GLIMPSES OF THE BENGALI COMMUNITY
AT BHOPAL IN YESTERYEARS
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R U P A K B O S E
Preface
I have tried to compile information about some of the Bengalis of Bhopal since 1937.
I hope the authorities of Bangla Utsab - May 2011, in their endeavor to publish information about old Bengalis at Bhopal, will do justice to other great Bengalis
as Sri. Tarun Coomar Bhaduri, Smt Indira Bhaduri, Sri Shashanka Mukerjee,
Smt Pragya Mukherjee, Smt. Shibani Chatterjee, Sri. Pobitro Bannerjee, Sri. B.R.Mandal, Sri. N.C.Ray, Sri. A.K.Deb and so many others I have not been able to cover.
First Saraswati Puja at Bhopal, 1942 a rare photo by Rupak Bose
Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, came into existence in the 11th century between 1000 and 1055. The illustrious scholar king Bhoj of the Parmara dynasty constructed two beautiful lakes. He then established his capital city around them and named it Bhojpal after himself. The State of Bhopal was established by Dost Mohammed Khan, an Afghan soldier, in 1724. He built the Fatehgarg fort on the northern bank of the Upper Lake and shifted his capital to the current city of Bhopal. His male descendants ruled till 1844. From 1844-1926, Bhopal was ruled by four successive lady monarchs with the title of Nawab Begum of Bhopal. Nawab Sikandar Saulat Iftikhar-UI-Mulk Bahadur Hamidullah Khan the 3rd son of Begum Sultan Jahan, ascended the throne on 9th June 1926. He was Chancellor of the prestigious Chamber of Princes on two occasions. At the 2nd round table conference, he advocated the independence of India in his capacity as Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes. This action of his was praised by Gandhiji. He developed a very good administrative system. He had a lot of concern for his subjects. In 1942 there was a severe effect of bad weather on the standing crops, and he promptly took steps to alleviate the sufferings of his people. Total peace was ensured at Bhopal State, during the Hindu Muslim riots in eastern India. Dussehra and Id-Ul-Fitr were the only festivals officially celebrated in the State of Bhopal in his tenure. He introduced cycle polo in Bhopal. He was a very good shooter, a keen golfer and pilot. He even appointed a Hindu Prime Minister and it was during this period of his rule, a number of Bengali professionals joined the State Services. He ruled from 1926-1947, serving as nominal ruler & last of the sovereign Nawabs of Bhopal to his death in 1960. He was succeeded by his second daughter, Sajida Sultan (mother of Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi), as the last Begum of Bhopal.
Among the earliest Bengali professionals who came to Bhopal and served in various capacities were:
SRI ARDHENDU DASGUPTA, an engineer from Bengal, joined Bhopal State services from Lahore around 1937 as Chief Engineer Bhopal Electric Supply. As in those days there was no power grid, the source of power supply to Bhopal was a Thermal Power Plant located near Bhopal railway station. Sri. Dasgupta efficiently managed the system and was instrumental in training the local people in generation and distribution of electric power. He was a sportsman and was instrumental in encouraging the local talent in bringing up a hockey team of the Bhopal Electric Supply. Sri. Dasgupta was an active member of the Bengali community and extended all possible help in propagation of Bengali culture.
DR. SAROJ KANTI BOSE was born at Mahesharpasha in Bengal on 6th March 1913. He passed matriculation in 1929 from Paksey High School & graduated from Calcutta University in 1937. An outstanding student throughout his career, he won gold medals for Medicine, Pathology and Ophthalmic Surgery in his final examinations. He was also a good flute player and wrote poetry during his college days.
He was appointed as Pathologist at Prince of Whales Hospital (now Hamidia Hospital) and as Private Physician to His Highness Nawab Hamidullah Khan of Bhopal in 1938. For his dedicated services he was honored with the rank of Lt. Col by the Nawab of Bhopal.
