250 years after the Battle of Plassey
23 June 2007 was the 250th year of the Battle of Plassey. This was a decisive day in 1757 when the British achieved victory in Bengal under Robert Clive. Brick Lane Circle organised its first conference on 24 June 2007 to commemorate 250 after the battle. The second annual conference was held on 22 June 2008. The third and the last one was held on 4 July 2010.
The victory at the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757 was also the beginning of the British Indian Empire. The 250 years anniversary events organised by Brick Lane Circle (BLC) consisted of a Poetry Reading session on Saturday 23 June and a one day Conference on Sunday 24 June at the Whitechapel Idea Store followed by an East India Company Walk on Sunday 1 July. The conference brought together a number of scholars, researchers and members of the community where the context, impacts and the implications of the Battle of Plassey were explored. The East End of London is dotted with important sites and buildings that have historical links with Bengal. The area is also the home of the largest concentration of Bangladeshi people in the UK. The 250 Years anniversary events of the British conquest of Bengal provided a focus to engage people from diverse backgrounds to explore the area’s historical links with Bengal. It also helped widen the public appreciation of the deeper historical connections between London’s multi-cultural communities.