The Deccan Riots occurred in 1875, when peasants residing in Pune, Maharashtra, and Ahmednagar became discontent with agrarian pressures presented in the form of increased debt owed. The intention of the riot was to decimate bonds and records of who owed the government money. After years of the British government suppressing Indians’ call for reform,  augmented taxation, fluctuating weather and price points for crops, merciless moneylenders, and overall harsh conditions, tension culminated in the Deccan Riots, which involved violent outbreaks against moneylenders sent by the British government. These moneylenders overestimated Indian farmers’ capabilities and were thus overly demanding.

While Sen’s autobiography largely takes place in urban settings such as Calcutta, where begging was a popular way for the impoverished to acquire money, Sen does reveal insight into agrarian life in her sections about “Wandering in East Bengal.” Sen recounts a moment when she stole food and Charu defends her: “Why do you call her a thief?” The mistress said, “ She steals the skim from the milk in the afternoon. If it isn’t her, then who takes it?” (Sen 114). This suggest that even in a household that was able to accommodate Sen, there was a dearth of food and that poverty in agrarian areas led to the normalization of theft. Sen further suggests that the agrarian lifestyle is difficult when she remarks that the father “supports [his son] with the sweat of his brow and [the son] begrudge[s] him…[a] small luxury” of milk (Sen114). This points to the harsh lifestyle in rural settings, which is better understood in the context of the Deccan Riots and its causes. Moreover, in light of the Deccan Riots, Sen's description of how "Mr. Rainy was to return the land he had forced the peasants to sell and could rent land only if he paid the customary rate" can be better contextualized  (Sen 5). Perhaps Mr. Rainy represents one of the British moneylenders who oppressed Indian peasants. 

"Agrarian Unrest: The Deccan Riots of 1875." UCLA Social Sciences MANAS, 27 February 2021, http://southasia.ucla.edu/history-politics/british-india/agrarian-unrest...