Alivardi Khan , Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa , had deputed his son-in-law Zain ud-Din Khan at the helm of military but internal strife had killed him, leaving Alivardi Khan’s daughter Amina Begum a widow. Her son, Siraj-ud-Daulah was the heir apparent to the throne and the target of the royal conspirators. ‘Masnad’ captures a whirlwind period of the 1800s – the terror of the Maratha Bargis who raided and plundered Bengal, the approaching British Raj and internal traitors within the royal court. Stretching over more than a few years, this novel by Abul Kashem is a vivid and accurate portrayal of the thorny reign of Siraj-ud-Daulah, love and deceit playing hide-n-seek in every page. Read more