Dutta (surname)
Encyclopedia
Dutta, also spelled Datta and Dutt (Assamese
and Bengali
: দত্ত), is an Indian family name and surname
found amongst Bengali
, Punjabi
and Assamese
Hindu
s. The name is derived from the word aditya, which means sun in Sanskrit
.
community, a class of Kshatriya
s that originated from Kannauj
, India
's capital during much of the classical period, and immigrated to eastern India during the 11th century AD. Kayasthas held positions as high-ranking ministers and government officials during the Sena Dynasty
, and over time came to form part of the landowning, or zamindari, class of Bengali society. During modern times, Kayasthas have made significant contributions to various fields, including the arts, academia and politics.
Some Baidya (Vaid) Brahmins use Dutta as a surname, although they usually use variations such as Duttagupta or Duttasharma instead.
Famous Bengali Dattas/Duttas include:
community. Being Kalitas they more inclined towards Eksaran Naam Dharma and thus may not religiously follow idol worship unlike most of the traditional Hindus. Assamese Duttas' have made significant contribution to the society of Assam.
Famous Assamese include:
Brahmins. According to the Gotra
system, they are the descendants of Rishi
Bharadwaj, the same as the Duttas from Bengal. Some consider Gaj Bhavan, the grandson of Rishi Bharadwaj to be the real founder of their clan.
Famous Punjabis include:
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
and Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
: দত্ত), is an Indian family name and surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
found amongst Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
, Punjabi
Punjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
and Assamese
Assamese people
The Assamese people are a well-defined subgroup of People of Assam. Though sometimes they are defined as the Assamese-speaking Indo-Aryans of the Brahmaputra valley,, this definition is not legally binding...
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s. The name is derived from the word aditya, which means sun in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
.
Bengalis
Bengali Duttas/Dattas belong to the KayasthaKayastha
Kayastha or Kayasth or Kayeth is a caste or community of Hindus originating in India. Kayastha means "scribe" in Sanskrit, and has traditionally denoted members of the writer caste....
community, a class of Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
s that originated from Kannauj
Kannauj
Kannauj , also spelt Kanauj, is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja . Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's capital during much of the classical period, and immigrated to eastern India during the 11th century AD. Kayasthas held positions as high-ranking ministers and government officials during the Sena Dynasty
Sena dynasty
The Sena Empire was a Hindu dynasty that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. At its peak the empire covered much of the north-eastern region in the Indian Subcontinent. They were called Brahma-Kshatriyas, as evidenced through their surname, which is derived from the Sanskrit,...
, and over time came to form part of the landowning, or zamindari, class of Bengali society. During modern times, Kayasthas have made significant contributions to various fields, including the arts, academia and politics.
Some Baidya (Vaid) Brahmins use Dutta as a surname, although they usually use variations such as Duttagupta or Duttasharma instead.
Famous Bengali Dattas/Duttas include:
- Akshay Kumar DattaAkshay Kumar DattaAkshay Kumar Datta was born in Chupi in Bardhaman. Son of Pitamber Dutta, he was one of the initiators of the Bengal Renaissance. After studying in the Oriental Seminary under the special care of Hardman Jeffroy, he had to give up studies because of the death of his father and go job-seeking...
(1820–1886); writer - Aloke DuttaAloke DuttaAloke Dutta is an established Bengali tabla player.Aloke has become an important figure in modern music, having taught some of the most influential drummers of our time...
; tabla player - Amal DuttaAmal Dutta-Playing career:In 1950s he played in midfield for East Bengal. He also represented India in the 1954 Asian Games at Manila.-Coaching career:After retirement as a player he went to England for a one-year FA coaching course, where he was taught by the renowned Walter Winterbottom.On returning to...
; famous Indian footballer (retired) and football coach. - Anjan DuttaAnjan DuttaAnjan Dutta is a popular artist of the 1990s Bengali music scene defined by anyodharar gaan . Anjan Dutta's style of music is different from the others in the sense that it has simple tunes, one that is reminiscent of western folk music. His lyrics are simple and more natural...
; popular artist of the 1990s Bengali music scene defined by anyodharar gaan (alternative song) - Aswini Kumar Dutta (1856–1923); nationalist leader and philanthropist
- Chitra SinghChitra SinghChitra Singh is a renowned Indian Urdu/Hindi Ghazal singer. She was married to Jagjit Singh, who was a prominent Ghazal singer. Jagjit Singh died on October 10 2011. They formed a highly popular duet team and are considered pioneers of modern Ghazal singing. -Early life:Chitra Dutta was born in a...
; born Chitra Dutta, singer and wife of Jagjit Singh - Geeta DuttGeeta DuttGeetā Dutt was a prominent singer in India. She found particular prominence as a playback singer in Hindi cinema...
(1930–1972); singer - Gurusaday Dutta founder- Bratachari
- Jyotirmoy DattaJyotirmoy DattaJyotirmoy Datta is a Bengali writer, journalist, poet, and an essayist. He worked for The Statesman, Calcutta's oldest English-language daily, as feature writer, film critic, correspondent, and associate editor. He visited the University of Chicago as a lecturer, 1966–1968, and also did a...
; writer, journalist, poet and essayist - Michael Madhusudan DuttMichael Madhusudan DuttMichael Madhusudan Dutt or Michael Madhusudan Dutta was a popular 19th century Bengali poet and dramatist. He was born in Sagardari , on the bank of Kopotaksho [কপোতাক্ষ] River, a village in Keshobpur Upozila, Jessore District, East Bengal . His father was Rajnarayan Dutt, an eminent lawyer, and...
