The famous Sengupta family of Chattogram

 

The J M duo of Senguptas(Jatra Mohan and Jatindra Mohan) hailing from Chittagong were big names in anti British colonial freedom struggle of Indian subcontinent. The fierce activities of the British wife of Barrister Jatindra Mohan, Edith Ellen Gray, popularly known as Nellie Sengupta added to the woes of the British Authorities. The names hit the headlines of Bangladesh news media again recently.

The heritage building, belonging to the Senguptas located in a prime location in Rahmatgonj at the heart of Chattogram was about to be pulled down to make way for perhaps a multi storied commercially lucrative structure belonging to a wealthy family taking advantage of flexibility of existing system. However,at the fag end,good sense prevailed and thanks to the last ditch effort taken by some sensible political, cultural and heritage respecting citizens a court order has been achieved to enact a law to protect heritage. Further damage and total demolition of the heritage building could be avoided.

The building once bustling with brisk activities of two most efficient law practitioners of the subcontinent and political activities involving those of some of the top notch anti British freedom fighters including Netaji Subhash,Gandhiji and their colleagues now stands the chance of survival and being turned into a Museum. In the recent past we have seen such success with the Museums in Pabna(in the ancestral home of legendary actress Suchitra Sen), Cumillah (in the ancestral home of Sachin Korta) and even in Chattogram at the Railway building once used as Pahartali European Club(Preetilata Museum). Those successes raise ray of hope in the mind of politically and culturally consious heritage seekers that we may finally have a J M Sengupta Museum or Swadhinata Museum in our Port city which will keep alive the memory of the revolutionery freedom struggle that our forefathers carried on despite all odds against the oppressive colonial British rule.

   The J M duo,as mentioned earlier came from village Barama which comes under present day Chandanaish upazila. Senior JM Jatra Mohan Sengupta's father Trahiram Sengupta was a famous Ayurvedic practitioner of his area and was a wealthy person being owner of huge landed property in their own  area and also in Chittagong town. Jatra Mohan Sengupta studied in Chittagong first and then graduated in law from Calcutta. He turned into one of the most renowned law practitioners of his time and the family became wealthier, socially and politically more important and a leading family of Chittagong. Advocate Jatra Mohan joined the Indian National Congress, fighting for rights of the Indians and soon became a forefront leader of the party.

He was a Member of the Bengal Legislative Council from his party. He once Presided over the annual session of Indian National Congress held in Mymensingh. Apart from their land holding of Chandanaish Zamindari,he owned huge chunks of land in the heart of Chittagong at Rahmatgonj and Jamalkhan area. He did not work for self and family alone. Thinking about female education,he established Dr Khastagir's Girl's School in the city in the name of his father in law Dr Annada Charan Khastagir, another great son of Chittagong. Dr. Khastagir's family later relocated to Calcutta and it will perhaps be not out of the place to mention here that Mrs Padma Khastagir of that family rose to the position of Chief Justice of India. Dr Goutam Khastagir,a renowned Gynaecologist of Kolkata and a descendant of that family still visits Chattogram almost every year for free treatment to Chattogram residents.

Apart from Dr Khastagir's Girl's School,Sri Jatra Mohan Sengupta established Trahi Menoka School to commemorate the name of his parents in their village home at Barama. Both the schools are functioning fine till date. Dr Khastagir's is considered as the best girl's school in Chattogram even now. Jatra Mohan joined Bar at the age of 26 in the year 1876 and earned high reputation as a fine lawyer very quickly. This brought him wealth and popularity. He realised the plight of his countrymen under oppression of British colonialism. Indian National Congress was by then taking lead in the struggle for rights leading to freedom. He joined the party and soon became a leading figure in the fight against colonialism.

In 1898 he was elected to the Bengal Legislative Council. He had five sons and a daughter amongst whom junior JM Jatindra Mohan was the brightest and in many aspects even surpassed his father. Jatra Mohan continued his professional and political activities side by side which brought him to the limelight of social life in Chittagong. In those days there was no Town Hall in Chittagong. Being a business hub and prosperous town it badly needed one for different social, cultural, religious and political congregations. Sri Jatra Mohan took the lead in forming an organization by the name Chittagong Association and funded it to purchase a suitable piece of land near Anderkilla,the heart of the town to establish a Town Hall.

