The Tagore family (also spelled as ''Thakur''), with over three hundred years of history,Deb, Chitra, pp 64–65. has been one of the leading families of

Calcutta, India Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...

, and is regarded as one of the key influencers during the Bengali Renaissance. The family has produced several persons who have contributed substantially in the fields of business, social and religious reformation, literature, art and music.

Family history

The original surname of the Tagores was Kushari. They were

Pirali Brahmin The Bengali Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along with Baidyas a ...

('Pirali’ historically carried a stigmatized and pejorative connotation) and originally belonged to a village named Kush in the district named

Burdwan Bardhaman (, ) is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an alternative name for the city, ...

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 fou ...

. The biographer of Rabindranath Tagore, Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyaya wrote in the first volume of his book ''Rabindrajibani O Rabindra Sahitya Prabeshika'' that "The Kusharis were the descendants of Deen Kushari, the son of

Bhatta Narayana Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa Mṛgarājalakśman, also known as Nishānārāyana, was a Sanskrit scholar and writer who belonged to the ''Pancharatra'' Rarhi branch of ''Sandilya'' family of Brahmins. He lived before 800 A.D. for he is cited by Vāmana ...

; Deen was granted a village named Kush (in

zilla) by

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

Kshitisura, he became its chief and came to be known as Kushari."Mukhopadhyaya, Prabhatkumar, ''Rabindrajibani o Rabindra Sahitya Prabeshak'', 1985, Visva Bharati, p 3''On the edges of time (New ed.)'' (December 1978), Tagore, Rathindranath, Greenwood Press. p. 2, ''Timeless Genius'', Mukherjee, Mani Shankar, ''Pravasi Bharatiya''(May 2010), p. 89, 90''Rabindranath Tagore : Poet And Dramatist''(1948), Thompson, Edward, Oxford University Press. p. 13

Background of Tagore

Tagores are Bengali Brahmins Rabindranath's biographer, Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyaya, wrote in his book named ''Rabindrajibani O Rabindra Sahitya Prabeshika'' that: ''The Kusharis were the descendants of Deen Kushari, the son of

; Deen was granted a village named Kush (in

Zilla) by Maharaja Kshitisura, he became its chief and came to be known as Kushari.Mukhopadhyaya, Prabhatkumar, ''Rabindrajibani o Rabindra Sahitya Prabeshak'', 1985, Visva Bharati, p 3''On the edges of time (New ed.)'' (December 1978), Tagore, Rathindranath, Greenwood Press. p. 2, ''Timeless Genius'', Mukherjee, Mani Shankar, ''Pravasi Bharatiya''(May 2010), p. 89, 90''Rabindranath Tagore : Poet And Dramatist''(1948), Thompson, Edward, Oxford University Press. p. 13'' Generations later a branch of the Tagore family left its ancestral village in

and moved to the Eastern part of Bengal . Later on their descendants came back to the Western part of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

(now

) from eastern part of

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

) and settled in the region situated on the right bank of the

River Hooghly The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, Indi ...

(

Rarh Rarh region () is a toponym for an area in the Indian subcontinent that lies between the Chota Nagpur Plateau on the West and the Ganges Delta on the East. Although the boundaries of the region have been defined differently according to various ...

) in the 18th century Panchanan Kushari from Dakshindihi (now in Bangladesh), first settled in Gobindapur region around 1720 near what became Fort William, and then after eviction by the British, moved to

Jorasanko Jorasanko is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. It is so called because of the two (''jora'') wooden or bamboo bridges (''sanko'') that spanned a small stream at this point. History Apart from the disti ...

region south of Sutanuti). Europeans started coming to Bengal in the 16th century, resulting in the founding of Ugulim (

Hooghly-Chinsura Hugli-Chuchura or Hooghly-Chinsurah is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the bank of Hooghly River, 35 km north of Kolkata. It is located in the ...

) by the Portuguese in 1579. The Battle of Plassey in 1757 resulted in the deposition of the last independent Nawab of Bengal. After the Battle of Buxar, the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

was given the right to collect revenues from Bengal. By 1793, the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

had abolished the Nizamat (the office of

nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

, the local ruler) and had taken control of the former Mughal province of Bengal. The Bengal renaissance of the 19th century was a remarkable period of societal transformation in which a whole range of creative activities – literary, cultural, social and economic – flourished. The Bengal Renaissance was the culmination of the process of emergence of the cultural characteristics of the Bengali people that had started in the age of Hussein Shah (1493–1519). This spread over, covering around three centuries, and had a tremendous impact on Bengali society. Incidentally, that coincided with the rise of the Tagore family. The Tagore family attained prominence during this period through its unusual social positioning between Indian and European influences.

