Maharaja Jagadindra Nath Roy Bahadur (Moitra) (20 October,1868- 5 January,1925) known as the Maharaja of Natore was a noted

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

of Natore from

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

. He is also noted for his contribution to the game of

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

in British India.

Family

He was the adopted son of Govind Chandra Nath Ray (Moitra), the Zamindar of Natore, a member of the

Rajshahi Raj Rajshahi Raj was a large ''zamindari'' (feudatory kingdom) which occupied a vast position of Bengal (present-day Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh and West Bengal, India). It was the richest and largest zamindari with an area of about 33,670 k ...

family, who died childless and Brajasundari, his widow adopted Jagadindranath at age of fifteen. The personal title of Maharaja was bestowed upon him in 1877. He later made

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

his home. Natore Rajbari, the Natore Raj family's ancestral home since the time of

Rani Bhabani Rani Bhabani ( bn, রাণী ভবাণী) (1716–1803), also known as ''Ardhabangeshwari''(অর্ধবঙ্গেশ্বরী) and ''Natorer Rani'' or the Queen of Natore, was a Hindu zamindar during the British colonial era in ...

is now a protected monument of

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Career and patronage

He was a patron of art and sports including the Town Club of Calcutta and the Bengal Gymkhana. He was editor of a monthly journal titled ''Manasi o Marmabani'' and earned a reputation as a journalist.

Cricket

He was a great cricket enthusiast and one of the active committee members of the Calcutta Cricket Club. In 1890, he promoted his own cricket team known as ''Natore''. He was a great nationalist and his team consisted of Indian members. He promoted the Natore Stadium, a large cricket venue in his hometown of Natore and a sprawling cricket stadium, called Natore Garden in Calcutta at Ballygunge, which rivaled the

Eden Gardens The Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,000. Eden Gardens is often re ...

Stadium also in Calcutta. He also roped in prominent Indian players of his time, like

Mehta Mehta is an Indian surname, derived from the Sanskrit word ''mahita'' meaning 'great' or 'praised'. It is found among several Indian religious groups, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Parsis. Among Hindus, it is used by a wide range of castes and ...

Baloo Baloo (from hi, भालू ur, بھالو ''bhālū'' "bear") is a main fictional character featured in Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' from 1894 and ''The Second Jungle Book'' from 1895. Baloo, a sloth bear, is the strict teacher of ...

Shivram Shivram may refer to: * Shivram Shankar Apte, aka Dadasaheb Apte (1907–1985), founder and first General Secretary of the Vishva Hindu Parishad *Vaman Shivram Apte (1858–1892), Indian lexicographer and a professor of Sanskrit at Pune's Fergusson ...

Yeshwant ''Yeshwant'' is a 1997 Indian action crime film directed by Anil Mattoo, produced by Vijay K. Ranglani. It stars Nana Patekar and Madhoo in pivotal roles. Also, it was the final film of Shafi Inamdar, who died a year before the release. Synops ...

, Ganpat Palwankar, Vithal Palwankar, Sheshacari, K. N. Mistry,

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

, H.L. Semper, Sardaranjan and his brothers, Muktidaranjan, Kuladaranjan, and Pramodranjan. Moni Das, another noted cricket player of the era from Bengal, was also patronized by the Maharaja. Although the Maharaja had only one eye, he would bat and field himself and was a good cricket player. His son, Kumar Jogindra Nath was also a good cricket player. The Natore team boasted a nationalist spirit and the team included many noted

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

cricketers of the era. He adopted Srishchandra, a young but poor cricket talent and saved the life of an aspiring talent of Bengal. The Natore team promoted by him rivaled the team of Cooch Behar which was promoted by Maharaja Sir Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur of

Cooch Behar Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at . Cooch Behar is the only planned city in the ...

in Bengal. The Natore team lasted until 1945, patronized by his son after his death.

Politics

In 1901, he was made Chairman of the Congress Reception Committee at Calcutta and gave a noted lecture on India's state of political affairs and industries. He was elected as a member of the

Bengal Legislative Council The Bengal Legislative Council ( was the legislative council of British Bengal (now Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal). It was the legislature of the Bengal Presidency during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After reforms wer ...

in 1913.

Death

He died in 1925 survived by his son, Raja Jogindra Nath Roy, who succeeded him as

Natore Raj Zamindars of Natore were influential aristocratic Bengali Zamindars (rent-receiving landholders), who owned large estates in what is today Natore District in Bangladesh . They contributed to the development of East Bengal and later Bangladesh t ...

Memorials

There is a school named after him, which he founded, named Maharaja Jagadindra Nath Roy School at Natore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Jagadindra Nath Indian cricketers 1868 births 1925 deaths Bengali Hindus Bengali zamindars Cricketers from Kolkata People from Natore District Indian philanthropists Founders of Indian schools and colleges Indian cricket administrators Indian royalty 19th-century Indian journalists 20th-century Indian journalists Writers from Kolkata Journalists from West Bengal 19th-century Indian sportspeople