Many rulers had come and gone, but a few made an indelible niche in Indian history. Siraj-ud-Daulah was among them though he ruled hardly a little over a year. He was the first and last independent Nawab of the Bengal Subah (province) under the reign of Mughal emperors.
Unlike his predecessor Nawabs, he dared to defy the farman of the Mughal emperors, not just once, but twice, before declaring himself as an independent Nawab. Also, he was the first ruler to take upon the East India Company and even seized their factory in Cossimbazar and their establishment at Fort William, in Calcutta, when his suzerainty was questioned by them. He was the victim of conspiracy from his own family, betrayal from his Amy chief, the nobles of his court and above all, the British East India Company.
He effectively dealt with his internal enemies, especially his aunt Ghasetti Begam whom he placed under house arrest after confiscating all her property. The second was his cousin, Shoukat Jung, who obtained, through the back door, a farman from the Mughal emperor, declaring him the Nawab of Bengal province by defeating and killing him in a battle.
It was the quirk of the fate that Siraj should face defeat in the Battle of Plassey with the East India Company. The irony was that, though Siraj had a vast army of about 50000 strong and was backed by the French artillery, he faced defeat at the hands of Robert Clive of EIL, who had just 3000 men strong army. This was made possible by the handiwork of Siraj's army Chief, Mir Jafar, who entering into a conspiracy with the British, betrayed the Nawab by offering no resistance of the three-fourths of the military at his Command. He was being collaborated by his co-traitor commanders, Mir Latif and Rajbhallab. But for this, Siraj could have vanquished the British and even driven them from Bengal and India.
It is rightly said that "Siraj stood like a huge rock against the EIC, over whose tomb the Company Raj was established."
About the Author: Born on 8th February 1948, the author obtained his MBBS degree in 1970 and MD, in 1980, from Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam.
He has a flair for writing and wrote a few short stories and a novelette in Telugu. He has, to his credit, about two dozen scientific publications in various international journals. This is his maiden novelette in English.
The heroic character of Siraj-ud-Daulah sketched with the historical perspective, is hoped would make an interesting read.