(1824–1873); poet and dramatist - Radha Raman DuttaRadha RomonRadha Raman Dutta , also spelt as Radharaman Dutta, was an influential Sylheti folk music composer and poet from the Sunamganj District in Sylhet, Bangladesh...
; music composer - Rajani Palme DuttRajani Palme DuttRajani Palme Dutt , best known as R. Palme Dutt, was a leading journalist and theoretician in the Communist Party of Great Britain.-Early years:...
, British politician - Romesh Chunder Dutt (1848–1909); writer, economist, historian, translator of Vedas
- Satyendranath DuttaSatyendranath DuttaSatyendranath Dutta , a Bengali poet, is considered the wizard of rhymes...
- Sudhindranath DuttaSudhindranath DuttaSudhindranath Dutta was a Bengali Indian post-modern poet, essayist, journalist and critic. Sudhindranath is one of the most notable poets after the Tagore-era in Bangla literature.-Education:...
- Swami VivekanandaSwami VivekanandaSwami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
(1863–1902); born Narendranath Dutta, spiritual leader of modern India - Tanushree DuttaTanushree DuttaTanushree Dutta is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood films. A former beauty queen, she won the Femina Miss India universe title in 2004.- Biography :...
; Indian actress - Tina DuttaTina DuttaTina Dutta is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood Movies and Television shows. She has acted in many Bollywood movies and also acted in a lot of television shows. She is known for playing lead character of Iccha in the television show Uttaran....
; (actress) - Toru DuttToru DuttToru Dutt was an Indian poetess who wrote in English and French.-Childhood:Toru Dutt was the youngest girl of Govin Chunder Dutt, a retired Indian Officer. She was born on the fourth of March 1856...
(1856–1877); poet - Utpal DuttUtpal DuttUtpal Dutt was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali Theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the 'Little Theater Group' in 1947, which enacted many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a period...
(1929–1993); author, dramatist, director, actor and activist
Assamese
In Assam, Duttas/Dattas belong to general caste and are associated with KalitaKalitas of Assam
The Kalita caste of the state of Assam, North East India are a unique Hindu social group who have been a dominant caste through the ages. Assam is known for its large number of groups with their own distinctive culture. It is the cradle of twenty seven indigenous ‘tribes’ and unique in the world...
community. Being Kalitas they more inclined towards Eksaran Naam Dharma and thus may not religiously follow idol worship unlike most of the traditional Hindus. Assamese Duttas' have made significant contribution to the society of Assam.
Famous Assamese include:
- Moni Kangana DuttaMonikangana DuttaMoni Kangana Dutta is an Indian model and actress based in Mumbai. She hails from Guwahati, Assam and studied at the Matreyi College, University of Delhi.-Modeling:In 2001, Dutta won the Metropolitan Top Model Contest of France...
, model and actress from Assam - Anandita DuttaAnandita Dutta TamulyAnandita Dutta Tamuly , maiden name Anandita Dutta, is an Assamese woman from Titabor Town in Jorhat district of Assam. She is married to Pankaj Tamuly and is mother of a son. She is known for eating and rubbing Bhut Jolokia peppers on her bare eyes...
, record holder in Limca Book of RecordsLimca Book of RecordsLimca Book of Records is a record book of Indian origin. First published in 1990, when the Limca Brand was owned by Parle Group. The book continued to be published by Coca-Cola, when they bought the Limca Brand. The 20th edition of this book was released by Amitabh Bachchan in March 2009... - Utpal DuttaUtpal DuttaUtpal Datta is a National Film Award-winning film critic, long associated with Bismoi, a entertainment Assamese magazine, and works with the All India Radio Guwahati, where his book 24 Frames , an anthology of articles on Indian cinema was released as a radio program. -Personal life:Utpal Datta ...
, a National Film Award-winning film critic - Birendra Nath Datta, writer and a Padma Shri award recipient
Punjabis
Punjabi Duttas are a clan of the MohyalMohyal
Mohyal is the name of an endogamous ethnic group that originates from the Gandhara region and consists of seven Brahmin lineages of that area that left the usual priestly occupation of Brahmins long ago to serve as soldiers and in government services.The...
Brahmins. According to the Gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
system, they are the descendants of Rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
Bharadwaj, the same as the Duttas from Bengal. Some consider Gaj Bhavan, the grandson of Rishi Bharadwaj to be the real founder of their clan.
Famous Punjabis include:
- Divya DuttaDivya DuttaDivya Dutta is an Indian actress from Ludhiana, Punjab, India who appears in Hindi and Punjabi films.- Career :She did her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent, Ludhiana...
; actress - Lara DuttaLara DuttaLara Dutta Bhupathi is an Indian actress, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, and former Miss Universe.-Early life:Dutta was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh to a Punjabi father and an Anglo-Indian mother. Her father is Wing Commander L.K. Dutta and her mother is Jennifer Dutta...
; actress and former Miss Universe. - Sanjay DuttSanjay DuttSanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
; actor - Sunil DuttSunil DuttSunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...
(1929–2005); actor, politician - Nargis Dutt (1929–1981); actor
- Pundit Hulasa Ram DuttaPundit Hulasa Ram DuttaHulasa Ram Dutta Hulasa Ram Dutta Hulasa Ram Dutta (हुलासा राम दत्ता (Hindi); ,was an India tea trader and well esteblished businessman and social activist at his time.He is well known in politics circles at the era of Raja of Mandi Riyasat, Himachal Pradesh (Old Himachal)-Early life:...
; A resident of village known as "Dakbagra" or "Dak Badla" in hills of old Himachal (Now in Distt. Mandi). Born in Hoshiarpur distt. of Punjab went for trade/business with Britishers in early 20s (1912–13).