He escorted the Nawab to London for treatment in 1949. For post operative care the Nawab along with his wife Her Highness Begum Maimoona Sultan and the team from Bhopal including Dr. Bose stayed at Versailles Palace in France. During his stay in France as per records available, he served at Broussais Hospital at Paris and displayed promising qualities in medical talent and teaching.
He was instrumental in pursuing the Nawab for allocation of land for construction of Gandhi Medical College building at Fatehgarh fort premises in Bhopal. After its inauguration by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Bose taught Jurisprudence at the medical college for a number of years. Later Dr. Bose took charge of Superintendent Hamidia Hospital and Civil Surgeon Bhopal. Later, Pt. Govind Vallabh Pant & Rajkumari Amrit Kaur also visited the Hospital and appreciated the efforts put in.
His deep concern for the patients, accurate diagnosis and simple medication earned him a house hold name at Bhopal and adjoining districts. He gave equal attention to patients from all walks of life. Gradually this led to building up of immense faith of the people at large in his treatment. Among the interesting incidences is a villager getting cured merely by drinking a dissolved solution of Dr Bose’s prescription on paper and in another case a patient getting cured by a medicine prescribed by Dr. Bose in his dreams.
He was instrumental in establishing the Bengali culture at Bhopal introducing Bengali literature & theatre. All Bengali patients were treated free by him. The poor people in an around Bhopal were also treated free of charge by him. A number of promising local students were assisted by him financially also. He was the first President of Indian Red Cross Society, Private Practitioners Association and the Bengali Association. Incidentally, the first Durga Protima of the Bengali Association was built in 1956 at the newly constructed, unoccupied house, built by Dr. Bose at 43 Sultania Road, Bhopal.
Dr. D.P. Mishra then Chief Minister M.P desired him to accept a nominated seat in Vidhan Sabha, however Dr. Bose declined the same. Later Ma Anandomoyee asked him to join her ashram, which also Dr. Bose declined in favor of his services for the sick at Bhopal and adjoining areas.
Late in 1979 when he was confined to bed, his patients from Bhopal and adjoining areas flocked his residence to have his glimpse with great faith of relief from their ailments by his mere sight. He left for his Heavenly Abode on 13th December 1979
SMT. BINA BOSE, wife of Dr. Saroj Kanti Bose, was the youngest daughter of Raibahadur Mahadeb Ghosh of undivided Bengal. An expert house wife, she excelled in Bengali culture & cuisine. She came to Bhopal in 1942 and was quick to pick up the local regal etiquettes along with Muslim & Persian cuisine guided by the experts of the Royal Palace at Bhopal. She conducted herself gracefully among the Royalty. As an elderly member of the Bengali Community, she took great care of all the people around her. She delighted the erstwhile members of the Bengali Association with her culinary skills during the rehearsals of Bengali plays and Puja ceremonies at home.
Younger brother of Dr. Saroj Kanti Bose, SRI NIRMAL KANI BOSE was born in 1917 at Mahesharpasha, Bengal. At the age of 13 years when he was in class 6, in his quest for Country’s independence, he left home & reported at District Indian National Congress office in Pabna. He was deputed to Shujalpur to participate in the non co-operation movement. Later he joined the Anusheelan party led by Sri. Subhash Chandra Bose. He actively took part in independence movement.
Later, Sri. Mrinal Kanti Bose shifted to Bhopal in 1941. He had an in born talent for social networking. He joined Hindusthan Motors & thereafter LIC where he did remarkable work in the dacoit infested areas of Chambal. He even covered the family members of legendary dacoit Maan Singh. Later he handled insurance cases for BHEL Bhopal.
SMT. INDIRA BOSE wife of Sri. Mrinal Kanti Bose was MA in Hindi from IT College Lucknow. During the struggle for Independence, she had also participated in a number of movements with Mahatma Gandhi. Later in 1947 she joined Hamidia College Bhopal as lecturer of Hindi. She was a contemporary & close friend of Smt. Sofia Akhtar, lecturer of Urdu at the same college. Sri. Janisar Akhtar husband of Smt. Sofia Akhtar was also Professor at Hamidia college at that time. Smt. Bose also taught Hindi during early 60’s at BHEL training school, Bhopal. She was also a voracious reader and her expertise in knitting was unparallel.
