Explained: Who was Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India who partitioned Bengal in 1905? | Explained News,The Indian Express

The Bardhaman municipality has decided to erect a statue of an erstwhile maharaja in front of the landmark Curzon Gate in the city. Why does this imperialist former viceroy continue to trigger outrage and revulsion 117 years after he left India?

The 119-year-old Curzon Gate in Bardhaman in West Bengal is at the centre of a political row after it emerged earlier this week that the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-run Bardhaman municipality has decided to erect a statue of Bardhaman’s Maharaja Bijay Chand Mahatab and his wife Radharani in front of the city’s prominent landmark.

Politicians, historians, and heritage experts have questioned the ruling party’s decision, with some claiming that the statutes would block the view of the structure, which was built by Mahatab in 1903, when Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of India, visited Bardhaman.

Of all the Viceroys of India, Curzon is possibly the most criticised — he is the man who partitioned Bengal in 1905, and triggered a wave of Bengali nationalism that contributed to the wider Indian national movement. He was also one of the more openly imperialist of viceroys, and a man who saw Britain’s rule over India as critical to the survival of empire. In 1900, Curzon famously stated, “We could lose all our [white settlement] dominions and still survive, but if we lost India, our sun would sink to its setting.”

Born in 1859, George Nathaniel Curzon was a British conservative politician who was educated at the elite institutions of Eton and Oxford. He served as Under-Secretary of State for India (1891-1892), and for Foreign Affairs (1895-1898), before being appointed Viceroy of India in 1899.

As viceroy, his administration was known for intense activity and emphasis on efficiency. He stated in his budget speech in 1904, “Efficiency of administration is, in my view, a synonym for the contentment of the governed.”(quoted in Sumit Sarkar, ‘Modern India 1885–1947’).

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/lord-curzon-viceroy-india-bengal-partition-8100128/


Post ID: 1f1156b8-869b-4146-8c6c-247b7dfaf742
Rating: 5
Updated: 1 year ago
Your ad can be here
Create Post

Similar classified ads


News's other ads