Halisahar, Chittagong

The Bengal Famine of 1943-44 was a man-made disaster that caused the deaths of millions of Indians who resided in the eastern regions of the country, especially in Bengal and what is today Bangladesh. Chittaprosad—one of India’s most important artists and a committed member of the Communist Party of India- was known for his records of pivotal political and social upheavals in the country. He travelled to the famine-stricken regions and made heart-rending sketches and drawings of the people’s conditions. The desolation caused by the famine was not only physical sickness and death, but exhaustive psychological trauma amongst the survivors. The figure in this artwork, located in Halisahar, Chittagong, in what is today Bangladesh, used to be one of the respected elders of the village. But during the famine he was afflicted by syphilis. A note by the artist on the reverse of the painting states that the man had nine other family members who were routinely exploited by a dealer siphoning items off the family’s ration card. When enquired about the situation in the village, the artist was told that ‘at least 5% of the villagers’ exploited the rest who had no purchasing power.