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Dark Chapter in Indian History: The Black Hole of Calcutta
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| The Black Hole of Calcutta (20 June 1756) Source Wikipedia |
Introduction
The colonial history of India has several dark moments, but the most spoken and debated one was the Black Hole of Calcutta or Black Hole Tragedy of Kolkata. This horrible tale that occurred in June 1756 significantly influenced the destiny not only of Kolkata, but of the entire India as well. It was the epitome of the cruelty of Nawab Sirajuddaula in the mind of the British, and, according to Indian historians, the fruit of British political propaganda and excesses. Even today, this fact of partial truth and falsity remains the object of every wonder in the hearts of history lovers.
Historical context
During the middle of the eighteenth century, Calcutta was the commercial and military station of the English East India Company. The Nawab of Bengal, Sirajuddaula, was newly on the throne. However he realised that the British were slowly strengthening themselves and began to fortify and build their strength which was posing a significant challenge to the reign of the Nawab. English began to strengthen the territory near Fort William. They were changing the defence system without the authorization of the Nawab, and this is an indication that they were trying to rebel against the Nawab. Further, the Nawab was not feeling well with the English when the latter found out that one of his opponents (Kishen Chandra, zamindar of Hooghly) was being hosted by the English. It was here, that the Nawab Sirajuddaula resolved to rid himself of the English, and he marched against Fort William, in Calcutta, in June 1756.
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| The Black Hole Memorial, St. John's Church Source Wikipedia |
The black hole event
During the night of 20 June 1756 Fort William in Calcutta was captured by the troops of Nawab Sirajuddaula. By the time the war ended British soldiers, officers and civilians were captured. They were detained in a small room that came to be known in history as the Black Hole. It was just a 18 foot by 14 foot (approximately 250-square-foot) room. There were 146 individuals incarcerated there (as Holwell describes). Most inmates lost consciousness because of the excessive heat, air shortage, water shortage and overpopulation. The survival rate was very low, with only 23 being discovered alive in the morning the following day after a night of severe torture, the rest having dropped to the ground and been killed. John Zephaniah Holwell, who went back to England, described this horrid affair in detail. This event is referred to as the Black Hole of Calcutta. "
Truth and controversy Historians strongly disagree over what happened during the Black Hole of Calcutta. Even though the British made it look like a terrible tragedy, its genuineness remains doubtful.
• Description of the hallway John Zephaniah Holwell tells the story. In his claim, 146 captives were placed in a small room and only 23 survived the night. There has been a controversy of the number of Modern historians claim that the number of 146 prisoners is an exaggeration. It is likely that there were 64-70 prisoners. The number of deaths is also different.
• Political objectives. There are a lot of historians who think that the British intentionally made the incident much bigger so that the people would sympathize with Nawab Sirajuddaula, and give a reason to the military reprisals in England. The Indian point of view Indian historians believe that it was not the killing of people at the demand of Nawab Sirajuddaula but mismanagement and chaos in the aftermath of the war that caused the deaths. As such, to what extent is the Black Hole tragedy factual and to what extent is it political propaganda remains a riddle and a point of contention.
Consequences and effects
The reception of The Black Hole of Calcutta was very widespread. This was not only a great change in the mentality of the British, but also in the history of Bengal.
• Reactions in the UK When the account of Holwell was published there was much indignation in England. The British news media and politicians propagated the event as a case of the cruelty of Nawab Sirajuddaula.
• A pretext for revenge The incident provided British East India Company with the reason to act militarily. The English had a formidable propaganda weapon in it.
• Recovery of Kolkata. After a few months Robert Clive regained Calcutta and English authority was restored.
• The Battle of Plassey The mutiny and plot against Nawab Sirajuddaula was worsening with the Black Hole. At last the Nawab lost his battle in 1757, in the Battle of Plassey. This was the commencement of the British reign in India. Thus, the Black Hole Tragedy is not only a tragedy of humans, but also an event in history.
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| Text on the Memorial in St John's Churchyard source Wikipedia |
Conclusion
The chapter, The Black Hole of Calcutta, is a debatable part of history. With or without the exaggeration of the events in the account, one cannot deny that this story transformed the political landscape of colonial India. The tragedy was just one of the reasons that the British could develop a solid campaign against Nawab Sirajuddaula. This led to the Battle of Plassey in a couple of months and this battle marks the beginning of the British rule in India. And thus the black hole of Kolkata becomes not only a humanitarian tragedy, but a black memory of the onset of the colonial era in the Indian subcontinent.
