Praise for The Bengalis
A fascinating, charming book that will give you insight into why we are the way we are, an enigmatic people.Pritish Nandy
Replete with both serious, well-researched information and interspersed with wry, tongue-in-cheek commentary, Bengalis and not-Bengalis alike should congratulate the author for undertaking such a monumental task of defining an entire community. The Statesman
Written with verve, energy, and polish, and drawing on considerable resources, both anecdotal and archival, Chakravartis book takes its place beside other contemporary attempts at collective portraiture, such as Jeremy Paxmans The English and John Hoopers The Italians . The Hindu
The Bengalis is by far the best non-fiction book from India I have read this year! Hindustan Times
The Bengalis is an important work, melding scholarship and reportage-fed analysis with stylethe book will be read, defended and torn apart for years to come. For non-Bengalis, well, theres no better way of finding out what the others are all about. OPEN
Chakravarti has written an excellent tome on the Bengalisa unique genre: one that is both historically serious and culturally situated while being incredibly observant of our mores, language and myriad idiosyncrasies and being outrageously funny to boot. Indian Express
I was deeply disappointed with this book. I was hoping to point out all the things the author had missed but he seems to have covered everything Chakravarti passes a difficult test with flying colours. Swarajya
[A] compact and brilliant workdazzling virtuosity The clipped descriptions of Noakhali and Naxalbari are worthy of Hemingway. The Tribune
The Bengalis is an astonishingly good book, written by an author at the height of his powers. The Pioneer
Chakravarti has written a charming and serious book, which is fun to read[His] wicked sense of humour makes this book a great read. Business Standard
Wit and elegance are perfectly matched along with research to make this offering a real page-turner. IANS
Chakravarti somewhat dons the hat of a later Wittgenstein[he] dwells deep into various facets of what has gone to make up the Bengali identity over the recent centuries, not just through a nostalgic lens, but has been equally critical of Bengal society. Deccan Chronicle
[A] remarkable feat. Scroll.in
Its hard to enumerate all the salient features that mark a Bengalilove for Tagore, PhDs, football, nicknames, argument, and addas dont even start to cover it. [Chakravarti] makes a valiant stab at it in The Bengalis , his lively account of their history, politics, ethnic identity, warts and all. Times of India
[A] definitive book on the Bengali community. It is no easy feat to put together an entire community within a books pages but [Sudeep] does it with a lot of finesse New Asian Writing
Extensively researched, deeply felt and engagingly narrated, The Bengalis is a compelling read The book will strike a chord with every Bengali. And perhaps some not-Bengalis too. The Asian Age
Whether you are Bengali or not-Bengali, go ahead and read the book, if not for anything but for the sheer beauty of being allowed to understand (no, you dont have to necessarily empathise; Chakravarti himself doesnt seek it), indeed comprehend, a community that lives under a vast sky.kitaab.org
Chakravarti, whose ambition is daring, provides a roving writers haptic sense of place and timeembraces the encyclopaedic mode, sauntering effortlessly between the past and present of his subject Hence, his Bengal, rendered in prose that is often biting, is all-encompassing: two Bengals and the broader Bengali presence I would especially recommend Chakravarti. Biblio
Books by Sudeep Chakravarti
NON-FICTION
The Bengalis: A Portrait of a Community (2017)
Clear. Hold. Build: Hard Lessons of Business and Human Rights in India (2014)
Highway 39: Journeys Through a Fractured Land (2012)
Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country (2008)
FICTION
The Baptism of Tony Calangute (2018)
The Avenue of Kings (2010)
Tin Fish (2005)
ALEPH BOOK COMPANY
An independent publishing firm
promoted by Rupa Publications India
First published in India in 2020
by Aleph Book Company
7/16 Ansari Road, Daryaganj
New Delhi 110 002
Copyright Sudeep Chakravarti 2020
All rights reserved.
The author has asserted his moral rights.
The views and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and the facts are as reported by him, which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.
The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from Aleph Book Company.
ISBN: 978-81-943657-2-3
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.
domina in caelis
CONTENTS
CAST OF KEY CHARACTERS
IN SIRAJS CAMP
Siraj-ud-daulah: Nawab of Bengal (April 1756June 1757); Subahdar of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.
Alivardi Khan: Nawab of Bengal (17401756); Subahdar of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Sirajs maternal grandfather. Designated Siraj his heir. Alivardis death triggered a chain of events culminating in Plassey.
Sharf-un-Nisa: Alivardis wife, Sirajs grandmother.
Amina Begum: Alivardis daughter, Sirajs mother.
Mir Madan: A commander in Sirajs army, and a loyalist. Played a pivotal role at Plassey. His death changed the complexion and, possibly, outcome of the battle.
Mohanlal: Sirajs confidante, diwan, and a commander at Plassey.
Lutf-un-Nisa: Sirajs principal wife.
Mirza Mahdi: Sirajs younger brother. Later given the title of Ikram-ud-daulah.
Jean Law: Chief of the French Companys trading post at Qasimbazar. Wattss rival. Conduit for Sirajs outreach to the French government in Pondicherry.
Renault de St Germain: Governor of the French settlement of Chandannagar (sometimes spelt Chandernagore), north of Calcutta along the Hugli River.
Jacques Ignace Courtin: French factory chief in Dhaka.
IN THE COMPANYS CAMP
Robert Clive: Lieutenant Colonel in the East India Companys army that defeated Siraj-ud-daulahs forces at Plassey. Later Lord Clive, Baron Plassey. Negotiated from the Mughal emperor the formal grant of the diwani, or revenue administration of Bengal, for the Company. Plassey co-conspirator.