He provided with the funds for construction of the same. A two storied auditorium with a suitable stage was planned to accommodate 500 persons. The construction could not be completed in his lifetime. The ongoing WW1 was also perhaps a reason for the slow progress of work. Finally it was inaugurated shortly after his demise in 1919 and was named after him as J M Sen Hall. Immediately it became a popular venue for all important activities in Chittagong. Almost all important political meetings and conferences found accommodation in this Hall. The big field outside the auditorium accounted for bigger congregations with temporary stages.in the same premises a Club named Oldham Institute was formed for smaller regular gatherings for pass time activities of local elites. The Hall and the Club have stood the test of time and still exist though in poor condition. Jatra Mohan also constructed the huge aristocratic building in Rahmatgonj which accommodated the family and was also used as his(later his acclaimed son Jatindra Mohan's)law chambers.

Their political parleys were also held in this building. Besides, they had other residential accommodations in the areas adjacent to this Mansion. Jatra Mohan's children and other relatives were provided accommodation in these quarters. Amongst his children only Jatindra Mohan could become worthy of carrying forward the beacon lighted by his father. He was born in 1885, had early education in Chittagong and later went to Calcutta Presidency College before proceeding to Cambridge in 1904 to study Law. Finally he became a Barrister and returned home to start Law practice in1911. While in Cambridge he fell in love with Ms Edith Gray and the couple got married. Initially none of the families were in favour but finally the union was accepted and Ms Gray alias Nellie adopted her husband's homeland as her own and fought for the rights of Indians against her own countrymen, the British.

Barrister Jatindra Mohan Sengupta was tremendously successful in his profession and within a short period of time became one of the leading figures in the Bar. His services were sought all over India and he took special interest in fighting cases on behalf of political activists who were fighting against the British colonial forces. Amongst his clients were many revolutionery figures and he could save some of them from the gallows and reduce jail sentence terms of many. Those political cases he always fought without any legal fees. He deemed it as his duty to the Nation.

This value was inculcated in him by his great father who did the same. Side by side the young Barrister started getting involved in Congress politics. He attended the Special Session of Congress in Calcutta in 1920 from where countrywide Non cooperation Movement was launched.  Barrister Jatindra Mohan got deeply involved in the movement. From a meeting chaired by another valiant son of Chittagong, Mr Maniruzzaman Islamabadi(held in J M Sen Hall) a blueprint was chalked out to support the Non cooperation Movement in Chittagong Division. Tea workers,Burma Oil Company workers and Railway workers were organised to form Trade Unions and they went on strike. The tea workers from different gardens abandoned their work and started deserting gardens and going back home in different parts of India. Authorities stopped train movements to deter them but they started on foot. Then police action leading to firing was resorted to. Oil company and Rail workers abandoned their work.

Some were so poor that they did not have means to return home. They were accommodated in tented camps around the J M Sen Hall and Barrister Sengupta fed them by starting Langarkhana spending from his own source. Other leaders also came forward to chip in. Barrister Sengupta got involved in Congress and Labour politics so much that he abandoned his legal profession to devote all of his time to work for freedom of Motherland in 1921. In 1923 he was elected to the Bengal Legislative Council and started working closely with Deshabandhu Chitta Ranjan Das. After the untimely expiry of Deshabandhu in 1925,he became the Chief of the Swaraj Party. They were very vocal within Congress to fight hard for freedom,as their name suggests. He was elected President of Indian National Congress and also Mayor of Calcutta Corporation. In his political life he was arrested many times for his strong anti British stance and spent time in British prisons in many part of the Raj including Rangoon,Darjeeling,Bombay and Ranchi. Because of repeated arrests and unhealthy living conditions in the jails,his health deteriorated and the great soul passed away prematurely in 1933 while still in jail in Ranchi. He was given the title Deshopriyo affectionately by his political colleagues,supporters and countrymen.

   His great spouse Nellie Sengupta stood always by his side in all movements against the misrule and oppression of the British authorities. After his death,she decided to march forward with her husband's vision and mission. She too became a front ranking Congress leader rising upto the position of President of All India Congress. She was elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly twice in 1940 and 1946 from Chittagong.After the British rule was over in 1947 she preferred to stay back in her husband's homeland Chittagong though it came under Pakistan. In the new country she decided to remain active in politics to protect the interests of minorities and at the same time she played a very active role in the social life of Chittagong and the then East Pakistan. In 1954 she was elected an MLA on a Congress ticket from Chittagong. She remained vocal in all forums for the rule of Law and lived in Chittagong in the afore mentioned Mansion with her aristocratic dignity.

