Siraj’r Noshto Sopno - Siraj’s lost dream
In the 1750s Calcutta was no more than Fort William and a few surrounding villages. Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula ruled Bengal under the Peacock Throne. The Nawab was never friendly with the English and in 1756 attacked and took over Calcutta. But he couldn’t hold it for long. In the historic Battle of Plassey the Nawab was defeated and the English seized control of Bengal. Soon after this Calcutta, the magnificent colonial city was born.
What Siraj lost, the British fashioned into a jewel of their empire. Of course now the empire is much shrunken and the jewel is chipped but this city the only home the owl knows. The owl flies through its winding streets and perches on its decaying mansions, peeking into the lives of those who dwell there. Here are a few observations.
