Bharat Dev Varma
Encyclopedia
Bharat Dev Varma (literal phonetic rendering in Bengali) is a minor Tripuri royal, currently living in the city of Kolkata
, formerly Calcutta.
He is the husband of actress Moon Moon Sen and the nephew of Maharani Gayatri Devi, and as the father of Bollywood
actresses Raima Sen
and Riya Sen
(who use their mother's surname professionally and socially).
, a small north-eastern state in India, with a status of 13 gun salute, meaning that the state and family were of moderate significance among the Princely States. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the head of the family became significantly influenced by and associated with Bengali literary icon and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
. After Independence, Tripura became a State in the Republic of India; the current head of the family and his immediate relatives now live in Tripura House in Kolkata
(formerly Calcutta).
The most well-known members of this family in modern India are however the father-son duo of Sachin Dev Burman
(song composer) and Rahul Dev Burman
(India's revolutionary music composer R.D. Burman), both deceased.
) (d. Calcutta 1975) and his first wife Ila Devi (Princess of Cooch Behar
) (1914–1945), the eldest daughter of HH Maharaja Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, Maharaja of Cooch Behar
and his wife Indira Raje, Princess of Baroda. The father Ramendra Kishore Dev Varma was himself a grandson of a ruler of Tripura and thus nephew and cousin (and later brother-in-law) to successive rulers.
He had one older brother Manabendra Kishore Dev Varma, better known as Bhim Dev Varma (now deceased) (1937–2002) who was childless, and one sister Devika Devi (1938–2009), who was previously married in 1961 (divorced 19_) to her aunt Gayatri Devi
's stepson Prithviraj Singh, Prince of Jaipur
), with issue. His mother Ila Devi died at a relatively young age in 1945 at Darjeeling, aged only 30 or 31. His father remarried some time later, this time choosing as wife his first cousin Kamal Prabha, Princess of Tripura. Bharat Dev Varma has one half-brother Jishnu Kishore Dev Varma (married, with one son) and three half-sisters by his father's second marriage.
His nickname is apparently Prince Habi. It is unclear if this was a childhood nickname, since it has rarely been used in the Indian press, whereas his older brother was always known as Bhim Dev Varma until his death (and later).
Bharat was probably raised by his father and stepmother in Calcutta. His father died in 1975. Details of his education and career are currently unknown.
. His wife later entered the Bengali film industry, and achieved some successes, but has since starred more in TV serials.
In interviews, Moon Moon Sen has praised her husband's character and his support of her professional life. Notably, she says "I give him 100 per cent credit for the success and stability of our marriage. Going by film marriages, ours is a pretty steady one. ...He is protective of all of us. His sense of humour, tolerance, understanding and love is just beyond words. He thoroughly enjoys my being in my profession because it opens up a whole new world for him."
The couple have two daughters, both Bollywood actresses Raima Sen
and Riya Sen
The family leads a private life in South Kolkata
, but make occasional appearances in the Page 3
sections of Indian newspapers, usually at polo events or film-related events.
Bharat Dev Varma was probably brought up his maternal grandmother Maharani Indira Devi of Cooch Behar (Princess Indira Raje Gaekwad of Baroda) , an erudite and progressive woman of her time, after his mother Ila Devi's premature death followed by his father's second marriage. He spent his childhood partly in Agartala and mostly in 'Woodlands' in Alipur Road, the Calcutta residence of the Cooch Behar royal family.
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, formerly Calcutta.
He is the husband of actress Moon Moon Sen and the nephew of Maharani Gayatri Devi, and as the father of Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actresses Raima Sen
Raima Sen
-Early life:She is the daughter of Moon Moon Sen and the granddaughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen. Her sister, Riya Sen, is also in the Bollywood industry. Their father Bharat Dev Varma is a member of the royal family of Tripura. Her paternal grandmother, Ila Devi, was the princess of Cooch...
and Riya Sen
Riya Sen
Riya Sen is an Indian film actress and model. Riya, who hails from a family of actors including her grandmother Suchitra Sen, mother Moon Moon Sen and sister Raima Sen, began her acting career in 1991 as a child artiste in the film Vishkanya. Her first commercial success in her film career was...
(who use their mother's surname professionally and socially).
The Dev Varma house, formerly reigning in Tripura
The Dev Varma family ruled the Indian princely state of TripuraTripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
, a small north-eastern state in India, with a status of 13 gun salute, meaning that the state and family were of moderate significance among the Princely States. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the head of the family became significantly influenced by and associated with Bengali literary icon and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
. After Independence, Tripura became a State in the Republic of India; the current head of the family and his immediate relatives now live in Tripura House in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(formerly Calcutta).
The most well-known members of this family in modern India are however the father-son duo of Sachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman , also credited as Burman da, Kumar Sachindra Dev Barman, Sachin karta or S. D. Burman, was one of the most famous music composers for Hindi movies and a Bengali singer and composer. His son Rahul Dev Burman also achieved great success as a Bollywood music director in his own...
(song composer) and Rahul Dev Burman
Rahul Dev Burman
Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera...
