Sabarna Roy Choudhury

Sabarna Roy Choudhury ( _bn. সাবর্ণ রায় চৌধুরী) family was the zamindar (landlord) of the Kolkata (earlier known as Calcutta) area, prior to the arrival of the British. On November 10th 1698, they transferred, by lease, their rights over the three villages – Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur - to the East India Company. [Bangiya Sabarna Katha Kalishetra Kalikatah by Bhabani Roy Choudhury, Manna Publication. ISBN-81-87648-36-8]

Family history

Panchanan Gangopadhyay (Panchu Saktikhan) of the family acquired the Khan title from the Pathan rulers of the area in the fifteenth century. Around the middle of that century he was lord of Haveli Sahar or Halisahar. It was from Halisahar that the family spread far and wide, including Uttarpara, Birati and Barisha.Patree, Purnendu, "Purano Kolkatar Kathachitra", Bn icon, pp. 154-5, 3rd edition, 1995, Dey’s Publishing, ISBN-81-7079-751-9] Roy, Samaren, "Calcutta: Society and Change 1690-1990", p 8, 2005, iUniverse, ISBN 0-595-34230-2, [http://books.google.co.in/books?id=y-W6TjM2n1AC&pg=PA8&dq=sabarna+roy+choudhury&sig=ACfU3U1Yf6vi8l2FvCha9Ud1nBy0UofAMw#PPA8,M1 from google books] ]

Lakhsmikanta Gangopadhyay (Majumdar), (the son of the family founder Kamadeva Brahmachari) was given "jagirdari" of a vast tract of land by Raja Man Singh, in 1608 [Bangiya Sabarna Katha Kalishetra Kalikatah by Bhabani Roy Choudhury, Manna Publication. ISBN-81-87648-36-8] . He was also given the titles of 'Ray' and 'Choudhury' which later became the surname of his descendants. He was the first social reformer of Bengal. It is said that he constructed many temples at Halisahar, and the original centres of habitation of the family at Goghat and Amatia. The construction of the pilgrim path from Halisahar to Barisha is also credited to him. Bandopadhyay Debashis, "Purano Kolkatar gharbari", Bn icon, pp. 1-2, second impression, 2002, Ananda Publishers Private Limited, ISBN 81-7756-158-8]

A family organisation Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad today preserves the history, culture and traditions of this family.

The British

The three villages of Sutanuti, Govindapur and Kalikata were part of a khas mahal or imperial jagir or an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor himself, whose "jagirdari" rights were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. The British settlement was surrounded by thirty-eight villages held by others. Although in 1717, the British East India Company was permitted by the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar to rent or acquire zamindari rights in them, it was unable to procure the land from the zamindars or local landlords. [Nair, P.Thankappan, "The Growth and Development of Old Calcutta", in "Calcutta, the Living City", Vol I, p. 11, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-563696-1 ]

Even the Sabarana Roy Choudhury family was not keen to allow the British to settle or do trading on these villages, but the British had paid a bribe at the Mughal Durbar to ensure that the deal did not fail.. Just prior to their move to Barisha, the Roy Choudhury family had to transfer their rights over Kalikata in 1698, to the East India Company much against their wishes and protests.

The British ultimately got The 'Right to Rent' or lease of three villages for an annual rent of Rs. 1,300. The deed was in Persian. A copy of the deed can be seen at the Sabarna Sangrahashala at Barisha [http://www.devarshi.faithweb.com Sabarna Prithivi - website of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family] ] and also online at googlebooks.

Lal Dighi

Sabarna Roy Choudhury family had a kutchery (court-house) and a temple of its family deity Shyam Rai, near Lal Dighi (or red tank), that still stands in the middle of B. B. D. Bagh in the heart of commercial district of Kolkata. It was so named possibly because of the red colour the water acquired during dol, the festival of colours. John Anthony, a person of mixed race used to work there. His grandson, Anthony Firinghee, became a famous kabial, a sort of folk singer, in later day Kolkata.

The court-house was first taken on rent and later purchased by the British East India Company.

Durga Puja

The family has been celebrating Durga Puja since 1610 in their ancestral home at Barisha. It is possibly the oldest organised festival in the Kolkata region. Today altogether Seven Durga Pujas are being held in a branch of the family. Out of these, six are at Barisha while the seventh is at Birati. The Pujas which are held at Barisha are that of; Aatchala, Baro Bari, Mejo Bari, Benaki Bari, Kalikingkar Bhawan and Majher Bari. Other than the Durga Puja, the family celebrates Chandi Puja, Jagadhatri Puja,Annapurna Puja, Dol Yatra and Rathayatra utsav.

Public interest litigation

The 'Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad', a family organisation and nine other intellectuals of the city filed a public interest litigation before the Kolkata High Court in 2001 demanding a probe into the matter whether Job Charnock can be regarded as the founder of Kolkata. The Court, upon an Expert Committee finding, declared on May 16, 2003, that Job Charnock cannot be regarded as the founder of the city and 24th August also cannot be considered as the city's birthday. [cite news| first = Subhrangshu | last = Gupta| authorlink =| author = | coauthors =| title =Job Charnock not Kolkata founder: HCSays city has no foundation day| url =http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030518/nation.htm#3 | work = | publisher = The Tribune online edition| pages = | page = | date = 2003-05-17| accessdate = 2008-06-30| language = English| quote = ]

References

See also

* Sabarna Sangrahashala
* Barisha
* Uttarpara