Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

Digambar Mitra (1817–1879) was one of the leading Derozians and first

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Sheriff of Kolkata The Sheriff of Kolkata is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Kolkata (Calcutta). The Sheriff has an office and staff in Calcutta High Court but does not have executive powers. Mumbai (Bo ...

.Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan by Anjali Bose, p. 204,

Birth and Ancestry

Babu Digambar Mitra, later known as Raja Digambar Mitra, was born in 1817 at

Konnagar Konnagar is a town and a municipality of Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal in India. Konnagar has a railway station that connect with Howrah. It is under Uttarpara police station in Serampore subdivision. It is a part of the area co ...

in the district of Hooghly of present-day

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

into a

Kulin Kayastha Kulin Kayasthas are a sub-caste of the Kayastha caste in West Bengal, India. They are also known as the Kulina Kayasthas. The Kayasthas are regarded in Bengal, along with the Brahmins and Baidyas, as being the "highest Hindu castes". The Bengal ...

family. This wealthy and respectable family of

was locally known as the ''Mandir-Bati-Mitra'' family. Raja Digambar Mitra's grandfather ''Ram Chandra Mitra'' was a cashier in a

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

based mercantile firm. He had three sons namely ''Shib Chandra Mitra'', ''Shambhu Chandra Mitra'' and ''Raj Krishna Mitra'', ''Shib Chandra'' being the eldest among all of the three. All of them were employed in the same firm as their father. ''Shib Chandra Mitra'' had two sons. His eldest son was ''Raja Digambar Mitra''. In the later years, ''Shib Chandra'' bought a house in

Sovabazar Shobhabazar (also spelt Sovabazar; bn, শোভাবাজার) is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Sheths and Basaks, well-to-do traders at Saptagram, were among the first ...

, North Calcutta. ''Raja Digambar Mitra'' spend his childhood at

Life

The son of Shib Chandra Mitra of

Hooghly district Hooghly district () is one of the districts of the Indian state of West Bengal. It can alternatively be spelt ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli''. The district is named after the Hooghly River. The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsura (''C ...

of present-day

, he was educated at

Hare School Hare School is one of the oldest schools in Kolkata, India, teaching grades one to twelve under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. It is a state government-administered boys sc ...

and

Hindu College Hindu College may refers to several colleges around the world, including: India *Dharmamurthi Rao Bhahadur Calavala Cunnan Chetty's Hindu College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu * Gobardanga Hindu College, West Bengal * Gokul Das Hindu Girls College, Moradab ...

and was one of the leading disciples of

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (18 April 1809 – 26 December 1831) was an Indian poet and assistant headmaster of Hindu College, Kolkata. He was a radical thinker of his time and one of the first Indian educators to disseminate Western learning an ...

. He worked as teacher, clerk, tehsildar and zemindari estate manager before earning well from share business and became a zemindar. As manager of the Cossimbazar Raj, he was awarded Rupees one lakh for his innovative efforts. He invested the money in cotton and indigo business and became rich. An orthodox person he opposed the introduction of widow remarriage. He was awarded CSI in 1876 and made Raja in 1877.

References

1817 births 1879 deaths Hare School alumni Businesspeople from Kolkata Sheriffs of Kolkata Companions of the Order of the Star of India {{India-bio-stub