International Journal of History

Curzon wanted to strike a blow at Bengali nationalism by partitioning Bengal. He sought to suppress the united anti-British movement of the Bengalis by creating a Hindu-Muslim divide. However, the Bengalis were not deterred in the least. Instead, they fought against the insidious tactics of British imperialism with even greater determination and strength. The movement to resist the partition of Bengal began with immense force in every district, subdivision, police station, and even in every village, town, and city across Bengal. The people of every region of undivided Midnapore came forward in large numbers to strengthen the anti-partition movement of Bengal. They supported the boycott of foreign goods and plunged into the struggle. In the Panskura police station area of ​​the Tamluk subdivision of Midnapore district, anti-British Swadeshi activities also took on a massive scale. People from all walks of life, irrespective of caste, creed, or religion, boycotted foreign goods and participated in the production of indigenous goods. Swadeshi fairs were held in the villages. Local cottage industries flourished, upper-class landlords came forward to organize the movement, and school students marched alongside ordinary villagers. In this article, my subject of discussion is how active the Swadeshi movement was at the local level in the villages of Panskura and how it subsequently influenced the national movement.