Month: March 2016

Even many small traders and the artisan classes like the weavers, paper and salt manufacturers and fishermen had a sound base in agricultural lands and spent a part of their time in agricultural pursuits. Purely landless labourers were very few, and even they were engaged in various professions.  According to Rennel at least 30,000 people were constantly employed as boatmen on the Bengal Rivers by the middle of the 18th century.

Secondly, through out the centuries, the country had a big surplus in food and cloth, the two most important necessitates of life, which were produced in abundance and which formed the chief items of the country’s export trade. Almost each family in the rural areas produced sufficient rice, if not more, to meet its needs. Each family had also its vegetable gardens, and cattle and fowl stocks, or little family dairy farms, so to say, for rearing meat, milk and egg. This was in addition to the fruit trees, specially coconut and betel – nut trees that form an essential part of every homestead in the southern districts. Similarly fish was available in almost legendary abundance.

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[Source: History of The Muslims of Bengul Vol 1B page 959. Publisher: Imam Muhammad Bin Sa’ud University. First Edition 1406H/1985

The simple concept of monotheism and the principles of equality and brotherhood of man enunciated by Islam came as a revolutionary force to the caste – ridden and Brahman-dominated Hindu society. The very establishment of Muslim rule in the country divested the Brahman class of its privileged and domineering position in society. Muslims could not and did not have to distinguish between the ” high ” and “low” castes of the Hindus and in course of time placed all of them on an equal footing in respect of employment and education.  Non – Brahman Hindus acquired a respectable position in society through education, state employment and literary activities patronized by the Muslim rulers.

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[Source: History of The Muslims of Bengul Vol 1B page 805. Publisher: Imam Muhammad Bin Sa’ud University. First Edition 1406H/1985