Sarat Datta Gupta
Encyclopedia
Sarat Kumar Datta Gupta, Esq. was a civilian
of British India.
subdivision in Dacca district in present day Bangladesh
, but worked in Calcutta. He had three elder brothers, Ahwini Kumar, Surendra Kumar and Karuna Kumar Dutta Gupta. Surendra Kumar remained in his ancestral village to manage his father's zamindari, while all the other brothers migrated to Calcutta towards the end of the nineteenth century. Karuna Kumar became one of the earlier graduates of Bengal Engineering College under the University of Calcutta
. His family retained their village lands and home well until 1947.
, he joined the Indian Audits & Accounts Service
. He was Member-Secretary
of the Central Commission
for Inquiry into Prices and Wages of the Government
of India
in 1913. He retired as Accountant General
of India, posted in Simla
, in 1938.
. He was not in the good books of the British due to his nationalist sentiments. His secondment as Agent (Railway Finance
) of the Jaipur Railways in the former Indian state of Jaipur
where he served from 1938-42, was seen as a penal posting by many in his service, but he accepted his appointment and served for full four years in Jaipur.
, who was the MLA from the Bhowanipore constituency from 1951-57 and the vice principal of Surendranath College. His only son, Barindra Kumar Datta Gupta, who studied at Durham University, was the head of an oil refinary owned by the Maharajas of Nawanagar and later became the General Manager of Torrence and Sons in India. His youngest son-in-law, Prabhat Sen, a Barrister
, was a collateral descendant of Maharshi Keshav Chandra Sen, the eminent Brahmo reformer.
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
of British India.
Background
His father, Sarada Kumar Dutta Gupta, who lived in the middle of the 19th century, owned substantial tracts of land in Tarpasha-Jainshar village in BikrampurBikrampur
Bikrampur pargana is situated 12 miles south of Dhaka, the modern-day capital of Bangladesh. It lies in the Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. It is a historic region in Bengal. The region is famous for its early Buddhist scholarships and in the later period for its cultural influences...
subdivision in Dacca district in present day Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, but worked in Calcutta. He had three elder brothers, Ahwini Kumar, Surendra Kumar and Karuna Kumar Dutta Gupta. Surendra Kumar remained in his ancestral village to manage his father's zamindari, while all the other brothers migrated to Calcutta towards the end of the nineteenth century. Karuna Kumar became one of the earlier graduates of Bengal Engineering College under the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
. His family retained their village lands and home well until 1947.
Education and career
After studying at Scottish Church College, CalcuttaScottish Church College, Calcutta
The Scottish Church College is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in India. It is affiliated with the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education , the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education for the awarding of baccalaureate and post baccalaureate...
, he joined the Indian Audits & Accounts Service
Indian Audits & Accounts Service
IAAS or Indian Audit and Accounts Service is an Indian Central Government service, free of control from any executive authority, under the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The officers of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department serve in an audit managerial capacity...
. He was Member-Secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
of the Central Commission
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
for Inquiry into Prices and Wages of the Government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of 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...
in 1913. He retired as Accountant General
Accountant General
The Accountant General or Accountant-General was formerly an officer in the English Court of Chancery who received all moneys lodged in court, deposited them in a bank, and disbursed them. The office was abolished by the Chancery Funds Act of 1872, with the duties transferred to the...
of India, posted in Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, in 1938.
Retirement and after
He was a nationalist and a covert supporter the INCIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. He was not in the good books of the British due to his nationalist sentiments. His secondment as Agent (Railway Finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
) of the Jaipur Railways in the former Indian state of Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
where he served from 1938-42, was seen as a penal posting by many in his service, but he accepted his appointment and served for full four years in Jaipur.
Family
His descedants also rose to eminence in their respective professions. His eldest brother, Ahwini Kumar Dutta Gupta's grandson, Dilip Gupta, was a well known cameraman, who worked with the film director, Bimal Roy, and shot films such as Madhumati and Chaya. His second eldest brother, Surendranath Dutta Gupta's son-in-law, Birendrantha Sen, was a senior railway officer. Another son-in-law was Niranjan Sen, who became a Magistrate in Coochbehar under the Maharajas of Coochbehar before becoming a Deputy Magistrate in West Bengal after independence. Another son-in-law was Jogesh Chandra Dasgupta, an eminent lawyer of Howrah, who became the Secretary of the Howrah Municipality. He was an institution builder and founded Howrah Girl's High School as well as the Tulsiram Lakshmidevi Jaiswal Hospital in Liluah. Dasgupta's son was Shanti Kumar Dasgupta, who was a two terms' MLA and Higher Education Minister in the state cabinet between 1972-7. He later became the High Court appointed Administrator of Surendranath College in Calcutta. Surendranath's son was Lt. Col. Sukumar Dutta Gupta of the Indian Medical Service. His third eldest brother, Karuna Datta Gupta's, son-in-law was Biren Sen, a senior Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer of the United Provices. Sen's only son was Amitabha Sen, the head of the mechanical department of the South Eastern Railways and a Major in the Indian army. One of Sen's daughter is Gayatri Ray, who ran the Indira Gandhi Trust in Delhi for some years. Her husband was Ashok Ray of Indian Foreign Service. Another son-in-law is Debabrata Dutta, IAS, who worked for the World Bank. Dutta Gupta's eldest daughter was married to Kumud Sen, IAAS, who became an Accountant General of India. His second daughter was Mira Datta GuptaMira Datta Gupta
Mira Dattagupta was a well-known freedom fighter, social worker, educationist, politician and activist on women's issues in Calcutta, India. She was a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Bengal and then West Bengal for twenty years from 1937 to 1957, firstly representing Women's constituency in...
, who was the MLA from the Bhowanipore constituency from 1951-57 and the vice principal of Surendranath College. His only son, Barindra Kumar Datta Gupta, who studied at Durham University, was the head of an oil refinary owned by the Maharajas of Nawanagar and later became the General Manager of Torrence and Sons in India. His youngest son-in-law, Prabhat Sen, a Barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, was a collateral descendant of Maharshi Keshav Chandra Sen, the eminent Brahmo reformer.