In 1828, an intense El Niño event triggered severe droughts across South Asia, leading to significant crop failures and economic strain under colonial rule. The resulting food shortages exacerbated the hardships faced by local populations, highlighting the vulnerability of agrarian societies to climatic fluctuations. This event underscored the interconnectedness of climate, agriculture, and colonial economics in the region.

The 1828 El Niño triggering droughts in South Asia fueled Indian poetic and folk traditions lamenting famine, contributing to anti-colonial literary voices in the 19th century. Poets like Rabindranath Tagore and Faiz Ahmed Faiz expressed the struggles of their people, intertwining personal and political themes in their works.