Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib

674 Pages·2011·3.465 MB·English

by  Nitish Sengupta

NITISH SENGUPTA
Land of Two Rivers
A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib
PENGUIN BOOKS

Contents
About the Author
Dedication
Preface
Maps
ANCIENT BENGAL
1. Bengal or Bangla: Land of Two Rivers
2. Prehistoric and Ancient Bengal
3. First Gaur Kingdom under Sasanka
4. The Imperial Palas
5. The Sen Dynasty
EARLY MEDIEVAL BENGAL
6. Turkish Invasion: The Kingdom of Gaur under Early Turkish Rulers
7. Ilyas Shahi Dynasty
8. The Short-lived Dynasty of Raja Ganesh and Other Rulers
9. Islam Spreads in Bengal
EMERGENCE OF BENGAL IN HISTORY
10. The Golden Age of Hussain Shah
11. Origin and Growth of Bengali
12. Shri Chaitanya and Bengali Vaishnavism
LATE MEDIEVAL PERIOD
13. The Pathans and Mughals Fight over Bengal
14. Bengal Becomes a Province of the Mughal Empire
15. Appearance of Europeans
16. Era of Independent Nawabs of Bengal
17. The Battle of Plassey
18. End of Independent Nawabs of Bengal
19. Era of Warren Hastings
MODERN BENGAL
20. Agrarian, Industrial and Economic Changes
21. Anti-Government Popular Disturbances
22. Bengal Renaissance
23. Hindu Religious Reform Movements
24. Beginnings of Political Awareness: Towards a Nation in the Making
25. Growth of Muslim Separatism
26. First Partition of Bengal
27. Armed Revolutionary Movement or Agni Yug: First Phase
28. Over a Decade of Hindu–Muslim Camaraderie
29. Agni Yug, Second Phase
30. Unmaking of a Nation
31. Parting of Ways
32. Rise and Fall of Netaji Subhas Bose
33. The Last Hour of United Bengal
34. Second Partition of Bengal
EAST BENGAL UNDER PAKISTAN
35. The Decimation of the Muslim League
36. The Power Struggle between East Bengal and West Pakistan
37. Crystallization of the Bangladesh Concept
38. Pakistan’s Second Martial Law
39. Bangladesh’s War of Independence
WEST BENGAL
40. The West Bengal Story
Epilogue
Illustrations
Annexure A: Excerpt of J.N. Mandal’s Resignation Letter
Annexure B: The Awami League’s Six-point Programme, 1966
Annexure C: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib’s 7 March 1971 Address
Annexure D: Instrument of Surrender
Select Bibliography
Endnotes
Copyright Page
PENGUIN BOOKS
LAND OF TWO RIVERS
Academician, administrator, politician and author, Nitish Sengupta studied
at Presidency College, Kolkata, winning a gold medal for his master’s in
history. He began his career as assistant professor of history and joined the
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1957. He held key posts in the
Union government including revenue secretary and member-secretary,
Planning Commission. After completing his doctorate in management from
Delhi University, he lectured at several universities and leading
management schools in the country. After his retirement, he was director-
general of the International Management Institute, New Delhi.
Nitish Sengupta has represented India at various UN bodies and was elected
chairman of the UN Commission on Transnational Corporations. He joined
politics in 1996 and was elected to the Thirteenth Lok Sabha, where he
served as member of several key committees, notably the Public Accounts
Committee. He was also general secretary, All India Trinamool Congress.
Currently, he holds the position of chairman, Board for Reconstruction of
Public Sector Enterprises, New Delhi.
He has been a regular columnist in leading dailies and is the author of
twelve books, including several related to management. As a historian, his
well-known works are History of the Bengali-speaking People, Dr B.C.
Roy, Biography and Bengal Divided. He has also authored Unshackling of
Indian Industry, Government and Business, Inside the Steel Frame and My
Times—A Civil Servant Remembers.
Dedicated to the fond memory
of Sunanda,
my life partner who is no more