West Bengal Archives - Page 4 of 4 - INDIAN MEMORY PROJECT

A blind date

My wedding, Calcutta, West Bengal. 1969

My wedding, Calcutta, West Bengal. 1969 Image and Narrative contributed by Lata Bhasin, New Delhi I met my husband Anil Bhasin, a business man, on a Blind date in 1966. We got married three years later. We lived in Calcutta a while, had two daughters and then moved to Delhi in 1985. 'Bouffants' hair dos were in great style then, and all of us friends would keep up with trends. Most of our friends moved to other countries, after their respective marriages.

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.

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.

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."

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.

All translations are machine generated, hence they are not 100% accurate.