Thread - Judging past leaders through the lens of the present might leave the world with no heroes at all. But it's hard to make progress without the acceptance of the full truth of their lives. I write about the legacy of Winston #Churchill in #India https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53405121

In the UK, he's adored by millions for his rousing speeches and actions during World War 2. As historian Rudrangshu Mukherjee tells me, there is a very different perception of #Churchill in #India.

Bengal famine is recorded to have been triggered by a cyclone and flooding,but many blame #Churchill & govt for making things worse.3 million died,6 times the Empire's casualties in WW2 raging at same time. War's losses frequently commemorated, not too many remember the famine.

Survivors recount people looking like skeletons,bodies lying in fields & near rivers,being eaten by dogs & vultures because no-one had the strength to perform last rites for so many people.Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee says he's still haunted by the memories. #India #Churchill

#Churchill and his govt were repeatedly told by British officers serving in #India, that they urgently needed food to be sent. Viceroy to India Wavell recorded that for months his pleas were ignored. Secy for State Leo Amery recorded the then PM's unsavoury comments about India.

. @OxfordYasmin says 'We can't blame him ( #Churchill) for creating the famine in any way.. he didn't alleviate it when he had the ability to do so, and we can blame him for prioritising white lives and European lives over South Asian lives' #India

Bengali artist Chittaprosad went from village to village documenting the disaster. Most copies of his book were seized or destroyed by the government. #India #Churchill

It was the brilliant @fergalkeane47's idea to look at the legacy of the Empire, in light of events around BLM movement. As he puts it 'Examining the imperial past demands humility & a willingness to face sometimes uncomfortable truths. Education is critical to this process'

Where I first read about #Churchill - an Enid Blyton book. As I grew older and had more conversations about India’s colonial past, I figured most people in my country had a starkly different view of him.

Enid Blyton was a childhood icon for me.Her works have been accused of being racist & sexist. Would I throw them out? No.The happy memories they evoke are not tainted for me. But I won't pass them on to children in my family.They deserve to read stories set in a more equal world.

The video version of our piece on how #India views #Churchill is now out. @NayarVarunm #sanjayganguly @AakritiThapar @KunalSehgal92 @NicolaCareem