Babu Raj Chandra Das (1783 - June 9, 1836), was an Indian
Zamindar
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
,
merchant
A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...
, businessman and a
Philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
. He was a scion of the famous Marh family of
Janbazar
Janbazar is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The two century-old house of Rani Rashmoni, the central attraction in Janbazar, is still used by descendants in the family.
Geography
Jan ...
.
He donated large parts of his wealth to charity, education and social reform. Through his contributions, he became one of the icons of
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance (), also known as the Bengali Renaissance, was a cultural, social, intellectual, and artistic movement that took place in the Bengal region of the British Raj, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Histo ...
.
As a mark of charity and welfare of society, he built the
Babu Ghat and the
Ahiritola Ghat.
Ancestry
He was born into an opulent
Mahishya family to
Babu Preetoram Marh and Jogmaya Devi. They rose from a very ordinary economic circumstances to the level of
landlordism. The earliest known ancestor of the family was Bijoyram Koley, Kantoram Marh's father and Rajchandra's great great grandfather. He is said to be a resident of ''Sonatikhali'' village, under the
Raja of Burdwan.
His descendants are said to have migrated further south to
Howrah district
Howrah district (, ) is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. Howrah district is one of the highly urbanized area of West Bengal. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. ...
. Rajchandra's great grandfather Kantoram was a bamboo trader by profession and therefore, he received the title "Marh".
His son was Krishnaram and in turn, Krishnaram's son was Preetoram Marh. Preetoram worked in the customs house. He also brought many
Zamindaris and started an export business. The Marh family was
Mahishya by caste and not originally from
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
.
They originally lived in Khosalpur village in
Howrah
Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...
. Krishnaram's sister Bindubala Dasi was married to Akrur Manna of the Manna family, the then landlords of
Janbazar
Janbazar is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The two century-old house of Rani Rashmoni, the central attraction in Janbazar, is still used by descendants in the family.
Geography
Jan ...
,
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. After his aunt's marriage and his mother's untimely demise, Preetoram along with his father Krishna Ram and his two brothers, Rantanu and Kalicharan, came to live in his aunt's house to learn
trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
and to receive a formal
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
. Gradually, the Marh family's relationship with the Manna family became stronger.
Preetoram married Jogmaya Debi, the daughter of the Jugal Kishore Manna, the younger brother of Akrur Manna. In that marriage in 1777, he received a dowry of several houses in
Janbazar
Janbazar is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The two century-old house of Rani Rashmoni, the central attraction in Janbazar, is still used by descendants in the family.
Geography
Jan ...
and 16
bighas of land. His eldest son, Harachandra died early and therefore, Rajchandra naturally became his
legal heir.
Early life
Rajchandra was born on 1783, on a day of
full moon to
Babu Preetoram Marh, one of the wealthiest merchants of
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
of the time and Jogmaya Debi. As the second eldest child, he received the undivided attention of his parents. Different tutors were appointed by Preetoram for his education and he was described by his teachers as a "
fast learner". He received a formal education consisting of various languages, such as the
Persian language
Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...
and
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
and subjects such as
Mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
,
Trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
,
Business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
,
History
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
,
Sciences
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
and other contemporary essential subjects. Apart from his native
Bengali, he was also fluent in languages such as
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
,
English and
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
.
After, the sudden demise of his elder brother Harachandra, he firmly took over the reigns of business from his father and worked diligently in expanding it. He bought huge tracts of land in the districts of
Nadia,
Hooghly,
Howrah district
Howrah district (, ) is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. Howrah district is one of the highly urbanized area of West Bengal. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. ...
,
South 24 Parganas
South 24 Parganas (Pron: pɔrɡɔnɔs; abbr. 24 PGS (S)), or sometimes South Twenty Four Parganas and Dakshin 24 Parganas, is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Alipore previously, with its Zilla Parishad now in Ba ...
and
North 24 Parganas
North 24 Parganas (abv. 24 PGS (N)) or sometimes North Twenty Four Parganas is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the tropical zone from latitude 22° 11′ 6″ north to 23° 15′ 2″ north and ...
,
Jessore
Jessore (, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District in Khulna Division. It lies in southwestern Bangladesh. It is home to the first flight training school of the Bangladeshi Air Force, established in 1971. Jessore city consists of 9 wa ...
,
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
(especially in
Gopalganj District which was even renamed after one of his grandsons) and even in some parts of
Odisha
Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
.
Marriages
Rajchandra was surpassed in terms of work by his wife
Rani Rashmoni.
However, this distinguished
Bengali of the 18th century is now known by his wife.
