Durga Mohan Das
Encyclopedia
Durgamohan Das (1841-1897) was a Brahmo Samaj leader and a social reformer with notable contribution in the field of widow remarriage and women’s emancipation.
, Dhaka
in Bengal
, now part of Munshiganj District
of Bangladesh
. He lost his mother early in life. After studying for sometime in the village pathsala, he joined an English school at Barisal, where his father used to practice law. Subsequently, he won a junior scholarship and joined Hindu College
in Kolkata
. He used to stay in the house of his uncle Bireswar Das at Kalighat. After studying for a year at Kolkata, he went to Dhaka and returned to Presidency College with a senior scholarship.
As a student of Presidency College he was greatly influenced by Edward Cowley, professor of history and an erudite Sanskrit scholar. Many of the students used to go to the residence of Cowley, who was deeply attached to Christianity. They used to discuss about religious matters. Some of students were influenced by Cowley’s deep faith. One of Durga Mohan Das’s friends, Bhagaban Chandra Chatterjee became a Christian. Durga Mohan Das was also swayed for a period. He brought his child-wife, Brahmamoyee to the house of a Christian priest, in order that she could also understand the Christian faith before he finally decided to convert. That led to his being turned out from the house of Bireswar Das.
At that time he had passed the licentiate examination in law and had started practising at Kolkata but that was not enough to keep him going in the city and so he shifted to Barisal.
. His elder brother asked him to read the books before deciding about his religion. On reading the books he changed his opinion and instead of converting to Christianity, joined the Brahmo Samaj.
He got together his friends and established a Brahmo Samaj at Barisal. In order to enlighten devotees, he invited Brahmo preachers from Kolkata to visit Barisal and deliver lectures. Education of women was top priority. He organised many functions and festivals. Soon, Barisal became a great centre of Brahmo activity.
In the course of time, the great controversy about remarriage of widows engulfed entire society and Durga Mohan Das plunged forward into that movement. He and his friends publicly promised to organise remarriage of widows. He offered financial support to such couples because they had to undergo severe social boycott. He even went to the extent of getting his young widowed step mother married to a friend of his. That brought in opposition from entire society. His earnings dwindled because people boycotted him but he remained steadfast in his mission. There were few people, other than Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar who have contributed so much to the cause of remarriage of widows. Mention may be made of another person in East Bengal who had also contributed substantially to this cause - Braja Sundar Mitra
.
It was during this period that the sons of Raj Chandra Roy, zemindar of nearby Lakhutia, joined the Brahmo Samaj and strengthened the movement. One day they took their wives with them to the residence of the English commissioner. That created such a sensation that it reverberated beyond Barisal, across Bengal and became a talking point in Kolkata society, because that was an age when women of respectable families never came out in public from the inner precincts of their houses. Later, the noted Brahmo reformer Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee
married into this family. That happened to be a great social event in those days.
When Miss Annette Akroyd opened a boarding school for girls in Kolkata, Durga Mohan Das assisted her financially and admitted his daughters in the school. The school was later merged with Bethune’s school and his daughters were amongst the earlier batches to pass out of that school.
It was during that period that his wife died.
Being an outright reformist he sided with such people as Sivanath Sastri
, Ananda Mohan Bose, Sib Chandra Deb
, and Umesh Chandra Dutta
for the establishment of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in 1878. He extended substantial financial support for the new organisation and served as its president.
He went to England in 1888 and returned back with illness. All his three sons had qualified as barristers and his daughters were married. He led a rather lonely life. He married a widowed daughter of Kali Narayan Gupta of Dhaka. However, old age had caught on and he died on 19 December 1897.
Chittaranjan Das
was son of his brother Bhuban Mohan Das. Amongst his children the more renowned were Satish Ranjan Das
, Sarala Roy
and Abala Bose
. Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee
was his great gandson on his daughter's side.
After Durga Mohan Das's first wife Bhramamoyee Devi's death, he married a highly respectable widow lady Hemantasashi Sen, daughter of a renowned Brahmo social reformer Kali Narayan Gupta of Dhaka. Hemantasashi Sen's only son by his first husband was noted music composer and song writer Atul Prasad Sen
.
Early life
Son of Kashiswar Das, he was born at Telirbagh, 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...
, Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, now part of Munshiganj District
Munshiganj District
Munshiganj also historically known as Bikrampur is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division and borders Dhaka District.-Geography:...
of 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...
. He lost his mother early in life. After studying for sometime in the village pathsala, he joined an English school at Barisal, where his father used to practice law. Subsequently, he won a junior scholarship and joined Hindu College
Presidency College
Presidency College could refer to the following Indian institutions:* Presidency College, Chennai* Presidency College, Kolkata*Presidency College, Bangalore...
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...
. He used to stay in the house of his uncle Bireswar Das at Kalighat. After studying for a year at Kolkata, he went to Dhaka and returned to Presidency College with a senior scholarship.
As a student of Presidency College he was greatly influenced by Edward Cowley, professor of history and an erudite Sanskrit scholar. Many of the students used to go to the residence of Cowley, who was deeply attached to Christianity. They used to discuss about religious matters. Some of students were influenced by Cowley’s deep faith. One of Durga Mohan Das’s friends, Bhagaban Chandra Chatterjee became a Christian. Durga Mohan Das was also swayed for a period. He brought his child-wife, Brahmamoyee to the house of a Christian priest, in order that she could also understand the Christian faith before he finally decided to convert. That led to his being turned out from the house of Bireswar Das.
At that time he had passed the licentiate examination in law and had started practising at Kolkata but that was not enough to keep him going in the city and so he shifted to Barisal.
