The Growth of the Revolutionary Activities of the Hindi-speaking People of Calcutta with Special Reference to Dumka (1905-1914)

Martina Chakraborty Rabindra - Bharati University, Kolkata.

During the last decade of the 19th century in Calcutta, there was a period for consolidation for the Hindi- speaking people'. In Calcutta, Burrabazar became the beating heart of Hindi-speaking people of "Up Country" and Marwaris as an epicentre of their involvement with commercial, cultural, social and political activities. These social groups started increasing their interest in the political arena. Initially their organizations were cast in the form of literary societies, but they were soon transformed into associations with distinct political roles. After coming to Calcutta as a migrant community these Hindi-speaking people did not go with the direct conflict with the Colonial Government because they then worked in the British firm as collaborators. After a certain period of time in Calcutta, when the Marwaris started their own business (sometimes in joint venture with the British), then they started to oppose the policy of the Government. By this time, the up- country people came to Calcutta and worked as the labourers in the Marwari business firm and sometimes they did different types of household work under the Marwaris. However, in Calcutta, these Hindi-speaking people joined politics in order to make their position strong for themselves in Burrabazar. But their role in the field of politics does not hold a position in the Bengali political scenario as well as Indian politics. In the first decade of the 20th century revolutionary nationalism emerged as a strong political force in Bengal in the wake of the Swadeshi Movement. By that time, an increasing sense of impatience among sections of Bengalis including some leaders of the Congress Party because they felt that the Congress policy of pleading and petitioning the government was completely ineffective. During this time not only the Bengalis, but some Hindi-speaking people of Calcutta had played a significant role to advance the revolutionary activities and made strong contact with the revolutionaries of Dumka district. Through the analysis of various primary and secondary sources, this article seeks to document some aspects of the Hindi-speaking people of Calcutta and Dumka who had played an important role in the various revolutionary activities against the British Government during the period of 1905 to 1914.

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How to cite this article:
Chakraborty M (2021) : The Growth of the Revolutionary Activities of the Hindi-speaking People of Calcutta with Special Reference to Dumka (1905-1914) Research Expression 4 : 6 (2021) 55 - 62