Bengal and the Zamindars
As you know, colonial rule was first established in Bengal. It is here that the earliest attempts were made to reorder rural society and establish a new regime of land rights and a new revenue system. Let us see what happened in Bengal in the early years of Company (E.I.C.) rule.
An auction in Burdwan
In 1797 there was an auction in Burdwan (presentday Bardhaman). It was a big public event. A number of mahals (estates) held by the Raja of Burdwan were being sold. The Permanent Settlement had come into operation in 1793. The East India Company had fixed the revenue that each zamindar had to pay. The estates of those who failed to pay were to be auctioned to recover the revenue. Since the raja had accumulated huge arrears, his estates had been put up for auction.
Numerous purchasers came to the auction and the estates were sold to the highest bidder. But the Collector soon discovered a strange twist to the tale. Many of the purchasers turned out to be servants and agents of the raja who had bought the lands on behalf of their master. Over 95 per cent of the sale at the auction was fictitious. The raja’s estates had been publicly sold, but he remained in control of his zamindari.
Why had the raja failed to pay the revenue? Who were the purchasers at the auction? What does the story tell us about what was happening in the rural areas of eastern India at that time?
Friday, July 31, 2009
Today's Motivation
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO A WILLING HEART
You can do anything in this world you want to do,
but you must want to do it badly enough.
You really can have everything you want, if you go after it.
You have to want it.
The first ingredient of success is desire.
Do you know what you want?
Your desire is the planting of your seed.
Your desire for success must be so strong within you
that it's the very breath of your life.
It must be your first thought when you wake up in the morning,
and your last thought when you go to bed at night.
You can be whatever you make up your mind to be.
What's in your mind is all that counts.
You can do anything in this world you want to do,
but you must want to do it badly enough.
You really can have everything you want, if you go after it.
You have to want it.
The first ingredient of success is desire.
Do you know what you want?
Your desire is the planting of your seed.
Your desire for success must be so strong within you
that it's the very breath of your life.
It must be your first thought when you wake up in the morning,
and your last thought when you go to bed at night.
You can be whatever you make up your mind to be.
What's in your mind is all that counts.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Today's Motivation
IF YOUTHINK BIG YOU'LL BE BIG
High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.
You'll always hit what you aim for in the long run.
So why not aim high?
Have the courage to follow your dreams.
It's the first step towards attaining your destiny.
If you can dream it, you can do it.
If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make it come true?
The empire of your future resides in your mind.
Big thinking precedes big achievement.
High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.
You'll always hit what you aim for in the long run.
So why not aim high?
Have the courage to follow your dreams.
It's the first step towards attaining your destiny.
If you can dream it, you can do it.
If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make it come true?
The empire of your future resides in your mind.
Big thinking precedes big achievement.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Today's Motivation
YOU CAN BE A WINNER IF YOU PLAN AHEAD
You gain the advantage in any situation through one medium: time
You can do things before they need to be done.
You can position yourself ahead of time in the best place.
Think ahead of any approaching action.
Make a plan and you will always have the advantage.
Let your advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
In life, as in chess, forethought wins.
You gain the advantage in any situation through one medium: time
You can do things before they need to be done.
You can position yourself ahead of time in the best place.
Think ahead of any approaching action.
Make a plan and you will always have the advantage.
Let your advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
In life, as in chess, forethought wins.
Monday, July 27, 2009
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Pluto
Diameter 3,040 Kilometer
Moons 1
Avg.Distance to Sun 5,865.5 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 248 Years
Facts This Planet is the farthest, the smallest, the darkest, the coldest and arguably the strangest.
It follows the most elongated and tilted orbit in the solar system.
Its moon, Charon, is nearly half its size - appears like a bi-planet.
NASA used a new infra-red telescope, has learned that Pluto is shrouded in frozen nitrogen- not methane as once thought. Nitrogen makes 78% of the air.
Neptune
Diameter 49,000 Kilometer
Moons 8
Avg.Distance to Sun 4,497 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 165 Years
Facts It is denser & little smaller than Uranus.
Its Atmosphere appear blue, with quickly changing white clouds often suspended high above an apparent surface.
Atmosphere constituents are mostly hydrocarbon compounds.
It Emits about 2.3 times more energy than it receives from the sun and the Aurora phenomenon was noticed by Voyager II.
Uranus
Diameter 52,096 Kilometer
Moons 17
Avg.Distance to Sun 2,852.8 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 84 Years
Facts Waterly Uranus is the only planet that lies on its side.
One pole, than the other, faces the Sun as it orbits.
Voyager-I found nine dark, compact rings around the planet and a corkscrew-shaped magnetic field that stretches millions of kilometers.
Mars
Diameter 6,755.2 Kilometer
Moons 2
Avg.Distance to Sun 225.6 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 687 Days
Facts The Viking probes failed to Beneath its thin atmosphere.
Mars is barren, covered with pink soil and boulders.
Long ago it was active, the surface is marked with dormant volcanoes and deep chasms where water once freely flowed.
Venus
Diameter 12,032 Kilometer
Moons None
Avg.Distance to Sun 107.52 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 225 Days
Facts Earth's twin in size and mass, sparingly hot Venus is perpetually veiled behind reflective sulfuric-acid clouds.
Probes and radar mapping have pierced the clouds and carbon-dioxide environment to reveal flat, rocky plains & signs of volcanic activity.
Mercury
Diameter 4,849.6 Kilometer
Moons None
Avg.Distance to Sun 57.6 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 88 Days
Facts Tiny Mercury, slightly larger than Earth's moon.
