Poverty, Famine and Migration: A Study in Colonial Bankura

History & Social Studies

The impact of colonial rule and exploitation that affected the economy and land displacement in different parts of India has also affected Bankura, a district of West Bengal. The land reform that started in the tribal-dominated district of Bankura at the beginning of British rule resulted in a change in the lifestyle of the tribal and lower caste people of the district. A landless peasant class emerged in the Bankura district like all over India. Changes in the land revenue system, the breakdown of tribal land and traditional Mandali system and rampant indebtedness had brought the people of the district under the grip of poverty. Added to this were the effects of several crises and famines. As a result, large-scale seasonal migration to the neighbouring districts began in Bankura in search of alternative livelihoods from the nineteenth century. The impact of this poverty and famine in the Bankura district during the colonial phase and the emergence of the migration trends based on that source have been discussed in the following article.

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