Jatindramohan Tagore
See Tagore for disambiguation
| Maharaja Bahadur Sir Jatindramohan Tagore | |
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 |
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| Born | 16 May 1831 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency |
| Died | 10 January 1908 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India |
Maharaja Bahadur Sir Jatindramohan Tagore KCSI (Bengali: যতীন্দ্রমোহন ঠাকুর) (16 May 1831 – 10 January 1908), was a theatre enthusiast, art-lover, and philanthropist.[1]
Contents
Early life
The son of Hara Kumar Tagore (1798 – 1858) and grandson of Gopi Mohan Tagore, one of the founders of Hindu College, he belonged to the Pathuriaghata branch of the Tagore family. On completing his studies at Hindu College, he studied English and Sanskrit at home.[1] His father, Hara Kumar Tagore, was learned in the Hindu scriptures, Sanskrit and English. He had compiled critically admired books and assisted Radhakanta Deb (1783 – 1867) in compiling Sabdakalpadrum.[2]
When Gnanendramohan Tagore, son of his uncle, Prasanna Coomar Tagore, converted to Christianity in 1851 and was deprived of inheritance for that reason, he inherited the vast property of his uncle.[1]
Tagore Castle
The first house, on the land where Tagore Castle now stands on at 26 Prasanna Kumar Tagore Street in Pathuriaghata, was built by Kali Kumar Tagore. It was a simple three-storey structure. Kali Kumar had given the house to his younger brother Prasanna Coomar. Jatindra Mohan Tagore inherited the property from Prasanna Coomar. In 1895, Jatindra Mohan demolished the old building and started construction of a new building. The plan for the building was prepared by Macintosh Burn and Company from England. It had a 100 feet high centre tower, inspired by the Windsor castle, a flag staff, and a clock imported from England. The building had large rooms as in the castles of England. There was an auditorium on the second floor, meant mainly for the staging of plays. In 1954, S.B. House and Land Pvt. Ltd. of Haridas Mundhra took over the building and has altered most of it to beyond recognition. [3]
Banga Natyalaya
Jatindra Mohan Tagore and his brother Shourendra Mohan Tagore, both theatre enthusiasts, started the Banga Natylalay in Pathuriaghata. His plays were reviewed by contemporary newspapers such as Hindu Patriot which flourished under Harish Chandra Mukherjee, and Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan’s Somprakash. The first play to be staged at Banga Natyalaya was Kalidas’ Mālavikāgnimitram in Sanskrit, in July 1859. A year later, a Bengali translation of Pandit Ramnarayan Tarkaratna's play was staged.[4] Even prior to the Banga Natyalaya, plays were staged at their house in Pathuriaghata from time to time. He inspired Michael Madhusudan Dutta to compose Tilottamasambhav Kabya and paid the expenses for the printing it.[1]
Music and painting
Jatindramohan was drawn towards music. Under his patronage Kshetramohan Goswami was the first in India to experiment with orchestra or group music. It was a path-breaking achievement in a country with the tradition of solo music and was an attempt at fusion of western music with Indian traditions.[1][5]
He was one of the influential art patrons of the day, featuring both as a donor and a purchaser of European paintings at Exhibitions. India's first ever 'Surbahar' concert was featured in his court.
The famous 'Nulo Gopal' who was also one of the first guru's of sarode maestro Ustad Allauddin Khan resided in his court.[6]
Other activities
A man of varied tastes, he donated extensively for public causes. He spent unhesitatingly for the rehabilitation of widows. In 1870, he was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of Bengal, and was reappointed in 1872. In February 1877, he was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of the Viceroy, being reappointed in 1879.[7]
He was secretary and president of British Indian Association, member of the Viceroy’s council, Education Commission, Calcutta University, and Indian Museum. He had a museum in Tagore Castle.
He wrote extensively in English, Bengali and Sanskrit.[1]
Honours
He was honoured with the personal title of Raja Bahadur in 1871, which was elevated to Maharaja in January 1877. In January 1890, he was elevated to the title of Maharaja Bahadur, which was made hereditary in January 1891.[7]
Tagore was granted the following coat of arms by the British government:[7]
- Arms- Azure, the sun in splendour proper, surrounded by a halo of eight points or, all within a bordure argent
- Crest- On a tortoise or, the figure of Lord Vishnu proper, seated; his head surrounded by a halo of the first
- Supporters- A Royal Bengal tiger and an Indian elephant, both rampant, or
- Motto- Bengali: Satyam Balam Kebalam ("Truth the only power")
Legacy
Jatindra Mohan Avenue, the northern extension of Central Avenue is named in Jatindra Mohan Tagore's honour.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, (Bengali), p. 433, ISBN 81-85626-65-0
- ↑ Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali, p. 611
- ↑ Bandopadhyay, Debashis, Bonedi Kolkatar Gharbari, (Bengali), Second impression 2002, pp. 113-6, Ananda Publishers, ISBN 81-7756-158-8
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Mitra, Rajyeshwar, Music in Old Calcutta, in Calcutta, the Living City, Vol I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, p. 183, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-563696-1
- ↑ Guha Thakurta, Tapati, Art in Old Calcutta: The Melting Pot of Western Styles, in Calcutta, the Living City, Vol I, P. 148
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lethbridge, Sir Roper, "The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary, pp, 307-308
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