Read Book Online : http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924021023217#page/n9/mode/2up

Download pdf Book : http://ia311020.us.archive.org/2/items/cu31924021023217/cu31924021023217.pdf

Warren Hastings was born at Churchill, Oxfordshire in 1732 to a poor father and a mother who died soon after he was born.[1]. He attended Westminster School before joining the British East India Company in 1750 as a clerk. In 1757 he was made the British Resident (administrator in charge) of Murshidabad. - Wiki

and to history as well in general--perhaps the only Brit in India to be impeached--for some unexplainable reason there was a road named after him in ALLAHABAD when I studied there in !55

Ameeta - yes, Calcutta abounds with Hastings stories. There is a spiral staircase in my old school, down which every girl falls at least once in her school life. We say that it is Warren Hastings' ghost who pushes them. :)

Reminded of Echos from Old Calcutta, by HM Busteed...an excellent book

Poor Warren...methinks he wasn't expecting the fight that the begums at Lucknow put up!! Michael & I have a previously unpublished poem written by him, in our book...can't wait 'til it's published. I think that you will all love the irony in the poem. :))

Hello, It is nonsense to say "Warren Hastings who fathered the seed of hindu-muslim disunity" in Bengal, or indeed anywhere else. Muslim Hindu disunity had existed ever since the Muslim's in India had been able to oust their first Hindu rulers, and to take power in their own right, and that was several centuries before Hastings arrived in India. Indeed, if it had not been for Hindu Muslim disunity, it is very unlikely that the EIC could have ever won out in Bengal. It was the oppression and warfare associated with the Hindu Muslim disunity that had brought Bengal down to a state where tiny European led forces could see off much large local armies with ease. Nick Balmer

Nice to see you back....Nick. : )

...And I have no power to allow or disallow people to write on this Wall. It is left to each person to present his opinion in the most gallant and restrained manner to earn the implicit respect of the other members ! The karmic wheel in action....

Well said RBSI. One thing I learned in the psst few days is that it is a better idea to be brief, then edit for rough edges and then press the button comment. Long and winded sentences tend to obfuscate thoughts and engender misunderstanding.

Rightly said Shekhar--but not when you state that a particular community is responsible for Hindu-Muslim hatred--and why conversion takes place--accept your own dubious role too

Yes, It takes two hands to clap.

(Flying visit) - I felt obliged to point out that Warren Hastings was never, in fact, impeached - in contradiction to one or two comments above - After 7 years he was acquited on all charges - most of which had been dreamt up and prosecuted by his political enemies in Britain ( read Burke & Francis) and had very little to do with his, generally, formulaic conduct in India...( one or two debt issues aside - how many of you have credit cards ?)

its like Bill Clinton--once printed in History books--no body follows up the grand "finale'

...Hastings, after spending 30 years attempting to resolve cooruption in the government of India, was destroyed by corruption in the British Parliament...

I can't help but feel that the British gov't at the time was looking for a scapegoat, and of course found one in Hastings....a not uncommon occurrence, even now. The more things change...?

...I agree with you Lynne, Hastings was certainly used and abused by the Establishment for its own purposes - it was a complex trial - he was held account for not only for his own (alleged) transgressions but for those of the E.I.C. itself (unaccountable management structure, the 'jobs for the boys' mentaility, general corruption and irregularity) - much like these rapacious 'bankers' that we hear of today and who are blamed for all manner of ills within society, both real and imagined... It was the resolve that Hastings demonstrated in clearing his own name that eventually won the day for him... Whatever your own opinion of the man, positive or negative, it is hard to deny that he was a great and influential figure who was treated very badly by his peers and has been badly misrepresented by history... I recently visited the churchyard in Gloucestershire where Hastings is buried - there is a very small square tombstone upon which stands an urn marked simply 'Hastings'... it is a tranquil and charmingly rural spot but it is hard to believe that this is all that is left to commemoratre his extraordinary life...

I wonder at which level the "Muslim Hindu disunity" that is being discussed above operated. I guess it must be at the level of only warlords, kings and nababs et al. For the general populace - the farmers and artisans - I guess, it mattered little who stole the fruits of their toil - a Hindu or a Muslim. For a smaller section of the professional warriors and priests (the "upper" castes), it was not difficult to change loyalties and reconcile with the rulers whoever they happened to be from time to time. Indeed, I suspect, there have been more intrigues, coups, muderous power struggles and even open rebellions within royal families than wars with rulers of different religions. In essence, it was the disunity - not necessarily the Hindu-Muslim disunity - that facilitated the political takeover of India by the Europeans.

Well said Deepak...you have with great clarity, extricated history from politics....meaning - fact from fiction.

Let us not be too critical of Warren Hastings since, along with Lord Curzon, he ranks among the most enlightened Viceroys and Governor Generals India had during the colonial period. However, the two were very different persons - Curzon was an imperialist while Hastings had distinct intellectual leanings. Hastings contributions to India cannot be underestimated: flowering plants like dahlia, zinnia, pansy,verbena, cosmos etc that are planted all over India today were all brought in by him from England; he helped in the establishment of the Calcutta Botanical Gardens that are famous throughout the world; he established the Sanskrit College and the Arabic College in Calcutta, introduced many important changes in the administration of the territories controlled by the East India Company. He could be a bit tricky too as, in the infamous duel between him and Francis, he had apparently sneaked into the site quietly and inspected the grounds the night before (revealed by the footprints he left as it had rained that evening). He won the duel by leaving Francis injured. The entire plot of impeachment that he had to go through on his return to England was hatched by Philip Francis and his associates as an act of vindictiveness and there was no substance in the charges (except the way he milked the Begums of Oudh for funds to wage wars). The way he was taken back to England is most interesting. The Company could not figure out how to bring him back to England for trial since he was too famous in India. Hence they sent a ship full of soldiers for military operations in China. On the way, the ship was diverted to pay a courtesy call to Calcutta. Once the ship was anchored, the Commander invited Hastings on board to inspect the troops at a military ceremony. As soon as Hastings entered the ship, the door behind himwas closed and Hastings was on his way to the old country for the trialand attempted humiliation. This often happens to intelligent men who arouse the envy of lesser individuals.

Fascinating ! Thanks Asad.

Hello Asad I share your admiration for both Warren Hastings and Lord Curzon - towering men, both widely misunderstood... Here is a link for you to digest: Curzon's attempts to ensure that Hastings should be accorded the historical recogniton that he felt was deserved: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1912/dec/12/warren-hastings#S5LV0013P0_19121212_HOL_17WARREN ....However, I am not sure that you are correct in suggesting that Hastings was escorted back in England under armed guard !!! Regards etc.

Nice! I had not seen this picture before.

Julian, thank you. I am glad to know that Lord Curzon did make an attempt to give due recognition to Warren Hastings. He deserved it. One of his descendents was a colleague of mine here in Canada and looked just like him. This I found out when I visited the Victoria Memorial in Calcutta and saw Hastings' statue in stone. Although I did not check my reference recently, I am quite sure that they took him back under armed guard. I think it was pure envy since Hastings was very clever.