On January 26, 1803, Wellesley throws a lavish dinner at Lok Bhavan, Calcutta, attended by Valentia. Its extravagance is funded by the British plunder of India.
The fifth part of this series examines some aspects of the philosophy of Kautilya's Taxation system and his dictum of amassing huge wealth as a source of protection.
The second and concluding part of our series on life inside Bahadur Shah Zafar's Red Fort shows how he and his royalty indulged in extravagant spending and led a reckless life.