Rajchandra married twice before marrying
Rani Rashmoni, but unfortunately both his wives doed within a year of their respective marriages. After the untimely death of his first two wives, Rajchandra married
Rashmoni in 1804. Rashmoni was affectionately called 'Rani' by her mother. Later, the title '
Rani
''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...
' remained next to her name in her work records forever. After her husband's death, the wealth of the
zamindari
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous Indian feudalism, feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian language, Persian was the offi ...
passed to Rashmoni. Over time, she rose from 'Zamidarginni' to the status of '
Rani
''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...
' in the literal sense.
Business life
Rajchandra became the representative of the
English Kelvin Company. He got involved in the export business. He exported
tasar, mriganavi,
indigo
InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...
, etc. to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Through the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
Kelvin Company, all those products were distributed in the
English market. Along with export trade, Rajchandra got involved in the stock exchange business. He bought the
Beleghata region with a large amount of cash. In the stockbroking business, he bought paddy,
jute
Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...
,
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
,
jaggery
Jaggery is a List of unrefined sweeteners, traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of Sugarcane juice, cane jui ...
,
moong
The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the Fabaceae, legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-E ...
,
lentils
The lentil (''Vicia lens'' or ''Lens culinaris'') is an annual plant, annual legume grown for its Lens (geometry), lens-shaped edible seeds or ''pulses'', also called ''lentils''. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in Legume, pods, usually w ...
,
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
, etc. at low prices and sold them at high prices, making money like water. Rajchandra bought the entire area including today's
Dharmatala,
Free School Street,
New Market, Rashmoni Square in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. He realised that the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
would not leave
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
easily, they were settled in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. The far-sighted businessman Rajchandra was able to sense this and quickly bought all the land around the
Maidan. He also started buying houses in the Sahebs' neighborhood. After buying the best lands in
South Kolkata, Rajchandra became the largest landowner in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. He became the principal
Zamindar
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
of
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
.
Building of the Janbazar Palace
In 1813, Rajchandra completed the construction of the palace started by Pritiram on six
bighas of land. This palace of three hundred rooms has six courtyards, a lake. Seven mahals, ''Thakurdalan'', ''Natmandir'', ''Dewankhana'', ''Kachari Ghar'', ''Guest house'', ''Goyal Ghar'', armory, and rooms for the guards and dewans. This palace, adjacent to the
Janbazar
Janbazar is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The two century-old house of Rani Rashmoni, the central attraction in Janbazar, is still used by descendants in the family.
Geography
Jan ...
palace, was built at a cost of twenty-five lakh
Mohurs.
Beleghata Property dispute
Rajchandra's
Beleghata Property did not have a drainage system. It is necessary to cut a canal and provide drainage. There is also no bridge across the public road. Rajchandra cut a canal and built a bridge. Since the
British company did not have occupation in
Beleghata, they did not needed to take permission. However, Rajchandra imposed a condition on the government that the government would not be able to collect any toll from the public for the bridge. The government was forced to accept the condition.
Contributions
Construction of the Babu Ghat
The then rich people of
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
used to build bathing ghats as a mark of wealth. On the other side of the
Hooghly River
The Hooghly River (, also spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') is the westernmost distributary of the Ganges, situated in West Bengal, India. It is known in its upper reaches as the Bhagirathi. The Bhagirathi splits off from the main branch of the G ...
to establish his status Raj Chandra started building a ghat on the other side of the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...
in competition with them. After obtaining the permission of the company, he first built a ghat on the other side of the river. He built a ghat with thirty-six pillars. A covering over the pillars. Separate arrangements for men and women for bathing.
Lord Bentinck's proclamation named it 'Babu Rajchandra Das's Ghat'. It is still popularly known as '
Babu Ghat'.
Building of the Ahiritala Ghat
Rajchandra focused on doing philanthropic and public welfare work. After
Babughat, he built a huge bathing ghat in
Aheritola. He built a huge pucca house on his own land for patients with internal bleeding who were on their way to death at
Nimtala crematorium. Accommodation, food and medical facilities were arranged for the inmates. Doctors and attendants were appointed to take care of the patients round the clock. All these news of Rajchandra's charitable deeds spread quickly. Rajchandra's fame was published in the newspapers. Rajchandra's public welfare work was recorded in the
India Gazette. In 1817, Rajchandra's father Preetoram died. His mother died that same year. With the generosity of money, he performed a grand
Shraddha
Shraddha may refer to:
In religion
* Śrāddha, a Hindu ritual performed for one's deceased ancestors
* Śraddhā, the Sanskrit term used to refer to faith in Buddhism
In Buddhism, faith (, ) refers to a serene commitment to the prac ...
ceremony for his parents. Rajchandra, who was without parents, lived with his wife and daughters in a palace-like residence at
71 Free School Street.
Towards Education
Rajchandra took up the task of showing his position to the intellectuals of
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. To connect himself with the intellectual community, Rajchandra generously helped in the establishment of the
Hindu College in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. He also donated a large amount of money to establish the
Calcutta Medical College.