During 1939 to 1949, SRI KAMAL MUKHERJEE was CEO of Sugar Mill at Sehore. Sri. Mukherjee was closely associated with the Bengali community at Bhopal. His wife SMT. BELA MUKHERJEE was an active social worker. DR. SUSHIL SENGUPTA was attached to the Military Hospital at Bairagarh. Dr Sengupta & his wife SMT. PARUL SENGUPTA were active members of the Bengali community. SRI MANOJ SIRKAR was in the Health Services and DR. A BANERJEE was a popular Homeopath.
An eminent Health Officer of Rajshahi District of Bengal, DR. GIRIJA KANTO CHAKRABORTY at his ripe old age of over 70 years, joined Bhopal State Services way back in 1941. Being highly experienced in his field, Dr. Chakraborty laid the foundations for ensuring hygiene in the State of Bhopal. He was a senior guiding member in those years for the core group of Bengali community at Bhopal. Regular meetings were held at the residence of Dr. Saroj Kanti Bose. Dr. Bose’s father SRI NARENDRA NATH BOSE who had retired from SE Railways & settled at Bhopal and Dr. Chakraborty were close friends. In order to retain & spread the rich Bengali culture in the Muslim State of Bhopal, they were instrumental in organizing the first Saraswati Puja at Bhopal in 1942.
SRI BANI KANTO CHAKRABORTY, nephew of Dr. Girija Kanto Chakraborty also came to Bhopal during 1941. Sri. Bani Kanto Chakraborty was a freedom fighter and had taken active part in the freedom movement. They stayed at Gohar Mahal (VIP road). He joined Bhopal Electric Supply and was trained by Sri. Ardhendu Dasgupta. Later Sri. Chakraborty developed his career in Meter Department of Martin Burn Co. at Kolkata, Lucknow and Benaras.
In 1948, Prof. C.R.Gupta joined Hamidia College in Dept of English and his wife Smt. Nilima Gupta later took over as Principal Sultania Girls School.
Later, during early 1950s, Sri. Roy Choudhary, Sri. Souren Sen, Sri Hiralal Sen and later in mid 1950s Sri.Debesh Sarkar, Sri. Probir Sengupta and Sri Ashutosh Banerjee joind the Accounts Department at Bhopal. Sri. Sushil Paul an artist of great repute, graduated in Fine Arts from Calcutta and started his career with the famous Theatre Groups at Calcutta. He came to Bhopal in early 1950 and joined as faculty in the Dept of Fine Arts. Exhibition of his paintings held at metros attracted connoisseurs of arts in large numbers. During those days, Sri Shusil Paul also helped in make up of artists performing during Bengali cultural programs at Shahjanabad. As in those days only men folk acted in plays, roles of ladies were enacted by them with fine make up done by Sri. Sushil Paul.
Dr. Mriganko Shekahr Mitra a gold medalist from Calcutta Medical College in 1943, joined as Superintendent TB Hospital Bhopal in 1953. Earlier Dr. Mitra had served with TB Sanitariums at Kasauli & Ranchi. His wife Smt. Nirmala Mitra hailed from Tehri Gharwal. Mrs Mitra studied Bengali literature and imbibed Bengali Culture to great perfection. Well informed & a perfectionist in all aspects of house keeping, she was at ease with the local population as well as foreigners. Their son Soumya, a post graduate in Economics from Oxford is a senior member of World Bank at Washington. Their daughter Navaneeta recently retired as Sr. Vice President Royal Canadian Bank and settled at Montreal. Dr. Mitra’s younger brother Sri. Himangshu Shekahr Mitra after his retirement from Indian Railways also settled at Bhopal. Being well conversed with Indian Philosophy and Bengali literature, he was also author of short Bengali stories.
