PARADOX OF ANTI-PARTITION AGITATION 39 The e^dightened and educated Bengalees lost no time and rose against this mischief. It hurt their sentiment, sense of pride, and above all, their esteem as a people with a rich language, developed literature, and progressive outlook, a gift, ironically, of the western education permeated through the British only. A sense of self-awakening, realisation of socio-cultural degradation and backwardness dawned on the new generation who devoted their time and energies for reform, revival and regeneration. Such a people were sure to join in expressing sentiment like Surendra Nafh who says: 'We felt that we have been insulted, humiliated, and tricked. We felt that the whole of our future was at stake, and that it was a deliberate blow aimed at the growing solidarity and self-consciousness of the Bengali speaking population.'3 The paper attempts to examine the impact of the swadeshi movement with particular reference to the trade, industry and agriculture. It also explores the role and extent of participation of the masses in this event acclaimed as epoch-making that changed the political map of Bengal. SWADESHI PLEDGE : STATEMENT OF AIMS AND OBJECTIVES In an article published in Sanjibani, 13 July 1905, Krishna Kumar Mitra advocated and urged that the people should boycott all. 'British goods, observe mourning and shun all contacts with official bodies.'4 At the residence of Maharaja Surya Kanto Acharya of Mymensingh, now in Bangladesh, the resolution of swadeshism which was adopted, reads as follows: 'That this meeting sympathises with the resolution adopted at many meetings held in the moffusil to abstain from the purchase of British manufactures so long as the partition Resolution is not withdrawn, as a protest against the indifference of the British public in regard to Indian affairs and the consequent disregard of Indian public opinion by the present Government.'5 TAGORE AND SWADESHI MOVEMENT Rabindra Nath Tagore envisaged the objective of the swadeshi as follows: 1. To undertake fulfilment of the country's needs by the efforts of the people themselves; 2. To take over the responsibility of the people on their own shoulders; 3. To execute all national activities with the agency of Indians alone and to refuse the help of aliens in these matters; 4. To abstain from the use of foreign cloth and other goods; 5. To refrain from writing letters to relations and friends in the English using English goods, English furniture, English music, English drinks, and having social intercourse with the English people; 6. To establish Indian schools; 7. To decide disputes without resort to the courts established by the British Government.6