(India's revolutionary music composer R.D. Burman), both deceased.
Early life
Bharat Dev Varma was born the younger son of Maharaja Ramendra Kishore Dev Varma (Prince of TripuraTripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
) (d. Calcutta 1975) and his first wife Ila Devi (Princess of Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar is the district headquarters and the largest city of Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and located at . Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage...
) (1914–1945), the eldest daughter of HH Maharaja Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, Maharaja of Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar is the district headquarters and the largest city of Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and located at . Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage...
and his wife Indira Raje, Princess of Baroda. The father Ramendra Kishore Dev Varma was himself a grandson of a ruler of Tripura and thus nephew and cousin (and later brother-in-law) to successive rulers.
He had one older brother Manabendra Kishore Dev Varma, better known as Bhim Dev Varma (now deceased) (1937–2002) who was childless, and one sister Devika Devi (1938–2009), who was previously married in 1961 (divorced 19_) to her aunt Gayatri Devi
Gayatri Devi
Gayatri Devi , often styled as Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur, was born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar...
's stepson Prithviraj Singh, Prince 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....
), with issue. His mother Ila Devi died at a relatively young age in 1945 at Darjeeling, aged only 30 or 31. His father remarried some time later, this time choosing as wife his first cousin Kamal Prabha, Princess of Tripura. Bharat Dev Varma has one half-brother Jishnu Kishore Dev Varma (married, with one son) and three half-sisters by his father's second marriage.
His nickname is apparently Prince Habi. It is unclear if this was a childhood nickname, since it has rarely been used in the Indian press, whereas his older brother was always known as Bhim Dev Varma until his death (and later).
Bharat was probably raised by his father and stepmother in Calcutta. His father died in 1975. Details of his education and career are currently unknown.
Personal life
Bharat Dev Varma married Moon Moon Sen in 1976 (better known as the only child of Bengali actress Suchitra SenSuchitra Sen
Suchitra Sen ; or Rama Dasgupta , is an Indian actress who acted in several Bengali films. In particular, the movies in which she paired opposite another legend in Bengali films, Uttam Kumar, became classics in the history of Bengali cinema. She now lives a life of a recluse rarely making any...
. His wife later entered the Bengali film industry, and achieved some successes, but has since starred more in TV serials.
In interviews, Moon Moon Sen has praised her husband's character and his support of her professional life. Notably, she says "I give him 100 per cent credit for the success and stability of our marriage. Going by film marriages, ours is a pretty steady one. ...He is protective of all of us. His sense of humour, tolerance, understanding and love is just beyond words. He thoroughly enjoys my being in my profession because it opens up a whole new world for him."
The couple have two daughters, both Bollywood actresses Raima Sen
Raima Sen
-Early life:She is the daughter of Moon Moon Sen and the granddaughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen. Her sister, Riya Sen, is also in the Bollywood industry. Their father Bharat Dev Varma is a member of the royal family of Tripura. Her paternal grandmother, Ila Devi, was the princess of Cooch...
and Riya Sen
Riya Sen
Riya Sen is an Indian film actress and model. Riya, who hails from a family of actors including her grandmother Suchitra Sen, mother Moon Moon Sen and sister Raima Sen, began her acting career in 1991 as a child artiste in the film Vishkanya. Her first commercial success in her film career was...
The family leads a private life in South Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, but make occasional appearances in the Page 3
Page 3
Page 3 may refer to* Page Three, a feature which contains topless girls in several tabloid newspapers, particularly notable in the United Kingdom* Page 3 , a Bollywood film by Madhur Bhandarkar* Page3, a feature on ESPN.com...
sections of Indian newspapers, usually at polo events or film-related events.
Bharat Dev Varma was probably brought up his maternal grandmother Maharani Indira Devi of Cooch Behar (Princess Indira Raje Gaekwad of Baroda) , an erudite and progressive woman of her time, after his mother Ila Devi's premature death followed by his father's second marriage. He spent his childhood partly in Agartala and mostly in 'Woodlands' in Alipur Road, the Calcutta residence of the Cooch Behar royal family.
External links
- A portrait of a younger Bharat Dev Varma by Norman Hutchinson, who has also painted his aunt, is visible in this article from The Telegraph (Calcutta), 17 February 2005.
- Christopher Buyers, Salute States, showing the Maharaja of Tripura entitled to a hereditary salute of 13 guns. The highest salute of 21 guns was accorded to only five princely states - Hyderabad, Mysore, Jammu & Kashmir, Baroda, and Gwalior. Cooch Behar was entitled to a hereditary salute of 13 guns as well.
- Christopher Buyers, History of the Royal Family of Tripura covering some history of the state and its rulers.
- Christopher Buyers, Genealogy of Bharat Dev Varma showing his descent from the rulers of Tripura, and some of his relatives (but not his two half-sisters).
- Henry Soszynski, TRIPURA (Princely State) (13 gun salute) royal family of Tripura. Soszynski states that Riya is the elder daughter and was born in 1979, but this contradicts information given in interviews by Raima Sen where she specifically describes Riya as her younger sister.