Bengal’s Southern Frontier,1757 to 1948

Abstract

The forests of the Sundarbans, located in the southernmost parts of West Bengal in India and south-western Bangladesh, remain synonymous with the Royal Bengal Tiger and, to some extent, the mangrove forests unique to South Asia. The principal strands in the story of the region centre around the contest between the tiger and the forest dweller—in other words, the conflict between and co-existence of man and nature. This struggle took the form of reclamation and of putting the forests to the plough. Down the ages there have been several efforts to reclaim forests and set up human habitation in this region. Before the advent of British rule in India most were individual efforts. Those made during British rule were largely successful in bringing in people of various origins into the region. Despite the slow pace of development compared to the rest of Bengal, the face of the Sundarbans then changed forever. Changes in settlement patterns and the stratification of society led to changes in human relations. The region suffered denudation and deforestation. In fact, ultimately as social stratification increased and exploitation intensified, tensions exploded in the form of the Tebhaga movement (1946).