The Calcutta Marwaris and the Swadeshi Movement: In the Context of Boycott and Swadeshi Politics (1905-1907)

Abstract

At the dawn of the 20th century, an organized struggle against the partition of Bengal significantly influenced the trajectory of Indian politics. The Swadeshi movement engendered political extremism within the realm of Indian nationalism, leading a contingent of educated Bengalis to take up arms against British rule. In these circumstances, Bengali leaders adopted the policies of 'Boycott' and 'Swadeshi' to undermine British economic interests in Bengal. This paper seeks to explore the role played by the Marwari community of Calcutta in the anti-partition movement of 1905. During that era, the Marwaris were integral to the European trading system. They procured raw materials from various parts of the country for export and served as distributors of foreign products in the local market. Marwari traders were aligned with the British in the realm of commerce. Given this context, it is natural to question how the Marwari traders of Calcutta reacted to the boycott of foreign goods. What if we were to uncover, albeit sparingly, instances of Marwaris supporting the anti-partition boycott movement in history? This paper aims to address the following questions to comprehend the involvement of Calcutta's Marwaris in the 1905 Swadeshi Movement. Firstly, to what extent did the policy of boycotting foreign goods succeed within the Swadeshi movement? Secondly, what was the impact of the 'Boycott' and 'Swadeshi' policies on the Calcutta Marwaris? And thirdly, did the Calcutta Marwaris indeed participate in the Swadeshi Movement, and if so, what motivated their involvement? Most prevailing studies have dismissed the participation of the Marwari Community of Calcutta in the Swadeshi movement. This paper aims to uncover the answers to these questions and shed light on the extent of the Marwari community of Calcutta's involvement in the Swadeshi movement.