The Pathuriaghata family

Sir

Prodyot Coomar Tagore Maharaja Bahadur Sir Prodyot Coomar Tagore Order of the Indian Empire, KCIE (17 September 1873 – 28 August 1942) was a leading land owner, philanthropist, art collector, and photographer in Kolkata, India. He belonged to the Pathuriaghata branch ...

(1873–1942), son of Jatindramohun Tagore, was a leading philanthropist, art collector, and photographer. He was the first Indian member of the Royal Photographic Society. He was also the Sheriff of Calcutta for the year 1909.

The Jorasanko family

The business base

“The fame of the Jorasanko Tagores stems from the time of

Dwarakanath Tagore Dwarkanath Tagore ( bn, দ্বারকানাথ ঠাকুর, ''Darokanath Ţhakur''; 1794–1846) was one of the first Indian industrialists to form an enterprise with British partners. He was the son of Ramlochon Tagore, the founder ...

(1794-1846).” Dwarkanath was the son of

Nilmoni Tagore Nilmoni Tagore (1721–1791) was a scion of Tagore family who, founded the Jorasanko branch of Tagore family leaving the old house of Pathuriaghata. In year 1758, he started to build what is now known as Jorasanko Thakur Bari. Nilmoni and Darpanar ...

’s second son Rammani Tagore but was adopted by the childless first son RamlochanTagore. He inherited the Jorasanko property and Ramlochan's vast wealth. Dwarakanath was involved in multifarious activities ranging from being an agent of Mackintosh & Co. to being a serestadar, collector and diwan in the 24 Parganas collectorate. However, it was his business prowess that brought him both wealth and fame. In partnership with William Carr, he established

Carr, Tagore and Company Carr, Tagore and Company (also written as Carr, Tagore & Co.) was the first equal partnership between European and Indian businessmen and the initiator of the managing agency system in India. The company was launched in 1834 by Dwarakanath Tagore ...

, the first equal partnership between European and Indian businessmen and the initiator of the managing agency system in India.

Spiritual pursuits

Creative outpourings

Debendranath's third son,

Hemendranath Tagore Hemendranath Tagore (1844–1884), Debendranath Tagore's third son, is notable for being the first Brahmo as the first child born in 1844 to any of the original 21 Brahmos who swore the First Brahmo Covenant on 21 December 1843 at Calcutta (no ...

was a strict disciplinarian who was entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the education of his younger brothers as well as administrating the large family estates. Like most of Debendranath's children, he had varied interests in different fields. On one hand, he composed a number of "Bromhosangeets" and on the other, wrote articles on physical science which he planned to compile and edit into a textbook for school students. If his untimely death had not prevented him from completing the project, this would certainly have been the first science textbook to be written in Bengali. He was known for his physical strength and wrestling skills. Exceptionally for the times, he insisted on formal education for his daughters. He not only put them through school but trained them in music, arts and European languages such as French and German. It was another mark of his forward thinking that he actively sought out eligible grooms from different provinces of India for his daughters and married them off in places as far away as Uttar Pradesh and Assam.

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

(1861–1941), was Debendranath's penultimate son. He was the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize, and was exceptionally talented and the most famous in the family. Rabindranath is best remembered in history for writing what became the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

s of the nations of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

and for coining the title

Mahatma Mahatma (English pronunciation: , sa, महात्मा, translit=mahātmā) is an honorific used in India. The term is commonly used for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is often referred to simply as "Mahatma Gandhi". Albeit less frequen ...

for Indian nationalist leader

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

. The youngest son of Debendranath Thakur was Budhendranath, who died at a very young age.

The artists

All these artist Tagore families belong to West Bengal, India.

The younger generation

Rabindranath Tagore's son, Rathindranath (1888-1961) was a multi-talented person. Besides being an agriculturist educated in the US, a talented architect, designer, master-carpenter, painter and writer, was also the first 'upacharya' of Visva-Bharati University. Rathindranath Tagore's wife, Pratima Devi (1893-1969), was an artist associated with Shilpa Sadan, Visva Bharati and also associated with dances and dance drama.

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana; born 8 December 1944) is a retired Indian actress, primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema, Tagore is the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and the F ...

, a well-known Mumbai actress who is connected with Rabindranath Tagore, in an interview stated that her mother's mother, Latika Tagore was the granddaughter of Rabindranath Tagore's brother, Dwijendranath. Pranati Tagore is a renowned and eminent elocutionist, news reader and Bengali actor. She is married to Sunando Tagore, the great-grandson to Satyendranath Tagore. Pragnasundari Debi, granddaughter of Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, married the most famous Assam author Sahityarathi

Laxminath Bezbarua ' Lakshminath Bezbarua (, 14 October 1864), was an Assamese poet, novelist and playwright of modern Assamese literature. He was one of the literary stalwarts of the Jonaki Era, the age of romanticism in Assamese literature when through his ess ...

