Social Vagrancy and Drinking Problems of Sailors in Calcutta: How the British rule exacerbated social problems in society

Abstract

The East India Company faced several difficulties sustaining its rule and authority in India. However, among such problems, there was a peculiar issue surrounding the immigrant sailors or the fortune hunters, who mainly came from Britain, Australia, and France. The abolishing of the Emigration Law in 1833 paved the way for such emigration to those sailors who sailed to India, particularly to the ports of Calcutta. Many of them came here with the expectation of getting a job, doing some business, or with an aim for financial gain. However, such sailors created several difficulties for the Colonial rulers. Many times, such sailors failed to get any boarding facilities. Consequently, because of the unavailability of jobs and failure to do business or to secure other methods to earn money, such sailors tend to involve themselves in criminal activities and use unfair means for their financial gain. Those sailors or fortune hunters created numerous societal issues; they often indulged in drinking, criminal activities, looting, etc. Therefore, the colonial government implemented several methods and rules to restrict the growing misbalance in society. Although the nature of such amalgamation of emigrant sailors, the rising violence, unemployment issue, and administrative difficulties faced by the Colonial government impacted Calcutta heavily. This paper seeks to explore the situation and analyses the impact, actions taken by the colonial government to restrict such issues, and the subsequent breaking down of the notion of white people as a “Civilized Race.”

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