"Poverty and Crime in India"

In the summer of 1866, The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser dedicated a section of their newspaper to discuss the famine crisis that was plaguing India under the British rule. While no pictures were provided in the article, upon further research, I was able to come across an image that reflected the disaster that the people of India were forced to endure. Within the article,
in the midst of providing the information on what was causing such a catastrophe, the author was dedicated to reporting facts on who was affected and what was being done to help those who were suffering. Beginning with describing the state of the famine, the author explains that people are barely able to have one meal a day, and when they do, they are unsubstantial foods such as berries and roots. Rather than demeaning the people of India, he states that the civilians and labor folk are trying to work hard and earn their money by working on the railroad, but unfortunately the wages are not enough to sustain them. This famine was primarily brought upon by the spike in prices of grain as well as the inability to grow rice or grain on their land. When bringing up the aid that was brought to those who were suffering, the author only mentions the churches who were taking in the starving and the aid and volunteers that had come from Europe. The influence of Christianity and its mentions throughout the article are prominent. From mentioning those affected, to the relief that came to help, there is only mention of the “Christian Children” and the “Anglo-Indians”

When reporting the Bengal Famine, the reporter does a successful job of explaining that the root cause of it was the lack and influx on prices of grains in the state. He also reminds the reader that the state of Bengal, which was “once a great port of the Mughal Emperors” is now going through an immense tragedy. What the reporter fails to mention is why there was a sudden influx in the grain prices, and why civilians of “Rich Bengal” are now dying at a startling rate. The reporter fails to mention that the East India Company had forced the Bengali farmers to stop planting grains, and to start planting Opium. He failed to mention that once you plant Opium on a land, it is no longer capable of planting anything else because of what it does to the soil. The famine was brought was brought upon by the hands and involvement of the British, and it is that same involvement that stripped a once wealthy and economically successful state of the brink of death.

While able to address the adversity the people of Bengal are enduring, the author selectively left out facts when discussing the roots of the famine. Along with that, the frequent mentions of the Christian population advances the mentality that the only individuals that do matter are those of the Catholic faith. The tone of the article places an emphasis on the fact that this is a tragedy, but redirects the emotions and sympathy of the reader to the Anglo-Indians that were suffering.