
exacerbated gender-based violence, forced marriages, displacement, and coerced
sex work. Educational disruption was common, as girls often dropped out of
school to help their families survive. Harrowing accounts — such as women dying
on roadsides while their infants unknowingly attempted to nurse — reveal the
brutal human toll of this tragedy.
Despite these challenges, research shows that
women and girls often have lower mortality rates than men and boys during
famines, due to a combination of biological and social factors. However, the
societal burden placed upon them was immense. In many cases, men abandoned
their families, leaving women to shoulder responsibility alone. As noted by
Gopal Halder, the Bengal Famine — which claimed over 3 to 4 million lives — was
not just a natural disaster but a catastrophic failure of policy and humanity.
Bengali literature from the period reflects this gendered suffering, providing
crucial insights into the lived experiences of women during one of the darkest
chapters in Indian history. | ||
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