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Thread - Judging past leaders through the lens of the present might leave the world with no heroes at all. But it& #39;s hard to make progress without the acceptance of the full truth of their lives. I write about the legacy of Winston #Churchill in #India https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53405121">https://www.bbc.com/news/worl...
In the UK, he& #39;s adored by millions for his rousing speeches and actions during World War 2. As historian Rudrangshu Mukherjee tells me, there is a very different perception of #Churchill in #India.
Bengal famine is recorded to have been triggered by a cyclone and flooding,but many blame #Churchill & govt for making things worse.3 million died,6 times the Empire& #39;s casualties in WW2 raging at same time. War& #39;s losses frequently commemorated, not too many remember the famine.
Survivors recount people looking like skeletons,bodies lying in fields & near rivers,being eaten by dogs & vultures because no-one had the strength to perform last rites for so many people.Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee says he& #39;s still haunted by the memories. #India #Churchill
#Churchill and his govt were repeatedly told by British officers serving in #India, that they urgently needed food to be sent. Viceroy to India Wavell recorded that for months his pleas were ignored. Secy for State Leo Amery recorded the then PM& #39;s unsavoury comments about India.
. @OxfordYasmin says & #39;We can& #39;t blame him ( #Churchill) for creating the famine in any way.. he didn& #39;t alleviate it when he had the ability to do so, and we can blame him for prioritising white lives and European lives over South Asian lives& #39; #India
Bengali artist Chittaprosad went from village to village documenting the disaster. Most copies of his book were seized or destroyed by the government. #India #Churchill
It was the brilliant @fergalkeane47& #39;s idea to look at the legacy of the Empire, in light of events around BLM movement. As he puts it & #39;Examining the imperial past demands humility & a willingness to face sometimes uncomfortable truths. Education is critical to this process& #39;
Where I first read about #Churchill - an Enid Blyton book. As I grew older and had more conversations about India’s colonial past, I figured most people in my country had a starkly different view of him.
Enid Blyton was a childhood icon for me.Her works have been accused of being racist & sexist. Would I throw them out? No.The happy memories they evoke are not tainted for me. But I won& #39;t pass them on to children in my family.They deserve to read stories set in a more equal world.
The video version of our piece on how #India views #Churchill is now out. @NayarVarunm #sanjayganguly @AakritiThapar @KunalSehgal92 @NicolaCareem https://youtu.be/h8Ers8gw_W4 ">https://youtu.be/h8Ers8gw_...
