Book description
Land of Two Rivers chronicles the story of one of the most fascinating
and influential regions in the Indian subcontinent. The confluence of
two major river systems, Ganga and Brahmaputra, created the delta of
Bengal-an ancient land known as a centre of trade, learning and the arts
from the days of the Mahabharata and through the ancient dynasties.
During the medieval era, this eventful journey saw the rise of Muslim
dynasties which brought into being a unique culture, quite distinct from
that of northern India. The colonial conquest in the eighteenth century
opened the modern chapter of Bengal's history and transformed the social
and economic structure of the region. Nitish Sengupta traces the
formation of Bengali identity through the Bengal Renaissance, the growth
of nationalist politics and the complex web of events that eventually
led to the partition of the region in 1947, analysing why, despite
centuries of shared history and culture, the Bengalis finally divided
along communal lines. The struggle of East Pakistan to free itself from
West Pakistan's dominance is vividly described, documenting the economic
exploitation and cultural oppression of the Bengali people. Ultimately,
under the leadership of Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman, East Pakistan became
the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971. Land of Two Rivers is a
scholarly yet extremely accessible account of the development of Bengal,
sketching the eventful and turbulent history of this ancient
civilization, rich in scope as well as in influence.
