User:Shamayita Das

Chhote Nawab- Sayyed Riza Ali Mirza

Legend has it that nearly 300 years ago a Jain Merchant, Jagat Seth, would convince Murshid Quli Khan – who would become the first Nawab of Bengal – to leave Dhaka and establish a city bearing his own name by the banks of the Hooghly. The city was established in 1717 when a non-descript village named Maksudabad transformed into the famed city of Murshidabad. The land of myths, memories and conspiracies lost its regalia soon after the battle of Plassey in 1757. The air still smells of history. Now Murshidabad is a popular tourist attraction with the museum of Hazar Duari (essentially a British court with 1000 doors!) being the chief attention seeker. It reflects upon Murshidabad’s bloody past and kindles memoirs of the Nawab era. However, not all of history of that period is dead. Remnants of the past still reside just behind the Hazar duari complex. Syed Riza Ali Mirza fondly known as Chhote Nawab still faces a harsh predicament. The 8th descendant of Mir Jaffer from his maternal side, Chote Nawab still bears the brunt of his ancestors. The dilapidated abode with blue jaded walls, exudes stories untold, unheard. He is a frail man, looks under nourished, but the gleam in his eyes is unmistakable. He too enjoyed the privileges of a young heir of a Nawab, till the Indira Gandhi Government abolished titles and princedoms. With honour, pride and property gone, the Nawab’s family found themselves being shunned to penury. Tattered Banarasi drapes hung from high ceilings as curtains, dented brassware used for cooking, but what catches ones eye is a portrait of Siraj-ud- Daula, whom his forefather brutally got killed! Chhote Nawab is Murshidabad’s mascot of communal harmony. He is a facilitator of peace whenever there is a communal dispute. He celebrates and participates in all festivals irrespective of religion. The only time when he truly feels like a Nawab is during the Beyra Festival, when he adorns his sherwani, which has almost lost its sheen, and with royal treatment he is escorted to the banks of Bhagirathi(Hooghly) to inaugurate the festival by firing a cannon. Does he still deserve to be regarded as a traitor’s descendant? He usually chuckles at such remarks and hums his favourite ghazals, often self composed and strides off on his bicycle.