She was involved in social and benevolent activities remaining associated with Prabartak Sangha,APWA,Ladies Club and many other organisations. The families finances started declining since the time Barrister J M Sengupta threw his legal practice and spent from his own pocket to run political movements and helping needy political workers and freedom fighters. Abolition of Zamindari reduced the revenues. At one point of time,to meet expenses of benevolent activities of the family Mrs Nellie Sengupta had to rent out the heritage building and shift to a nearby house also belonging to the family. She also had to fight legal battles to save some of their properties from being misappropriated. The couple had three sons all of whom were living in Calcutta and Bombay. She did not have much able support in Chittagong towards late 60s.At the fag end of Pakistan period Mrs Sengupta reportedly had a bad fall in her house and broken her hip bone. At the initiative of Mrs Indira Gandhi,the then Indian Premier,she was offered full care and treatment in India as an anti colonial Freedom Fighter and ex Congress President. She went to Calcutta for treatment.

While she was having her treatment in Calcutta and spending time with her sons and grand children,the Pakistan Government declared their residential Mansion and other properties as enemy property under an infamous act which went by the same name(later renamed as vested properties act). Soon the War of Liberation for freedom of Bangladesh from Pakistani neo colonialism started and Mrs Sengupta remained in Calcutta helping the struggle as best as she could. When she came back to Chittagong several months after the liberation of Bangladesh,their palatial house was by then leased out under the vested properties act for establishment of Bangla College. These lease agreements are renewable every year on expiry. Since the property was already leased out it was not easy to get it back crossing all hurdles of red ribbon. She went back to Calcutta in 1973 and expired  soon thereafter at the age of 84.  Indian Government has honoured her with the Civic honorific Padma Bibhushan. A commemorative stamp was released by Indian Post portraying a picture of the great couple.

Here in Chattogram the Bangla College could not prosper in the leased out homestead of the J M Senguptas and later a School for young kids namely Shishu Bagh was started there and the lease continued to be extended at regular intervals. In the meantime some other wealthy person is reported to have obtained a registered deed executed by Mr Milon Sengupta,son of Ms Protiva,only sister of Barrister Jatindra Mohan Sengupta. It is not clear though whether and how Mr Milon held any authority to sell the property which was supposed to be under the custody of the Government (as vested property). Recently one fine morning people of Rahmatgonj were surprised to see buldozers appearing in front of the heritage building and going into action immediately to pull it down. The information spread like wildfire and sensible citizens from all walks of life appeared at the spot immediately to stop such activity. It required quite some activities to stop further damage. It is understood that higher echelons of authorities were appraised,consulted and the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh was moved. The Court promptly issued a Status Quo order. Banners and Boards at the site explicitly shows that the Government is protecting the building as a Heritage site as per Section24 of our Constitution and a Museum  will be commissioned there.

   The heritage loving, cultural forerunners, politically motivated and sensible citizens of the City hopes that the present dynamic leadership of our Motherland under our able Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will take proper decision to incorporate the names of the Senguptas in  the proposed Museum. The activities and sacrifice of all the anti British colonial freedom fighters including the Senguptas, the members of IRA under Masterda and all other notable fighters who shook the British colonial rule should be duly portrayed in the Museum.

Different galleries may be dedicated to the activities of Freedom Fighters from other parts of Bengal and different other provinces of the Subcontinent. Special attention should be given to our Great War of Liberation. Till time we do not have a Muktijuddha Jadughar in our City. Our War of Liberation saw the biggest Genocide after WW2. A Genocide Museum is a must to make our future generations aware of the atrocities their forefathers had to undergo by sacrificing their today for better tomorrows of their future generations. We could not yet get International recognition of the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh by the Pak army and their associates. A section on 1971 Genocide may be added to the Museum which will be helpful in strengthening our demand and fight for UN and International recognition of the Genocide.

   We are looking forward to pragmatic decisions in the above regards from concerned Authorities.

Courtesy:

1 Mr Kamal Sengupta,a grandson of Barrister Sengupta's cousin. My friend Kamal remembers visiting Mrs Nellie while she was still residing at the aristocratic mansion. Though he was very young he vaguely remembers the dignified furniture and decor of the interior.

2 Dr Moinul Islam Mahmud. My friend Moinul's family lived in Jamalkhan, across the road from the Sengupta residences. He remembers seeing Mrs Sengupta sitting in the lawn and playing with her dogs.

3 Advocate Rana Dasgupta,Prosecutor,ICT,Bangladesh. Rana Da played a vital role in saving the building from demolition.

4. Mr Samuel Mondle,a friend of mine who lived in the same locality as Mrs Sengupta in his childhood and happened to know her. He used to visit her during her Calcutta days in early 70s and discussed various issues including politics. Sam lives in London now. He knew of some of the descendants of Sengupta family in Canada.

5 Mr Uday Sankar Das. My friend Uday  is a veteran journalist living in London.One of his nieces is doing a research on the Sengupta family. She has located some of the descendants in Australia.


The writer is a columnist.