A great personality and freedom fighter once said, ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.’ Presently, it isn’t easy to understand.
After 34 years of rule by the Left Front Government in West Bengal (WB), industrial development suffered badly. One example I am citing out of many. “In the last three years (it means 2011,2012 & 2013), 90 large industries have closed down, including 26 jute mills and 28 tea gardens (Article by Sumit Mitra, The Economic Times, Aug 12, 2014).
Anyway, I visited WB for academic activities on a few occasions and came to know that, in general, the people are called ‘Bhadraloks,’ meaning thorough gentlemen. The ‘Bhadraloks’ with great hope, hype, and hoopla changed the Leftist Government, and thus, the new Government (present government) came to power. However, from time to time, many leaders of the present Government have proved that the State has been passing through awful days due to severe corruption. So many uncultured things have been happening in a so-called ‘Cultured State’ where once upon a time, many stalwarts were born. Anyway, I wondered why a heroic person, Maharaja Nandakumar, the first Indian whom the British Raj hanged through manipulation (an unsung hero), as his hanging site (hanging-well) in Kolkata is neglected, shabby, and encroached. But near his hanging site, an enormous statue of Warren Hastings can be found. Maharaja Nandakumar— a tax collector during the British Raj — was hanged on August 5, 1775. He was the first Indian to be hanged by the British. A few lines about Maharaja Nandakumar are presented here by referring to Wikipedia, org/wiki/Maharaja_Nandakumar, “Maharaja Nandakumar (also known as Nuncomar; 1705 – died 5 August 1775) was an Indian tax collector for various regions in what is modern-day West Bengal. Nanda Kumar was born at Bhadrapur, which is now in Birbhum. The East India Company appointed Nandakumar to be the Dewan (tax collector) for Burdwan, Nadia, and Hooghly in 1764, following the removal of Warren Hastings from the post. In 1773, when Hastings was reinstated as Governor-General of Bengal, Nandakumar brought accusations against him of accepting or giving bribes that were entertained by Philip Francis and the other members of the Supreme Council of Bengal. However, Hastings overruled the council’s charges. Thereafter, in 1775, he brought charges of document forgery against Nandakumar. The Maharaja was tried under Elijah Impey, India’s first Chief Justice, and a friend of Warren Hastings, and was found guilty and hanged in Kolkata/Calcutta on 5 August 1775.”
Notorious and corrupt Warren Hastings did all his mischief to hang Maharaja Nandakumar. It is pertinent to mention that the title “Maharaja” was conferred on Nandakumar by Shah Alam II in 1764. He was appointed Collector of Burdwan, Nadia, and Hugli by the East India Company in 1764, in place of Warren Hastings (source: Wikipedia).
I request that the intellectuals of the State of West Bengal, members of civil society, NGOs, and other rational people look into the issue: Maharaja Nandakumar’s hanging site should be developed. His statue should be placed there with his name and a description of his activities. If possible, the corrupted, criminal-minded statue of Warren Hastings should be removed from the vicinity.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

(The execution well of Nandakumar in the Hastings neighbourhood of Kolkata/Calcutta)