Bangladeshi Family portrait

Bangladeshi Family portrait
My great grandmother and family. Dhaka, East Bengal ( Now Bangaladesh). Circa 1934

My great grandmother and family. Dhaka, East Bengal ( Now Bangaladesh). Circa 1934 Image and Narrative contributed by Saugato Datta, London This photograph was taken at a photo Studio in Dhaka. The woman in the upper-right corner (dark blouse, sari and dangling earrings) is my grandmother Smritikona Basu (nee Majumdar) (1919-1995). To her left, in the middle is her older sister, Sadhana Basu and then their cousin whose name I don't know. The man is Sadhana's husband, Manindranath Bose, who was a lecturer in Dhaka University. After partition of Indian and Bangladesh, he migrated to Bihar and became a professor and later a principal of a college in Begusarai. The baby is Sadhana's oldest son (Samir Bose, 1933 -). He is now a retired Professor of Physics at the Notre Dame University, South Bend, Indiana. The old lady is my great-great-grandmother, Swarnalata Majumdar. My guess is she would have been born around 1880. They all lived at my great great Grandmother Swarnalata's house in Tikatuli, old Dhaka.

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Eight months pregnant on the New Year’s eve

Eight months pregnant on the New Year’s eve
My parents photographed on New Year's Eve. Calcutta, West Bengal. 1958

My parents photographed on New Year's Eve. Calcutta, West Bengal. 1958 My father worked for a company called Metal Box in Calcutta. In this image, my mother, an Obstetrician,  is 8.5 months pregnant with my elder brother, who was born 18 days after this picture was taken.

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The Professor who founded the Surat University

The Professor who founded the Surat University
My maternal Grandparents, Surat, Gujarat, 1925

My maternal Grandparents, Surat, Gujarat, 1925 "My Grandfather was a very progressive man. Though he married my grandmother very young, 17 or 18 I think, he decided not to have children until she was in her 20s. He understood that she was too young to have kids so early. He was a Chemistry professor in Surat. After being trained in Manchester,  he and 2 other professors joined hands and found the Surat University. The watch that my grandmother proudly wears in this photograph, was a gift bought for her in Manchester."

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The father, son and their gun

The father, son and their gun
My father, Syed Mohammed Abbas Rizvi and grandfather, Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi. Rourkela, Orissa. 1960

My father, Syed Mohammed Abbas Rizvi and grandfather, Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi. Rourkela, Orissa. Circa 1960 Image and Narrative contributed by Rizvi Amir Abbas Syed. This picture was taken in the 1960s at "Friends Studio" in sector 5 market, Rourkela. My father (left) worked for Hindustan Steel Limited which later became SAIL, Steel Authority of India Limited. My grand Father (right) was an Officer in Excise department when Bihar, Bengal & Orissa were in one state called Old Bengal. My grand father always carried a gun (C.G BONEHILL 12 BORE BRITISH SXS HAMMER GUN). And like some others, he too had a license to carry it anywhere in India, even though licenses were and are given for a particular city/district. He had a stupendous collection of guns, all inherited from his father. All our guns, however were later taken away by the Jharkhand Police, as licensed guns are by law to be observed under police custody. Having said that,  one can always find people roaming around freely with illegal weapons in Palamau District.

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Goans in Allahabad

Goans in Allahabad
My grandparents Ahilya & Pandurang Karapurkar with their eldest daughter Vijayalakshmi. Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, 1942

My grandparents Ahilya & Pandurang Karapurkar with their eldest daughter Vijayalakshmi. Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, 1942 Image and Narrative contributed by Madhav Pai, Mumbai My grandfather Pandurang Karapurkar was a banker. They belonged to Goa but emigrated to Allahabad, UP in the 1940s. The little girl in the picture is my aunt (mother's elder sister) and she retired a few years ago after serving as a high court judge.

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