Gaining fame
Rajchandra's fame gradually spread everywhere through all these public welfare works. By involving himself in welfare works for the common people, against luxury and debauchery, Rajchandra established his clean and distinct image from the then company-minded businessmen and landlords. This strengthened Rajchandra's position among the so-called upper caste Hindu elite. He became one of the foremost members of the
Bhadralok samaj of the
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...
.
Raja Rammohan Roy,
Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, Raja Kalikrishna Tagore,
Raja Radhakanta Deb,
Dewan Gangagobindo Singha,
Prasanna Kumar Tagore. Along with gaining the same status as
Kaliprasanna Singha, Akrur Dutta and others, Rajchandra's name was placed in their ranks. Rajchandra, who was of
Mahishya descent, was recognized along with the other high caste kings,
maharajas
Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...
, and
zamindars of the 19th century. He also received official recognition. The
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
bestowed upon him the title of '
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
'. The company also appointed him as an honorary magistrate. Rajchandra also joined in preventing the practice of sati by
Rammohan Roy. In 1829, the first bank was established in
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
. Rajchandra became the director of that bank and in the same year, he was among the handful of Indians elected to be the members of the
The Asiatic Society
The Asiatic Society is an organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of " Oriental research" (in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions). It was founded by the philologist Will ...
. The greats of
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
, such as
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay (26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), popularly known as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (), was an Indian educator and social reformer of the nineteenth century. His efforts to simplify and modernise Bengali language, Ben ...
regularly visited Rajchandra's house.
Family
Rajchandra and
Rashmoni had four daughters. Padmamani, Kumari, Karunamoyee, and Jagadamba. One son died after being born. The girls were all married to the same caste. Because marriage between different castes was unthinkable at that time. It was considered a religious sin. The eldest daughter was married to Ramchandra Das, a member of another
Mahishya Zamindar family. The second daughter was married to Pyarimohan, a resident of
Khulna district
Khulna District () is a district of Bangladesh. It is located in the Khulna Division, bordered in the north by Jashore District and Narail District, in the south by the Bay of Bengal, in the east by Bagerhat District, and the west by Satkhira D ...
. The third daughter, Karunamoyee, was married to
Mathuramohan. After the short-lived death of Karunamoyee, the third son-in-law,
Mathuramohan, married off his fourth daughter, Jagadamba, and left his son-in-law at home.
Death & Legacy
On 9 June 1836, Rajchandra suffered a heart attack while traveling in a car, resulting in cerebral hemorrhage and paralysis, and died at the age of 53.
After Rajchandra's death, as he had no son, the sole responsibility of business and land ownership fell on
Rani Rashmoni. Rashmoni managed the affairs of the kingdom with a very firm hand, slow-paced, and intelligent hand, ensuring her strong position in her husband's absence. She gradually became proficient in land ownership by changing her husband's seal and sealing it in her own name. Her son-in-law
Mathuramohan always helped her in land ownership. In addition to 'Babu Rajchandra Das' Ghat' or
Babughat, she also had a ghat built for opening the market. She had a wide road built from
Chowrangi
Chowrangi () or chowk (चौक/چوک) is an Urdu word meaning ''crossroads''. It is where two major roads cross each other. This may be facilitated by a roundabout or an overpass/underpass.
In Pakistan, this term is frequently used in Karachi. ...
for bathers and pilgrims to reach
Babughat. Later, that road was named Auckland Road. Now we know that road as Rani Rashmoni Avenue. Before his death, Rajchandra left behind a large estate and cash of Rs 68
lakh
A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...
. He had shares of
Bengal Bank worth Rs 8 lakh in his name. In addition, he had lent Rs 3 lakh to people.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Das, Rajchandra
1783 births
1836 deaths
Bengali zamindars
Businesspeople from Kolkata
Industrialists from British India
Bengali Hindus
19th-century Indian educators
Founders of Indian schools and colleges
19th-century Indian philanthropists
People from the Bengal Presidency
Indian social workers
Social workers from West Bengal
People from Howrah district