267 years on, Mir Jafar’s progeny struggle to erase ‘traitor’ taint
Lalbagh (Murshidabad) : In Bengal’s political discourse, Mir Jafar’s name has long been used as a synonym for ‘gaddar’ (traitor). Even 267 years after the decisive battle that brought Bengal under British control, the legacy runs so deep that Mir Jafar’s present-day heirs want to distance themselves from their forefather’s treachery.
It was in the Battle of Plassey in 1757 that Mir Jafar, one of the most trusted generals of Bengal nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, defected to the British side, leading to the victory of the East India Company.
TOI travelled to Mir Jafar’s birthplace to learn more about the legacy of deceit that continues to cast a shadow on the present. At Quila Nizamat, in Murshidabad, TOI met the 14th great-grandson of Mir Jafar, Syed Reza Ali Meerza, who lives a humble life and refers repeatedly to how the slur stubbornly haunts his family. His drawingcum-bedroom wall adorns portraits of all his ancestors, even nawab Siraj-udDaula, but not Mir Jafar.
“I don’t want abuse from my guests,” he said candidly. In his early 80s, Meerza, known as Chhote Nawab, is agile and amiable despite a monumental decline in the family’s prestige and prosperity. He now rides a bicycle but vividly remembers going to school on a royal elephant.
Wasn’t he disgusted with Mir Jafar’s being so widely used in elections to describe a political traitor? “What to do? I cannot alter the course of history associated with my 14th greatgrandfather’s name, nor can I change the popular coinage. Even though Mir Jafar was not part of the original conspiracy hatched by Ghaseti Begum, Jagat Seth, the company’s Qasimbazar chief William Watts. and Robert Clive at Sang-i-Dalan, Motijheel,” he said, feebly trying to defend his ancestor.
Chhote Nawab’s son, Fahim Meerza, is a primary school teacher and the Trinamool councillor of ward 10 in the TMC-run Lalbagh Municipality. “My great-greatgrandfather Wasif Ali Meerza, who was educated at Sherborne School, Rugby School and Trinity College, largely redeemed the notoriety earned by Mir Jafar,” Fahim said.
“On August 15, 1947, the Radcliffe Award allotted the district of Murshidabad to Pakistan, and the flag of Pakistan was hoisted at the Hazarduari Palace here. But within two days, because of Wasif Ali Meerza’s intervention, two dominions were exchanged. Khulna became part of Bangladesh, and the Indian flag was hoisted at Murshidabad’s grand palace on August 17, 1947. The Indian govt restored all his estates to him in 1953. He was the big gest champion of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood,” Fahim added.
Later, a family member, Iskander Meerza, became Pakistan’s first president. “He went to Nawab Bahadur Institute and then went to Bombay for higher studies and later moved to Pakistan as a military officer,” said Chhote Nawab. His Murshidabad house lies in ruins for want of upkeep.
Chhote Nawab, however, does not want to be buried in Jafarganj cemetery, Mir Jafar’s family burial ground. “Jodi kichuta kom gaali khai (That way, I’ll receive fewer abuses). People visiting his grave often spit on it in disgust. We then charge a Rs 500 penalty and wash the grave and put flowers and incense sticks,” said Laltan Hossain, a guide at the cemetery. He receives a salary of Rs 11 a month from the district treasury, an amount that hasn’t changed since the nawab’s days.
The massive gateway to Mir Jafar’s palace at Jafarganj is still called Nemak Haram Deuri or Traitor’s Gate.
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