The Great Famine of 1876–78, also known as the Madras famine of 1877, covered a major part of south India and took an estimated 5.5 million lives. Though the famine resulted from crop failure, the flawed policies during the British rule is said to have exacerbated the situation. "During this famine, the British continued to export record tons of food from India, tried to spend as little as possible (which was official policy) and perhaps most disturbingly, Lord Lytton, the Viceroy, held a grand banquet for 60,000 people, in honour of Queen Victoria's coronation", states a report by Sify. A report in The Hindu states that author Jayamohan in his novel Vellai Yanai said the famine killed half the Dalit population. The man-made disaster, he pointed out, was a direct consequence of British rule and Indian inhumanity. An Imgur user recently uploaded several pictures said to have been taken during the famine period. The photographs, of the men, women and children, are shocking and also to an extent unsettling. It is however unclear where and when exactly were the photographs taken, what is the original source and the photographer of the pictures. Great Madras Famine of 1876-78