Famine Over Bengal

When the Bengal famine broke out in 1943, the Hindu newspaper sent correspondent T.G. Narayanan to cover the story. Famine Over Bengal, based on this first-hand reportage, is a pioneering work of journalism. The first half of the book describes the origins of the famine: the official callousness, incompetence, corruption and buck-passing. The second half is a first-hand account of what Narayanan saw and heard in Bengal. The journalist describes the harrowing scenes and shocking contrasts that he found in Calcutta, Dacca, and elsewhere. Most crucially, he provides several moving accounts of the experiences of famine sufferers. Not only do these stories provide an invaluable record of the times, they constitute some of the most powerful writing in English ever to emerge from India.