The Bengal famine of 1943 which killed up to 3 million people was one of the most devastating events in recent Indian history. At the time the British ruled over India, and for years following the famine and our Independence, the British resolutely claimed that the famine, itself, was a result of natural conditions and the failings of Indians themselves (sound familiar?). Winston Churchill, in fact, is reported to have categorically blamed Indians for the famine stating that Indians were “breeding like rabbits” leading to a lack of food and commenting how, if the famine was so terrible, could Mahatma Gandhi still be alive. Of course, the story suffered by the ruled often bears little resemblance to the narrative of the rulers. The famine too was no different. There was widespread agreement in India by all local accounts that the famine was not due to natural causes but instead due to poor policy decisions by an unsympathetic ruler, at the time – the British government. Years later through more recent studies that had scientific backing, this narrative has been dispelled and it is now widely accepted that the Bengal famine of 1943 in fact was a man-made disaster with the Churchill-era British policies, a significant contributor to the catastrophe.