At the end of the Battle of Plassey, Siraj-ud Daulah was captured and executed. Mir Jafar was made the Nawab of Bengal. His long-cherished dream thus fructified. Not for long. Soon, he realised he was nothing but a puppet in the hands of the British.
Mir Jafar protested and tried to assert himself. As a result, the British removed him and made his son-in-law Mir Qasim the next Nawab. Mir Qasim did not bow to British demands either and the latter reinstalled Mir Jafar to the position of Nawab in no time. He retained his throne till death.
His treachery helped the British gain first major victory in the Indian soil. It assisted them get a foothold in a country they ruled for 190 years.
Lesson: In the long term, unethical actions always fail, their short-term gains notwithstanding. At times, people take wrong steps, lured by chances of quick benefits. Though they realise their follies in the end, very few have the courage to admit that.
Image: Clive after the Battle of Plassey
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The author, based in Bangalore, is the managing director of an IT multinational firm. He has also written two books: Offshoring Secrets, and the forthcoming Myths & Realities @ the Office.
Disclaimer: Since history is replete with different versions of the same event, chances are that some of the stories written here might not match with the version that the reader is conversant with. However, the article has been written not with the intention of being unerringly accurate on the historic account, but to use the event as a source of information from which to draw strategic management lessons.
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