Lesson from Battle of Plassey
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive which was possible due to the defection of Mir Jafar Ali Khan, who was Siraj-ud-Daulah's commander in chief. The battle helped the Company seize control of Bengal. Over the next hundred years, they seized control of most of the entire Indian subcontinent and Myanmar - and Afghanistan.How many Hindustanis know there existed four European “companies” in the 17th century in Hindustan? They were the British East India Company, French East India Company, Dutch East India Company and the Danish East India Company.
All had their kuthis or offices in Murshidabad, then capital of Bengal. They fought among themselves to gain the lion’s share of trade in Bengal, with the East India Company finally emerging victorious after the Battle of Plassey.
Super-rich Ghaseti, eldest daughter of Alivardi Khan and Begum of Nawazish Muhammad Shahmat Jang, the Naib Nizam of Dhaka, knew the East India Company was conspiring with Mir Jafar to kill Shiraj.
Hence, Ghasseti joined them.
Childless, she spent her riches to buy traitors against Shiraj as she herself wanted to become the ruler of Bengal after her father’s death, or install someone else in place of Shiraj as Nawab of Bengal in case she failed in the first instance.
And to conspire against her own chosen man, in the second instance, to grab the seat of power.
As conspiracies were being hatched in Motijheel, midnight plots were also being woven at the home of Mir Jafar. Part of the plot was against none other than Ghaseti.
Did she know it? Possibly not!
What a strange coincidence, that to enter Mir Zafar’s palace you have to cross Namak Haram Deuri: the gate of betrayal. This gate poses the world’s greatest riddle of history. This gate changed the very history of India.
A Strange ‘Battle’
Mango Grove of Plassey, Murshidabad, 23 June 1757.
Abdul Razzak, ancestor of Ismail, died around 8 AM when the war began. He was in the Nawab’s fauj (army) that had started firing artillery targeting the British.
Lasting about eight hours, it was not a conventional war as the outcome was virtually written on the wall, thanks to treachery. Could the Nawab’s fauj comprising 50,000 men and 53 cannon be defeated by the Company’s 3,000 soldiers?
Utterly impossible! That is why Robert Clive himself had observed: “Even if the local people had brick-batted or attacked the Company’s force with sticks and swords, they would have been defeated.”
While trusted men like Mir Madan, Mohan Lal, Khwaja Abdul Haadi and Nabsingh Hajari fought like lions, the pack of dhokhebaaz Mir Zafar, Yar Luft Khan and Raidurlabh stood still, asking their men not to fight.
Around 5 PM the battle ended with the defeat of Nawab, as described by Company officer John Wood. Only 10 Europeans and 20 Indian sepoys were killed on the Company’s side, and around 450 were killed on the Nawab’s side.
“Mian! Kya Kampani ke 3,000 sipahi Nawab ke 50,000 sipahi ko hara sakte hain?”
Suddenly I awoke to Ismail’s question. He was right. It was not possible without treachery.
Lesson: No management should let an incident of misconduct or treason pass. Unethical conduct by any person warrants eviction. A routine step like job rotation or transfer doesn't help. An immediate disciplinary action, on the other hand, sets a precedent for others. No organization should tolerate any behavior not aligned with its policies.
What Happened to the Traitors?
Would you believe that all the traitors died most tragically?
Mir Jafar died of leprosy while his son Mir Miran who ordered Shiraj’s murder died of a lightning strike.
Jagat Seth was put in a sack and thrown into a river in Munger, Bihar by Mir Qasim who became nawab after Mir Jafar. Also part of the conspiracy, Mir Qasim died a pauper in Delhi.
Omichand was deceived by Clive and did not get the 5% treasure promised him. That went to Mir Jafar instead. He lived for 10 years after the battle and died a madman. The Company had confiscated all his properties and he died penniless.
Robert Clive committed suicide in London in 1774.
Ghaseti was drowned in the Dhaleshwari river on the orders of Mir Miran.
“Mian! Yeh Murshidabad ka dusra naam hai dhokha…” (The other name of Murshidabad is betrayal…) So said Ismail as I was stepping out of his house to go to Khushbagh to meet Noor.
“And what happened to Amina?” I posed this question to Noor Hussein, not Ismail.
He said Amina’s husband drowned her in a river for betraying him. She had again fallen in love with another man.
lesson-everyone has to pay in his own penny. every traitor is waiting for his bitter punishment by almighty Allah.
source-http://specials.rediff.com/
www.wikipedia.com
https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/7/18275/In-Search-of-Cursed-Ghaseti
pic- from dawn
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