Sri. Kamalesh Chandra Lahiry from IIT Karagpur, nephew of Sri. Bani Kanto Chakraborty joined BHEL Bhopal in 1959. Sri. Lahiry was also closely associated with BHEL Kali Bari at Bhopal. After his retirement from BHEL New Delhi as Director Power, has settled at Bhopal. He continues to impart his management & technical skills as Board member of a number of prestigious organizations. He is also closely associated with Ramakrishna Mission at Bhopal.
Justice Vivek Ranjan Sen was appointed as the first Vigilance Commissioner of Madhya Pradesh in 1964. Justice Sen was born on 16th of August 1898. He did his schooling from Government High School, Hoshangabad where he was awarded the Miller Medal for proficiency in academics. After doing his B.Sc from Allahabad University, he did his MA and LL.B. from Agra University.
He started practicing law at Jabalpur where he won fame and recognition as a lawyer in two important cases. Legal luminaries of the likes of Late Tej Bahadur Sapru and Late Fazul Haque were attracted by his legal acumen, sharp intellect and powerful advocacy. Justice V.R. Sen shifted to Nagpur in 1943 and was appointed a judge of the Nagpur High Court in 1949. It would not be out of place to mention here that his elder brother Late Justice J.R. Sen was already a judge in the same High Court which was a record of sorts in that two brothers were judges in the same High Court at the same time. History would repeat itself when Justice A.P. Sen and Justice C.P. Sen (Justice J.R. Sen’s sons) became judges of M.P. High Court, Jabalpur at the same time. Thus a distinguished Probasi Bengali family has given four High Court judges to the states of the erstwhile Central Provinces and Madhya Pradesh. Subsequent to the reorganisation of states in 1956, Justice V.R. Sen shifted to Jabalpur whereupon he retired as acting Chief Justice in 1958. After his retirement, he was associated with various commissions of enquiry the most important being the Vivian Bose Commission of enquiry into the affairs of the Dalmia Group of companies. When Justice Vivian Bose resigned from the Commission, Justice V.R. Sen took over as Chairman of the Commission. The recommendations of the Commission (the operative part) were drafted by Justice Sen. Some of the recommendations made by him were to find a way in to the Companies Act of India.
Justice Sen was associated with the Nagpur University Academic Council and was appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Law. Later, he was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Jabalpur University where he was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Law in recognition of his contribution to the field of law and education. Justice Sen was appointed as the first Vigilance Commissioner of Madhya Pradesh in 1964 for a period of 5 years. On completion of the tenure, he was given an extension of another 5 years which he could not complete due to his demise on the 19th of November 1969. As a mark of respect and in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of law and education, he was given a State funeral with full honors.
Rich tributes were paid to him by the courts, educational institutions, cultural institutions and leading newspapers of the country describing him as a scholar of eminence, gentleman par excellence, outstanding lawyer and jurist known for his independence of views, honesty, integrity and sound interpretation of law.
Justice Sen’s magnetic personality and Madam Sen’s qualities to mesmerize the gatherings with her witty tales will always remain in the minds of people of Bhopal who had known them.
Inputs from family members of Sri Ardhendu Dasgupta
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Sri. Ardhendu Dasgupta born in 1908, in his early days at school participated in the Independence Movement of India. He graduated as an engineer from Jadavpur Engineering College, Bengal, He was appointed by Nawab Hamiddulah Khan during the latter’s visit to Lahore. He joined Bhopal State services around 1937 & rose up to the position of Chief Engineer Bhopal Electric Supply. As in those days there was no power grid, the source of power supply to Bhopal was a Thermal Power Plant located near Bhopal railway station. Sri. Dasgupta efficiently managed the system and was instrumental in training the local people in generation and distribution of electric power. He was a sportsman and was instrumental in encouraging the local talent in bringing up two hockey teams of the Bhopal for Krishna Gold Cup & Jyotsna Silver Cup. He was also Secy. Obaidullah Khan Gold Cup Hockey Association. Sri. Dasgupta was an active member of the Bengali community and extended all possible help in propagation of Bengali culture.
