Question

When was Bengal partitioned?Name the Viceroy responsible for it.

Answer 1

Hint: It was seen as a British desire to weaken Bengal, the nerve centre of Indian nationalism.This sought to achieve by putting Bengal under two administrations.The viceroy is known for appointment of police commission and also appointment of Universities commission.

Complete answer:
Bengal was partitioned on October 16,1905.Lord Curzon was the viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905.
The British government's decision to partition Bengal had been made public in December 1903.The idea was to have two provinces and the official reason given for the decision was that Bengal had become too big to be administered.This was true to an some extent,but the real motive behind partition was to weaken the nerve centre of nationalism.
It was divided on the basis of language and on the basis of religion.This was also the beginning of the Swadeshi movement.People burnt English clothes and other goods and propagated and used swadeshi goods.The participation of common people especially industrial workers,traders,professionals,women and students made this movement an effective and influential one.
October 16,1905 was observed as a day of mourning throughout Bengal.To unite Bengalis and instill a sense of pride,Tagore wrote a famous poem-‘Amar sonar Bangla’ the national anthem of present day Bangladesh.There was widespread political unrest in the provinces after Curzon announced partition.The partition did succeed in creating a communal drift in the country and even contributed to the birth of Muslim league in 1906.

Note: Owing to mass political protests, the partition was annulled in 1911. New provinces were created based on linguistic lines rather than religious lines. Bihar and Orissa Province were carved out of Bengal. (Bihar and Orissa became separate provinces in 1936).