GD Birla

Role during the Bengal famine

During this crisis, prominent industrialists like GD Birla played a controversial role. According to Janam Mukherjee's Hungry Bengal, Birla and other industrialists like Benthall and Nalini Ranjan Sarkar actively purchased large quantities of rice from rural Bengal at inflated prices. This ensured a steady food supply for their industrial interests in Calcutta, even as millions in rural areas faced starvation. These actions contributed to escalating food prices and exacerbated the food scarcity in rural areas. The industrialists' close ties to the colonial government, with Sarkar holding the Food portfolio and Benthall controlling war transport, allowed them to prioritize feeding industrial Calcutta at the expense of the rural population. Birla reportedly used the profits generated during this crisis to purchase British industrial interests in India following independence, further consolidating his economic influence in the post-colonial era. This stark contrast between the industrialists' actions and Gandhi's public stance on fasting for the "privations of the poor millions" highlights the complex and often conflicting interests at play during this tragic period in Bengal's history.