Brahmins, Brahmo Samaj

My paternal heritage

My father, late Gyanendra Chandra Deb was the fourth son of late Rai Saheb Ishan Chandra Deb.  The eldest son died in infancy.  I saw the other elder brothers namely – my Boro Jethu Ahsok Chandra Deb, Mejo Jethu Aloke Chandra Deb and Shejo Jethu Shantu Chandra Deb. My dad was the next in line and then came my Kaku Shibendra Chandra Deb.  My dad was closest to his younger brother, as I have witnessed in my lifetime. 

My father belonged to a Brahmin zamindar family who practically owned a whole village.  Anyone familiar with the history of Brahmins and zamindars of yester yore India will know how autocratic and egotistic these people could be.  Their ruthless adherence to religious and hereditary supercilious attitude is less mentioned the better.  However, I am recounting an event that forever changed the Deb Sharma heritage and also the Mukherjee clan of east Bengal in Sylhet.  My paternal grandmother belonged to the Mukherjee family. 

As my great grandfather was a high and mighty Brahmin of opulent wealth and fame he had almost everyone at his beck and call.  The zamadaar or sweeper too belonged to him.  Now it so happened that one fine day my great grandfather was about to sit for his Brahmin lunch when the sweeper’s son (they lived inside the compound) committed the biggest sin of his life.  The innocent fellow was playing with a ball and trespassed into the forbidden area – his shadow fell on my great grandfather’s plate.  Sacrilege!!!!! 

As expected, my great grandfather abandoned his soiled food and pitilessly beat up the lower caste kid for committing such a crime and sin.  After this he just went into his room and bolted the door; he remained inside for four days.  He did not answer any calls of pity, sympathy or anguish – not even his own wife’s, my great grand mother’s.  Finally when he did open the door he just walked straight to |Raja Ram Mohan Roy and joined the Brahmo samaj.   

My paternal grandmother too came from such a converted Brahmin family.  Her father had also embraced the Brahmo Samaj – my grandmother was one of the first girls to go to school wearing leather shoes I have been told!  Therefore, the alliance between my grandfather and grandmother does not seem strange, since both families had the same religious, philosophical, ideological and spiritual beliefs.  However, I must mention my grandmother had 102 mothers.  Yes, Brahmins of those days were allowed to have multiple wives – my grandmother’s many mothers lived under the same roof!  

I shall talk about how my grandfather got the Rai Saheb title and was endowed with 100 bighas of mango & litchi orchard in Dehradaun in my next post.