The History of Bengal (1757-1905)

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Foreword This History of Bengal covers the period from the battle of Plassey to the First Partition. It is a companion volume to the History of Bengal in two volumes, published by the University of Dacca, in 1943 and in 1948, on Hindu and Muslim periods. There has been a long interval between the inception of this work and its passing through the press. The editor has explained the reasons for this delay. It is not necessary to recapitulate the difficulties he faced. Some of them are perhaps inherent in projects of this kind. Funds were made available for this publication by the University Grants Commission, Government of West Bengal and the University of Calcutta. It is a great pity that Dr. R. C. Mitra, whose valuable contribution on education in Bengal has enriched this publication, did not live to see it in print. On behalf of the University of Calcutta and of the History of Bengal Publication Committee I thank all those learned scholars whose contributions have made this publication possible.

Preface This History of Bengal scheme was formulated by the history department of the University of Calcutta in 1961. It was approved by the University, the University Grants Commission and the Government of West Bengal. The grant was considered to be adequate. Work was begun in earnest. Planning, allotment of chapters and other details were settled very quickly. Then for more than three years there was no progress. Office expense proved to be a great burden. As editor I faced the gloomy prospect of being completely discredited. Then we appealed to our colleague Sri Nisith Ranjan Ray to become honorary secretary of the publication committee and save the situation. He agreed with some hesitation. But so much money was already spent that we could no longer maintain an office establishment. Though some of the contributors were very prompt there were others who informed the editor after three or four years that they could not find time. No one is perhaps indispensable. But it is always difficult to replace writers under such schemes at short notice. After repeated disappointments we have been able to complete the original project with only one important gap in coverage; there is no separate chapter on Law and Justice.

Apart from planning, allotment of chapters and reallotment in some cases the editorial touch has been very light. The contributors are responsible for their chapter content and their view point. Though there are some contradictory views in some chapters it was not considered a part of editorial responsibility to reconcile these views. But it is a joint work of us all, not a patchwork or a disjointed series of writings. We were placed in such an awkward position by useless spending for three years that we could not secure the services of an expert proof-reader. The secretary and the editor took upon themselves the responsibility of proof-reading. It was also a race against time in the last stages because the deadline was 31st December, 1967.

This hurry in the last two or three months is responsible for some of the shortcomings of this production. The chapter on agrarian history was sent by the contributor in August 1966. He was then in England. He is still there. We could not send him the proofs and we could not wait for the concluding portion of his paper.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages