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Plassey
The battle that changed the course of Indian History
Speakers
The Battle of Plassey, fought on 23 June 1757, changed the course of Indian history forever. When the short, sharp hostilities between the forces of the nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daulah, and East India Company troops led by Robert Clive, an ambitious soldier of fortune, ended, Britain was on its way to becoming the dominant force in the region.
The eighteenth century was a time of great political churn in the subcontinent. After the death of Emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughal empire began to slowly fracture. In the east, the nawabs of Bengal, who ruled in the name of the Mughals, took the opportunity to break free. By the middle of the century, Siraj-ud-daulah succeeded his grandfather, Alivardi Khan, to the throne of Bengal. The young nawab clashed frequently with the Company as it looked to aggressively expand and safeguard its interests. Their skirmishes led inexorably to Plassey, a decisive battle in a mango orchard by the banks of the Bhagirathi-Hugli.
But what was Plassey all about, besides a young nawab who stood in the way of a company’s business plans and a country’s dreams of conquest? Was it really a battle or was it won before it began? What were the politics of the time that permitted Plassey? Why did the British so desperately want Bengal? Who were the faces beyond a callow Siraj and a crafty Clive, the two main combatants? What are the stories behind the spurned general, the ambitious and hateful aunt, the rude and covetous cousin, the insulted banker, the grasping merchant? And how was—is—Plassey seen? By the victors and the vanquished? The colonizer and the colonized?
Why does Plassey remain such a fascinating story even today?
Using multilingual sources and a multidisciplinary approach, Sudeep Chakravarti answers all these questions and myriad others with great insight and nuance. Impeccably researched and brilliantly told, Plassey is the best account yet of one of the turning points in Indian history.
Speakers
Sudeep Chakravarti
Sudeep Chakravarti is an award-winning author of several critically acclaimed and bestselling works of narrative non-fiction. His latest book is Plassey: The Battle that Changed the Course of Indian History. His other notable non-fiction works include The Bengalis: A Portrait of Community (shortlisted for The Hindu Prize, and Tata Literature Live! Award), Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country (shortlisted for the Crossword award), Highway 39: Travels Through a Fractured Land, set in Nagaland and Manipur, and Clear.Hold.Build (winner of the Prize for Excellence at Asian Publishing Awards). He has written three critically acclaimed novels (Tin Fish, The Avenue of Kings, and The Baptism of Tony Calangute) and short stories and works of non-fiction for several collections, and numerous essays. His work has been translated into various languages including Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Spanish, Portuguese and German.
An extensively published columnist, he has over three decades of experience in media, and has worked with major global and Indian media organizations including the Asian Wall Street Journal, where he began his career, and subsequently held leadership positions at Sunday, India Today, the India Today Group, where he was Executive Editor and Editor – Content Services, and HT Media, where he was Consultant Editor. Sudeep is also among India’s leading independent analysts and columnists on matters of internal security, conflict and conflict resolution, and the convergence of business and human rights; besides being a consultant to media and think-tanks. He has written several hundred articles and essays for several major Indian and global publications.
An avid scuba diver, he is co-founder of Goa-based Coastal Impact, an organization of divers and scientists which conducts research for institutions such as the National Institute of Oceanography and The Habitats Trust, and evangelizes marine conservation to school and university students.
Sudeep read history at St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. He lives in Goa.
Anirudh Kanisetti
Anirudh Kanisetti is a researcher and writer. His work straddles policy, geopolitics and history. He hosts Echoes of India and Yuddha, podcasts about Indian history, and is the author of an upcoming book on the medieval Deccan.