. She was a literary phenomenon in her own right, her cookbook Aamish O Niramish Ahar (1900, reprinted 1995) was a standard given to every Bengali bride with her trousseau, and earning her the appellation "India's Mrs Beeton". Nandita, daughter of Mira Devi, the youngest daughter of Rabindranath Tagore, married Krishna Kripalani, a freedom fighter, author and parliamentarian. His biography of Rabindranath, is amongst the best ever written.

The family environment

The environment at Jorasanko was filled with literature, music, painting, and theatre. They had their own education system. In the earlier days, the women did not go to school but they were all educated at home. Swarnakumari Debi has recalled how in her early days the governess would write something on a slate which the girls then had to copy. When Debedranath discovered this, he at once stopped such a mindless and mechanical method and brought in a better teacher, Ajodhyanath Pakrashi – a male outsider in the women's quarters... Some of the sons like Ganendra, Gunendra and Jyoitrindra set up their own private theatre. To start with men played in the role of women, but over a period of time even the women joined. The environment in the family played a major role in the development of its members. Even Rabindranath Tagore who went to win the Nobel Prize in literature had very little formal education.Please see Life of Rabindranath Tagore

Family tree

Dwarkanath Tagore Dwarkanath Tagore ( bn, দ্বারকানাথ ঠাকুর, ''Darokanath Ţhakur''; 1794–1846) was one of the first Indian industrialists to form an enterprise with British partners. He was the son of Ramlochon Tagore, the founder ...

** Girindranath Tagore *** Ganendranath Tagore *** Gunendranath Tagore ****

Gaganendranath Tagore Gaganendranath Tagore (17 September 1867 – 14 February 1938) was an Bengali painter and cartoonist of the Bengal school. Along with his brother Abanindranath Tagore, he was counted as one of the earliest modern artists in India. Life and car ...

***** Kanakendranath Tagore ****** Gitindranath Tagore *******

, m. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi ********

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan ...

, m. Amrita Singh (divorced), m.

Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor Khan (; '' née'' Kapoor; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a va ...

********* Sara Ali Khan ********* Ibrahim Ali Khan Pataudi ********* Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi ******** Saba Ali Khan ********

Soha Ali Khan Soha Ali Khan Pataudi Khemu (born 4 October 1978) is an Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Bengali and English films. She is the daughter of veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and t ...

, m. Kunal Khemu ******* Oindrila Tagore ******* Romila Sen ****

Abanindranath Tagore Abanindranath Tagore ( Bengali: অবনীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 August 1871 – 5 December 1951) was the principal artist and creator of the "Indian Society of Oriental Art". He was also the first major exponent of Sw ...

**** Samarendranath Tagore ****

Sunayani Devi Sunayani Devi ( bn, সুনয়নী দেবী; 18 June 1875 – 23 February 1962) was an Bengali painter born into the aristocratic Tagore family in Calcutta, West Bengal. She was a self taught artist, with no academic training in art. ...

, m. Rajanimohan Chattopadhyay **** Binayani Devi, m. Seshendra Bhushan Chattopadhyay ***** Pratima Devi **

Debendranath Tagore Debendranath Tagore (15 May 1817 – 19 January 1905) was an Indian Hindu philosopher and religious reformer, active in the Brahmo Samaj (earlier called Bhramho Sabha) ("Society of Brahma", also translated as ''Society of God''). He joined Brahm ...

***

****

Rathindranath Tagore Rathindranath Thakur (anglicised as Rathindranath Tagore, 27 November 1888 – 3 June 1961) was an Indian educationist, agronomist and painter. He served as the first vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati University, which was founded by his father ...

***** Nandini Devi, m. Giridhari Lala **** Shamindranath Tagore **** Renuka Devi **** Meera Devi **** Madhurilata Devi ***

Satyendranath Tagore Satyendranath Tagore (1 June 1842 – 9 January 1923) was an Indian Bengali civil servant, poet, composer, writer, social reformer and linguist from Kolkata, West Bengal. He was the first Indian who became an Indian Civil Service officer in 186 ...

****

Surendranath Tagore Surendranath Tagore (1872–1940) was a Bengali author, literary scholar, and translator. He is particularly noted for translating a number of works of Rabindranath Tagore to English. Early life and background A member of the Tagore family of ...