Races along its elliptical orbital 1,76,000 kilometer per hour.
A speed that keeps it from being drawn into the Sun's gravity field.
The crated planet has no atmosphere, days are scorching hot and nights, frigid.
Earth
Diameter 12,732.2 Kilometer
Moons 1
Avg.Distance to Sun 148.8 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 365 Days
Facts Uniquely moderate temperature and the presence of oxygen and copious water maker Earth the only planet in the solar system to support life.
Jupiter
Diameter 1,41,968 Kilometer
Moons 16
Avg.Distance to Sun 772.8 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 11.9 Years
Facts Two Pioneer space probes photographed the Great Red Spot on the Solar system's largest planet.
Voyagers I and II later showed it is an enormous eddy in the turbulent cloud cover. Earth the only planet in the solar system to support life.
They also spotted dusty rings, three new moons and volcanoes on the Moon.
Saturn
Diameter 1,19,296 Kilometer
Moons 20 or more
Avg.Distance to Sun 1,417.6 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 29.5 Years
Facts Voyager I found that the celebrated rings of the golden giant Saturn are composed of thousands of rippling, spiraling bands just 100 feets thick.
The moon Titan has a nitrogen atmosphere and hydrocarbons.
Sun
Diameter 13,84,000 Kilometer
Statellites 9 Planets
Age 4.5 billion years
Facts A rather ordinary, middle age star, the gaseous sun may reach a temperature of 27-millon degrees Celsius at its core.
Its 11 years cycle is now approaching a solar maximum, a period marked by frequent sunspots and flares.
On Earth, some radio waves will be disturbed and the amazing sky streamers called Northern Lights will appear.
Diameter 3,040 Kilometer
Moons 1
Avg.Distance to Sun 5,865.5 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 248 Years
Facts This Planet is the farthest, the smallest, the darkest, the coldest and arguably the strangest.
It follows the most elongated and tilted orbit in the solar system.
Its moon, Charon, is nearly half its size - appears like a bi-planet.
NASA used a new infra-red telescope, has learned that Pluto is shrouded in frozen nitrogen- not methane as once thought. Nitrogen makes 78% of the air.
Neptune
Diameter 49,000 Kilometer
Moons 8
Avg.Distance to Sun 4,497 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 165 Years
Facts It is denser & little smaller than Uranus.
Its Atmosphere appear blue, with quickly changing white clouds often suspended high above an apparent surface.
Atmosphere constituents are mostly hydrocarbon compounds.
It Emits about 2.3 times more energy than it receives from the sun and the Aurora phenomenon was noticed by Voyager II.
Uranus
Diameter 52,096 Kilometer
Moons 17
Avg.Distance to Sun 2,852.8 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 84 Years
Facts Waterly Uranus is the only planet that lies on its side.
One pole, than the other, faces the Sun as it orbits.
Voyager-I found nine dark, compact rings around the planet and a corkscrew-shaped magnetic field that stretches millions of kilometers.
Mars
Diameter 6,755.2 Kilometer
Moons 2
Avg.Distance to Sun 225.6 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 687 Days
Facts The Viking probes failed to Beneath its thin atmosphere.
Mars is barren, covered with pink soil and boulders.
Long ago it was active, the surface is marked with dormant volcanoes and deep chasms where water once freely flowed.
Venus
Diameter 12,032 Kilometer
Moons None
Avg.Distance to Sun 107.52 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 225 Days
Facts Earth's twin in size and mass, sparingly hot Venus is perpetually veiled behind reflective sulfuric-acid clouds.
Probes and radar mapping have pierced the clouds and carbon-dioxide environment to reveal flat, rocky plains & signs of volcanic activity.
Mercury
Diameter 4,849.6 Kilometer
Moons None
Avg.Distance to Sun 57.6 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 88 Days
Facts Tiny Mercury, slightly larger than Earth's moon.
Races along its elliptical orbital 1,76,000 kilometer per hour.
A speed that keeps it from being drawn into the Sun's gravity field.
The crated planet has no atmosphere, days are scorching hot and nights, frigid.
Earth
Diameter 12,732.2 Kilometer
Moons 1
Avg.Distance to Sun 148.8 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 365 Days
Facts Uniquely moderate temperature and the presence of oxygen and copious water maker Earth the only planet in the solar system to support life.
Jupiter
Diameter 1,41,968 Kilometer
Moons 16
Avg.Distance to Sun 772.8 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 11.9 Years
Facts Two Pioneer space probes photographed the Great Red Spot on the Solar system's largest planet.
Voyagers I and II later showed it is an enormous eddy in the turbulent cloud cover. Earth the only planet in the solar system to support life.
They also spotted dusty rings, three new moons and volcanoes on the Moon.
Saturn
Diameter 1,19,296 Kilometer
Moons 20 or more
Avg.Distance to Sun 1,417.6 million KM
Time to Orbit the Sun 29.5 Years
Facts Voyager I found that the celebrated rings of the golden giant Saturn are composed of thousands of rippling, spiraling bands just 100 feets thick.
The moon Titan has a nitrogen atmosphere and hydrocarbons.
Sun
Diameter 13,84,000 Kilometer
Statellites 9 Planets
Age 4.5 billion years
Facts A rather ordinary, middle age star, the gaseous sun may reach a temperature of 27-millon degrees Celsius at its core.
Its 11 years cycle is now approaching a solar maximum, a period marked by frequent sunspots and flares.
On Earth, some radio waves will be disturbed and the amazing sky streamers called Northern Lights will appear.
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