Make Bengal Great Again: Murshidabad’s Fall, Firefly Despair, And The Battle For 27 Lakh Votes

The Bhagirathi, flowing hesitatingly between the banks of Azimganj and Jiaganj in Murshidabad, pale and placid at this time of the year with a few fireflies twinkling on its banks, would be witness to the slow decay of a once glittering city. Folklore has it that Murshidabad with its precious stones and fine silk had five per cent of the world trade in the 18th century and was more alluring than London. Jagat Seth, an enterprising and shrewd financier, first to the nawabs of the region and later switching sides to the British, is said to have been the richest…