‘What Ireland has Done Bengal Will Do’: The Impact of the 1916 Proclamation on Bengali Revolutionaries

This article explores the impact of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic in Bengal. In pre-partitioned Bengal (before 1947), revolutionary activities were strongly influenced by events in Ireland. This article discusses how Irish influence is evident in two key Bengali examples: the proclamation issued by Surya Sen of the Indian Republican Army (IRA) in 1930 and the proclamation issued by Subhas Chandra Bose of the Indian National Army (INA) in 1943. By dissecting the three proclamations, the article discusses how the 1916 proclamation offered a blueprint for Bengali revolutionaries, while also highlighting the uniqueness of the Bengali proclamations which differed fundamentally from the Gandhian approach to the Indian liberation movement. The article also provides an overview of lesser known texts produced in Bengali relating to the Irish revolution and discusses how the English language became a shared language of connection and solidarity among colonized peoples.