A serious family photograph

A serious family photograph
My father's family. The Datta family. Location either Delhi or Simla. Circa 1940

My father's family. The Datta family. Location either Delhi or Simla. Circa 1940 Image and Narrative contributed by Saugato Datta, London This photograph of my father’s family was taken in the courtyard of my grandfather’s government house on Irwin Road (now Baba Kharak Singh Marg,Delhi). Seated in the middle are my grandparents, Sailendraprasad Datta (1898-1956) and Bibhabati Datta (1906-1977). My grandfather was a civil servant and moved to New Delhi from Calcutta in the early 1920s. My grandmother was a housewife. She grew up in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. To the left of my grandfather is their eldest child, my aunt Uma Datta Roy Choudhury (1926-2009). She was a statistician, joining the Indian Statistical Service when it was founded after Independence, which was also the year she got her MA from St. Stephen’s College. She later consulted for UNDP and lived for many years in the then Czechoslovakia (Now Czech Republic and Slovakia) and later in Zimbabwe. To the right of the my grandmother, is my oldest uncle, Kalyan Kumar Datta (1928-1998). He was a pilot for Indian Airlines and lived in Calcutta. The little boy on the left is my father, Kamal Kumar Datta (born 1938). He studied Physics at Presidency College, Calcutta and Brandeis University in the US, and was a professor of Physics at Delhi University till he retired earlier this decade. The other kid on the right is his brother, Saroj Kumar Datta, (born 1936) who was also a Stephanian. He worked for many years in Air India, and has been with Jet Airways since it was founded. he currently works as Jet’s Executive Director. He’s still working, though he recently turned 75. The two youngest kids are apparently beaming because they were given books to entice them to sit still for the…

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A picture of elegance

A picture of elegance
Kamala Brahmachari, my paternal aunt, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh 1937

Kamala Brahmachari, my paternal aunt, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh 1937 Image and Narrative contributed by Mallika Ganguly. Kamala was my father's older sister. She grew up in Allahabad and Calcutta, married Dr. S.L Brahmachari, a psycho analyst and later moved to the UK, USA and Canada. She was an extremely elegant and sophisticated woman. A wonderful raconteur, she was worldy, well travelled and witty. She died in 2010 shortly after her 96th birthday .

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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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The seven brothers in order of height

The seven brothers in order of height
My grandparents with my father and his brothers. Shyambajar, Calcutta, West Bengal. 1943

My grandparents with my father and his brothers. Shyambajar, Calcutta, West Bengal. 1943 . Digitally Coloured in Year 2009 Image and Narrative contributed by Shubhodeep Das, Bengaluru "This photograph was taken by a hired photographer on the terrace of the house, which was probably 100 years old at that time. The arrangement of all the boys in a descending order of height has always amused me. They were a family of seven brothers. Brothers -Left to Right - Late Sri Prithwish Kumar Das, studied engineering and design in Glasgow and settled in Calgary, Canada. Sri Pijush Kumar Das, studied and ventured into the banking sector. He is retired now and settled in Kolkata. Dr. Priyotosh Das studied medicines in Kolkata and later settled in UK. Till date he visits Kolkata every year. Dr. Prodosh Das worked for the West Bengal Government and is now retired and settled in Kolkata. Late Sri Pronobesh Kumar Das went on to become a painter, he never married and lived all his life in Kolkata. Prof. Prabir Kumar Das still teaches engineering as a part time lecturer in Kolkata. My father, Sri Pradip Kumar Das, served in the Indian Ariforce from 1961 till 89, retired and settled in Kolkata. Till date, all remaining brothers are in touch, they get together and do travel together for fun, at least once a year."

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India’s first Kodak couple

India’s first Kodak couple
My great-great grandparents, Sarala and Dr. PK Roy. Calcutta, West Bengal. Circa 1880

My great-great grandparents, Sarala and Dr. PK Roy. Calcutta, West Bengal. Circa 1880 Image and Narrative contributed by Chetan Roy, UK This photo was used by Kodak India for an Ad campaign in the early 1980s. Sarala Roy was an educationist and is remembered as the founder of the Gokhale Memorial School at Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal. She belonged to the famous Das family of Telirbagh, Dhaka, now in Bangladesh. She was also a member of Calcutta University’s senate and also one of the leaders of the All-India Women’s Conference. The conference was founded in 1927 under the leadership of Margaret Cousins but was soon completely run by Indian women. It was the most important women’s organisation of its time. She devoted her life to the cause of women’s education and also established a Girl’s school & a Women's organization in Dhaka, while living there with her husband. Rabindranath Tagore composed the dance-drama Mayar Khela at her request.   Prasanna Kumar Roy (1849-1932) was a well-known educationist and the first Indian to be principal of Presidency College, Calcutta. He was attracted towards the Brahmo Samaj early in life he was turned out of his home. However, he won the Gilchrist Scholarship to go to England. He graduated from the University of London in 1873. He was awarded the D.Sc. degree in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh and the University of London in 1876. He and Ananda Mohan Bose got together to establish a Brahmo Samaji Indian Association and a library in the UK. He was posted to England for two years as Education Assistant to the Secretary for India.

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