Volume-I, Issue-V, May 2025 > Volume-I, Issue-VI, July 2025
Volume-I, Issue-VI, July, 2025 |
Received: 19.07.2025 | Accepted: 22.07.2025 | ||
Published Online: 31.07.2025 | Page No: 1609-1620 | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.1.issue.06W.169 | |||
তেভাগা ও সাঁওতাল প্রসেনজিৎ হেমব্রম, গবেষক, কলিকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Tebhaga and the Santals Prosenjit Hembram, Research Scholar, University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
At the dawn of India’s independence in the twentieth century, the widely discussed agrarian movement known as the Tebhaga movement, supported by the farming community in Bengal and across India, not only aimed to resolve land-related issues and initiate land reforms but also ushered in a new direction in Bengali politics. During this time, just as people across India were engaged in an intense struggle against British colonial rule to gain independence, the farmers of Bengal, fed up with the oppression of landlords, jotdars, and intermediaries, joined in an armed uprising against them. The core demand of the peasants in this movement was not just to receive half of the harvested crop, but Tebhaga—that is, two-thirds of the crop yield for themselves, leaving only one-third for the landlord or jotdar. After a year of hard labor, if a farmer had to hand over half of the harvest and use the remaining portion to repay debts or outstanding dues, it became almost impossible for a farming family to sustain themselves on what was left. Their demand was entirely justified; there was no intention of asserting superiority. It was simply a matter of survival. Due to the prevailing economic recession and rising prices of goods in the market, their lives had become unbearable. This desperation was reflected in the powerful slogans of the movement:
The central theme of this article is to explore the significance of the Santals in the Tebhaga movement. | ||
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