**** Kabindranath Tagore **** Indira Devi Chaudhurani, m. Pramatha Chaudhuri ***

**** Hitendranath Tagore **** Kshitindranath Tagore **** Ritendranath Tagore **** Pragyasundari Devi, m.

Lakshminath Bezbaroa ' Lakshminath Bezbarua (, 14 October 1864), was an Assamese poet, novelist and playwright of modern Assamese literature. He was one of the literary stalwarts of the Jonaki Era, the age of romanticism in Assamese literature when through his e ...

****

Purnima Devi Purnima Devi whose maiden name was Sudakshina Devi (1884–1972), was the youngest child of noted Brahmo Hemendranath Tagore, and niece of Rabindranath Tagore, thus part of the main Tagore family. She was married to Sir Jwala Prasada, Zamindar ...

, m. Sir Jwala Prasada ***** Kunwar Jyoti Prasad ******

Jitendra Prasada Jitendra Prasada (12 November 1938 – 16 January 2001) was an Indian politician and a former vice-president of the Indian National Congress. He was also the political advisor to two prime ministers of India, Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and P. V. Na ...

******* Jitin Prasada **** Pratibha Devi **** Abhi Devi **** Manisha Devi **** Shovana Devi ( Shobhanasundari Mukhopadhyay) **** Sushama Devi **** Sunrita Devi *** Dwijendranath Tagore **** Sudhindranath Tagore *****

Saumyendranath Tagore Saumyendranath Tagore (October 8, 1901 – September 22, 1974), son of Sudhindranath Tagore, grandson of Dwijendranath Tagore, and grand-nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, was the leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party of India, and the first tr ...

**** Dwipendranath Tagore **** Arunendranath Tagore **** Nitindranath Tagore **** Kritindranath Tagore *** Birendranath Tagore **** Balendranath Tagore ***

Jyotirindranath Tagore Jyotirindranath Tagore ( bn, জ্যোতিরিন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 4 May 1849 – 4 March 1925) was a playwright, a musician, an editor and a painter. He played a major role in the flowering of the talents of his you ...

*** Somendranath Tagore *** Swarnakumari Devi, m. Janakinath Ghosal **** Jyotsnanath Ghosal ****

Sarala Devi Chaudhurani Sarala Devi Chaudhurani (born Sarala Ghosal; 9 September 1872 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian educationist and political activist, who founded Bharat Stree Mahamandal in Allahabad in 1910. This was the first national-level women's organizat ...

, m. Rambhuj Dutt Chaudhari **** Hiranmoyee Devi *** Sukumari Devi, m. Durgadas Choudhary **** Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri *****

Devika Rani Devika Rani Choudhuri (30 March 1908 – 9 March 1994), usually known as Devika Rani, was an Indian actress who was active in Hindi films during the 1930s and 1940s. Widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema, Devika Rani ha ...

, m. Himanshu Rai *** Saratkumari Devi *** Barnakumari Devi *** Soudamini Devi ** Nagendranath Tagore

Notes

References

* Deb, Chitra, ''Jorasanko and the Thakur Family'', in ''Calcutta, the Living City'', Vol I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, pp 64–67, Oxford University Press, * * Sengupta, Nitish, "History of the Bengali-speaking People", 2001/2002, UBS Publishers' Distributors Pvt. Ltd., * Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), (1976/1998), ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, in Bengali, Sahitya Sansad * Devi Choudhurani, Indira, ''Smritisamput'' Vol I (1997/2000), in Bengali, Rabindra Bhaban, Viswa Bharati. * Tagore, Abanindranath and Chanda, Rani, ''Jorasankor Dhare'' (By the side of Jorasanko) in Bengali,(1944/2003), Viswabaharati Publications Division. * Sastri, Sivanath, ''Ramtanu Lahiri O Tatkalin Banga Samaj'' in Bengali, (1903/2001), New Age Publishers Pvt. Ltd. *Dr.S. Radhakrishnan "Rabindranath tagore A Centenary Volume 1861–1961" Sahitya Academy *Mukherjee, Mani Shankar "Timeless Genius" Pravasi Bharatiya April–May 2010 p 89-90

External links

Tagore family genealogy

Queensland University , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = Br ...

Rabindra Bharati Museum, Kolkata – family chronology

Calcuttaweb – family tree

Hindu School, Kolkata
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tagore Family Bengal Presidency People from Kolkata

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Indian families Hindu families Bengali families Bengali Hindus

Family history

Background of Tagore

The Pathuriaghata family

The Jorasanko family

The business base

Spiritual pursuits

Creative outpourings

The artists

The younger generation

The family environment

Family tree

Notes

References

Further reading

External links