Before the British arrived, Bengal was 12% of the world economy. What was destroyed, and how?

Panellists recover Bengal’s pre-colonial commercial identity: Jagat Seth (Manikchand/Namichand), described as a Bill Gates of his era, who funded wars and loaned money to royalty. Bengal contributed roughly 50% of India’s pre-colonial economy — itself a third of global GDP — through its maritime trade routes, textile industry, and banking networks. The British extraction economy, formalised after 1757’s Battle of Plassey, systematically dismantled this. The panel also discusses Rakhaldas Banerjee — who excavated Mohenjo-daro but was labelled a thief by British conspiracy — and Bankimchandra’s insistence that Bengalis write their own history before it was erased entirely.

About the Speakers:
Richa Gautam – Author, Founder of CasteFiles, Co-founder of Cares-Global. Human Rights Activist. She is a senior researcher and fellow of the Centre of Indic Studies at Indus University, Ahmedabad, decoding colonial construction of caste, and emic exploration of Indic ethnology.

Dr Rajagopal Dhar Chakraborty – Former director of IISWBM, former registrar of CU. He is the President of India-nominee, and was an international faculty member with the UN.

Sudipta Guha – Public policy analyst, author, and political activist. He is a seasoned C.A. and an avid financial analyst.

Debraj Bhattacharjee (Moderator): Doctoral scholar.