Implanting the Games Ethic in Bengal: The Colonial Context

Abstract

The present article is mainly concerned with Bengal, the first province to witness the rise of British Empire in India. The Bengalis were looked upon by the British as deficient in masculinity, yet ironically a large proportion of the Westernised bureaucrats through whom India was ruled were Bengali Clerks or Babus. They formed the prime example of effeminacy.2 It is very important to examine how this games ethic got injected into the veins of these ‘effeminate’ Babus. How much spontaneous or induced it was? What were the factors that played important role in the spread of games in Bengal? The study tries to highlight the various ways through which sporting culture circulated among the Bengalis. Instead of offering a monocausal explanation, it is important to underline the aspect of multiple causalities. In this article, weightage has been given to the efforts of Anglo-Indian schools and various colleges, such as Presidency College, Scottish Church, St. Paul’s College and St. Xavier’s College, in spreading the sports culture. After looking into various sources and college magazines, it can be concluded that much emphasis was given to the Western sports.