Download or read book Famine, Philanthropy and the Colonial State written by Sanjay Sharma and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the lesser known aspects of the colonial state through the lens of the many famines and famine induced crimes which affected north India as it emerged from the 'chaotic' 18th century. It situates the 1837-8 famine in the political, ideological and economic processes of the colonial state which, paradoxically, continued to advocate laissez faire even as its humanitarian and pragmatic concerns (including fears of disorder) resulted in a series of interventionist policies.