Ancient Rights and Future Comfort

Focusing on agrarian policy, this analysis delves into the complexities of British rule in nineteenth-century India. It highlights how the rent law debate and the Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885 transformed governmental aims and colonial intervention, despite persistent misunderstandings and weak local control. The book emphasizes the roles of historical rights and economic progress in misrepresenting agrarian structures, revealing how the Tenancy Act exacerbated social disparities in rural Bihar and fostered new political interests tied to land ownership.