Barisal Brahmo Samaj
His elder brother Kali Mohan Das, who later became a famous lawyer of Kolkata High Court, then used to practice in Barisal. He provided him shelter and gave him some books of Theodore ParkerTheodore Parker
Theodore Parker was an American Transcendentalist and reforming minister of the Unitarian church...
. His elder brother asked him to read the books before deciding about his religion. On reading the books he changed his opinion and instead of converting to Christianity, joined the Brahmo Samaj.
He got together his friends and established a Brahmo Samaj at Barisal. In order to enlighten devotees, he invited Brahmo preachers from Kolkata to visit Barisal and deliver lectures. Education of women was top priority. He organised many functions and festivals. Soon, Barisal became a great centre of Brahmo activity.
In the course of time, the great controversy about remarriage of widows engulfed entire society and Durga Mohan Das plunged forward into that movement. He and his friends publicly promised to organise remarriage of widows. He offered financial support to such couples because they had to undergo severe social boycott. He even went to the extent of getting his young widowed step mother married to a friend of his. That brought in opposition from entire society. His earnings dwindled because people boycotted him but he remained steadfast in his mission. There were few people, other than Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar who have contributed so much to the cause of remarriage of widows. Mention may be made of another person in East Bengal who had also contributed substantially to this cause - Braja Sundar Mitra
Braja Sundar Mitra
Braja Sundar Mitra , son of Bhabani Prasad Mitra, was founder of Dhaka Brahmo Samaj. He was a social reformer and later founded the Brahmo Samaj at Comilla. He contributed substantially to the cause of women’s education, remarriage of widows, movement against polygamy and consumption of liquor...
.
It was during this period that the sons of Raj Chandra Roy, zemindar of nearby Lakhutia, joined the Brahmo Samaj and strengthened the movement. One day they took their wives with them to the residence of the English commissioner. That created such a sensation that it reverberated beyond Barisal, across Bengal and became a talking point in Kolkata society, because that was an age when women of respectable families never came out in public from the inner precincts of their houses. Later, the noted Brahmo reformer Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee
Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee
- Life with the Brahmo Samaj :Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee joined the Brahmo Samaj at an early age and was ostracised by his family for this decision. He left his ancestral home in Hughli and settled down in Bhagalpur...
married into this family. That happened to be a great social event in those days.
The reformist at Kolkata
Around 1870, Durga Mohan Das shifted to Kolkata High Court. Dwarakanath Ganguly, the great champion of women’s emancipation, had already shifted from Dhaka to Kolkata with his newspaper Abalabandhab. There were other young men such as Rajaninath Roy, who were clamouring for reforms within the Brahmo Samaj. Till then women used to sit in the Brahmo Samaj behind a screen. The reformists started bringing their wives into the open. That immediately caused some confusion but ultimately they won the day. Brahmo Samaj allowed women to sit in the open.When Miss Annette Akroyd opened a boarding school for girls in Kolkata, Durga Mohan Das assisted her financially and admitted his daughters in the school. The school was later merged with Bethune’s school and his daughters were amongst the earlier batches to pass out of that school.
It was during that period that his wife died.
Being an outright reformist he sided with such people as Sivanath Sastri
Sivanath Sastri
Sivanath Sastri was a scholar, religious reformer, educator, writer and historian...
, Ananda Mohan Bose, Sib Chandra Deb
Sib Chandra Deb
Sib Chandra Deb was one of the leading Derozians, virtually the first generation of English-knowing Indians. He had joined Hindu College in 1825 and was subsequently drawn towards Derozio...
, and Umesh Chandra Dutta
Umesh Chandra Dutta
Umesh Chandra Dutta was one of the pioneer Brahmos who firmly established the Brahmo Samaj at Harinavi in the face of severe opposition from local people. He was one of the founders of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj and contributed substantially to the cause of education, particularly women’s education...
for the establishment of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in 1878. He extended substantial financial support for the new organisation and served as its president.
He went to England in 1888 and returned back with illness. All his three sons had qualified as barristers and his daughters were married. He led a rather lonely life. He married a widowed daughter of Kali Narayan Gupta of Dhaka. However, old age had caught on and he died on 19 December 1897.
Chittaranjan Das
Chittaranjan Das
Chittaranjan Das was an eminent Bengali lawyer and a major figure in the Indian independence movement.-Personal life:...
was son of his brother Bhuban Mohan Das. Amongst his children the more renowned were Satish Ranjan Das
Satish Ranjan Das
Satish Ranjan Das was the Advocate-General of Bengal and later the Law Member of the Executive Council of the Viceroy; he was sometime treasurer of the Boy Scouts of Bengal and the Lodge of Good Fellowship, and a prominent member of the reformist Brahmo Samaj in Bengal...
, Sarala Roy
Sarala Roy
Sarala Roy was an educationist and is remembered as founder of the Gokhale Memorial School at Kolkata , at present the capital of the east Indian state of West Bengal.-Life:...
and Abala Bose
Abala Bose
Abala, Lady Bose was a social worker well-known for her efforts in the field of women’s education and her contribution towards the alleviation of the condition of widows.-Family:...
. Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee
Subroto Mukerjee
Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, OBE was the first Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force . Born in a Bengali family of repute, he was educated in India as well as England. He joined the Royal Air Force and later was one of the first recruits of the Indian Air Force...
was his great gandson on his daughter's side.
After Durga Mohan Das's first wife Bhramamoyee Devi's death, he married a highly respectable widow lady Hemantasashi Sen, daughter of a renowned Brahmo social reformer Kali Narayan Gupta of Dhaka. Hemantasashi Sen's only son by his first husband was noted music composer and song writer Atul Prasad Sen
Atulprasad Sen
Atulprasad Sen was an Bengali composer, lyricist and singer. He is principally remembered as a musician and composer. His songs centred around three broad subjects- patriotism, devotion and love...
.