The Sahay family is a noble Indian

Kayastha Kayastha (or Kayasth) denotes a cluster of disparate Indian communities broadly categorised by the regions of the Indian subcontinent in which they were traditionally locatedthe Chitraguptavanshi Kayasthas of North India, the Chandraseniya Ka ...

family from the state of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

, with its origins tracing back to the

British colonial period The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. Members of the family, both biological descendants and those married into the family, have held various influential roles, including as rulers, statesmen, politicians, magistrates, civil servants, academics, and lawyers.

History

The family traces its lineage to Munshi Harakh Lal, who migrated from

Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the West Rapti River, Rapti river in the Purvanchal , Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometres east of ...

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

in the early 19th century. Munshi Harakh Lal established himself as a key figure, serving as a Member of the Legislative Council and a lawyer for the

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 ...

. He acquired his family's zamindari estates in

Patna District Patna district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India. Patna, the capital of Bihar, is the district headquarters. The Patna district is a part of the Patna division. The Patna district is divided into 6 Subdivisio ...

Members

The following individuals are members of the family, including both direct descendants and those related by marriage: * Munshi Harakh Lal, Member of Legislative Council, lawyer for the

. * Babu Girjapat Sahay, zamindar of Patna, Honorary Magistrate of Patna, Member of the District Board of Patna. * Babu Chandipat Sahay, zamindar of Patna, Member of Legislative Council, Member of the Licensing Board of Patna, music patron. He abolished the chaukidari tax in

Bihar and Orissa Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India, which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of Odisha. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were governed by the then ...

, which includes present day states of

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

and

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 ...

. * Harnandan Prasad , a member of the ICS, ruler of the Serkhouli Estate, Commissioner and Vice Chairman of the

Sitamarhi Sitamarhi is the headquarters of the Sitamarhi district in Tirhut Division, Bihar. The city was named in honour of Sītā, wife of Rāma, who was born in Sitamarhi according to Hindu legends. In 1875, a subdivision for Sitamarhi was create ...

municipality, member of the Sitamarhi Local Board, Honorary Magistrate of Sitamarhi, civil pleader. * Shyamnandan Prasad , co-ruler of the Serkhouli estate, vice president of the Muzzafarpur Bar Association, senior government pleader. * Radhika Raman Sinha ,

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 ...

of Surajpura, prominent Hindi writer,

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

awardee, chairman of the Shahabad District Board, president of the Harijan Sevak Sangh's Bihar branch, chairman of the Shahabad district's Anti Untouchability League. * Raja Sir Rajiv Ranjan Prasad Sinha, younger brother of the Raja of Surajpura, Member of Legislative Council, first chairman of the

Bihar Legislative Council Bihar Legislative assembly also known as Bihar Vidhan Parishad is the upper house of the bicameral Bihar Legislature of the state of Bihar in India. History A new Province of Bihar and Odisha was created by the Government of India on 12 Decem ...

. *

Sachchidananda Sinha Sachchidananda Sinha (10 November 1871 – 6 March 1950) was an Indian lawyer, statesman, administrator and educationist. He was the first President of the Indian Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution of India. He also served as t ...

, First President of the

Constituent Assembly of India Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated body to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the Provincial assemblies of British India following the Provincial Assembly elections held in 1946 and nominated ...

, vice chancellor of

Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern e ...

, secretary of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

, Member of the

Imperial Legislative Council The Imperial Legislative Council (ILC) was the legislature of British Raj, British India from 1861 to 1947. It was established under the Government of India Act 1858 by providing for the addition of six additional members to the Governor General ...

and Deputy Speaker of the

Indian Legislative Assembly * Central Legislative Assembly * State legislative assemblies of India The State Legislative Assembly, also known as the Vidhan Sabha or the Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories of India. Me ...

. * Dr. Radhika Pati Sahay, head of the Chemistry Department, Bhagalpur University. * Baidyanath Sahay, Senior Vice President at S.S and Co and Author

References

{{reflist Indian noble families