Published Paper Details:

The socio-economic contribution of the Indian state of West Bengal, which has been subjected to repeated partitions and transfer of population during the last one hundred and fifty odd years to serve the interest of the colonial and national rulers, is immense. Bengal was one of the wealthiest regions of the Asian subcontinent prior to the invasion of the British East India Company in 1757. Though Bengal faced many odds during the colonial era, nevertheless, it could retain its leadership position in economic performance compared to other parts of the Indian sub-continent. Even after its 6th partition in 1947, West Bengal�s industrial contribution was highest among all the states of India till the early 1950s. Then the decline started. The partition of Bengal has destroyed the age old trade routes and the eco-system of the entire Eastern and North eastern parts of this subcontinent. Due to this, India�s North East Region (NER) and West Bengal have suffered more compared to East-Pakistan (Bangladesh). Partition of Bengal has severely affected NER of India. The policy-makers of Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya should reflect to which side they must look at, East or West, for their long term development. Better economic and cultural engagements with Bangladesh and West Bengal are likely to offer them better prospects to break their geophysical trap and help to access huge global market using the sea. Apparently West Bengal and NER exhibit signs of a regional and internal colony of modern India. There exists scope for further research on these critical aspects of the socio-economic structure of these peripheral states of India.