Diwani in Bengal 1765 - Career of Nawab Najm-ud-Daulah

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Born in 1938 in an affluent family in village Bagda, Dist-Purulia (W II), Prof. S.C. Mukhopadhyay had a brilliant academic record throughout, obtaining a firut-class MA. degree in History in 1961, followed by Ph.D., and I). Litt. degrees in 1971 and 1984 respectively. His research works are highly appreciated in Okhaloma University (U.S.A), calcutta University, Ranchi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Aligarh Muslim University, as well as the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi.

In most of his teaching career, Prof. Mukhopadhyay became a faculty member of History, Banaras Hindu University, where his research started and developed. So far, he has produced 14 Ph.D. scholars under his guidance, together with 40 Ph. D. dissertations of 18 Universities, which he had examined from other Universities of the Indian sub-continent.

He has also been awarded many laurels during the period like "Banga Ratna Sahitya Samman" from East Midnapore, "Biswa-Bengali Award' from Dhaka (Bangladesh), "Exclusive Award for Life Achievement" from the Government of India, "Mainstream Sahitya Samman" from Calcutta as well as "A teacher of distinction" from Calcutta. At the age of 85, he is still active in research work.

The grant of diwani in Bengal in 1765 to the English Company was a turning point in the history of our country. The young Nawab of Bengal, Najm-ud-Daulah, had to part with his authority to the Company, over which he had no control. Najm-ud-Daulah succeeded his father Mir Jafar Khan as the Nawab of Bengal in February 1765. A young man of 17 or 18 and of ordinary calibre as he was, he could not get over the difficulties with which he was beset when commissioned by the English to take charge of the problem-ridden government. Though Najm-ud-Daulah himself could do hardly anything of note, there was no dearth of important events occuring during his short period of administration.

The most important event that we notice during his time, was the final death of a long-languishing political and social order, giving scope to the rise of the English from traders to the diwani of Bengal. This marked the fateful augury of the ushering in of British political hegemony over the whole of this sub-continent for two centuries, till the birth of free India in which we live to day. The period, as it is commonly with any political interregnum, was dark, confused and chaotic. The so called *renaissance of Bengal was still a far cry. And yet this great turning point in the history of modern India, which may resemble the culmination of a tragic drama, is of much importance, not only in regard to the change in the national perspective but in its overtones and undertones, which carry lessons of far reaching import for us of the present generation.

Though there are a number of historical works on this period, hardly any attention has so far been paid by historians, either Indian or foreign-on the tragic life of Najm-ud-Daulah, which also formed a part of the period of gestation for the Company's rule over the country. The idea of writing a book on the life of Najm-ud-Daulah, consequent to the grant of diwani, came to me from Dr. K. K. Datta's book Shah Alam II and the East India Company, which in many ways was a pioneering historical work on the period. We find a sad parallelism between Najm-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II. While one was the dying out flicker as Nawab of Bengal, the other was the unfortunate and homeless Mughal Emperor. And both of them had been forced by the superior astuteness and armed might of the English Company to part with their authority, to grant the diwani of Bengal to them and both remained pension-holders under foreig-ners' patronage.

The book Diwani in Bengal covers up to the period of May 1766 due to the fact that though the Company obtained diwani in August 1765; but on the one hand, the first punyiah of the Company was celebrated at Murshidabad in April 1766 when its officials appeared for the first time as the representatives of the Mughal Emperor; and on the other, the young Nawab Najm-ud-Daulah breathed his last in May, 1766.

The book is divided into seven chapters. Chapter one deals with the political unrest in Bengrl after the departure of Clive in 1760 and the weak as well as timid rule of Mir Jafar Khan. The chapter includes discussion of how Najm-ud-Daulah was nurtured in a careless manner and as such was not given much attention either by his father or by the English. The second chapter deals with his accession to the masnad-a disgraced inheritance for him. It was the pleasure and sufferance of the Company that enabled him to occupy the masnad of his father. The third chapter deals with the powerlessness of the Nawab, as the English Company began to appoint officials under' him much against his will. The Nawab considered them his enemies but was powerless against them since they were, the promoters of the Company's interests in Bengal. Thus Nand Kumar was removed and Reza Khan as well as Rai-Durlabh were placed to fill the vacuum. The fourth chapter deals with the return of Clive for the second time in May 1765, to pull the Company's chestnuts out of the fire; how he made some administrative changes and formed a Council of Regency to run the administration of the subah, which substantially slashed the already dwindled power of the Nawab. The fifth chapter deals with the grant of diwani to the English Company by the Emperor, Shah Alam II. The treaties between the Emperor and the Company, between Shuja-ud-Daulah and the Company, as well as between the English on behalf of Najm-ud-Daulah, and the Emperor have been brought under close inspection. Thus Najm-ud-Daulah was reduced to the position of the Nazim and the real power, i.e., the diwani passed to the hands of the Company. The sixth chapter deals with the activities of the English officials, caring very little for the established rules of the subah or the Nazim. Hence, they practically became the de facto ruler of Bengal. Aggressive pursuit of self-interest of the English rose to its highest peak during this period. The seventh chapter deals with the economic drain of Bengal by the English. The poor Nawab-Nazim had to part with huge wealth to satisfy the greed of the Company's officials. This brought about the total economic ruin of Bengal. The system of dyarchy gave un-told suffering to the people who could not find any solution of their endless misery. Thus Bengal witnessed, in the years to come, a greater calamity in the form of the Great Famine of 1770-71.

In preparing this work, I have carefully gone through the original unpublished records preserved in the National Archives, New Delhi. I have consulted materials from English, Bengali and translated Persian sources. I have also studied in the National Library, Calcutta and the Central Library of Banaras Hindu University for a long period of time. I express a deep sense of gratitude to the members of the staff of National archives, New Delhi; National Library, Calcutta and Banaras Hindu University, who rendered great and valuable help to me.

I am also indebted to many persons. I express my deep sense of reverence to my father, Sri Bhola Nath Mukherjee, who is my unfailing and most powerful source of inspiration in all academic pursuits.