Lost Legacy

Left: Pravat Kumar Raychowdhury, a 34th descendant of the Sabarna Raychowdhury family. Sabarna Raychowdhury is the first family of Calcutta who was the administrator of Calcutta from 1608–1757. 5 April 2019. Center/right: Diptych of a written statement by Pravat Kumar Raychowdhury and one of the oldest maps of Calcutta during British period, when “Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata” merged and established as Calcutta. 14 December 2018.

During British colonial rule in India, the Zamindari System was introduced under the Permanent Settlement Act in 1793. The system rewarded Zamindars as landowners who rented their land to farmers in return for paying a fixed amount to the British Government, facilitating the wealth and power of the colonial rule while exploiting peasants.

The Zamindari Abolition Act in 1950, was one of the first major agrarian reforms of the Government of India following independence in 1947. Overnight, the status of this privileged class of society was reduced to that of ordinary citizens.

Lost Legacy explores the social and political condition of the descendants of the Zamindars in the decolonization period of independent India.

Left: Lily Mullick is one of the oldest surviving members of the Mullick family of Kalutola in Calcutta, 6 March 2019. Right: An archival document of the Sil family during the British period.

Left: Pasupati Ray and his wife are the eldest members of the Kalutala Ray family. 19 October 2018. Right: Juthika Ray, the sister of Pasupati Ray, is a pet lover. She has a collection of birds. 6 March 2019.

Left: Sourindra Mullick is the eldest member of the Mullick family, Pathuriaghata, Calcutta, 4 March 2019. He is the sixth descendant of the Mullick family. Right: This wall hanging bears the legacy of the rich lineage of the Bengalis during the British period. 10 December 2018.

Left: Astik Dutta, a descendant of the Hathkhola Dutta family, and his childhood picture reflecting the same aristocracy. 7 April 2019. Right: Manjulika Roy is the eldest descendant of the Posta family. 23 October 2019.

I’m archiving the history of the Zamindars, from the period of decolonization through to their present descendants. These families are an important part of the history of Calcutta as they shaped the economic, social and cultural landscapes of Bengal.

Left: Shyamalendra Krishna Mitra is a descendant of the Nilmoni Mitra family in Calcutta. Nilmoni Mitra was one of the richest businessmen during the British period in the nineteenth century 7 April 2019. Right: Ms Mullick is one of the eldest members of Kalutola’s Mullick family. 1 November 2019.

Left: Nandini Deb is a queen of Shovabazar Rajbari. 22 March 2019. Center: A written statement by Maharaja Alok Krishna Deb: “Raja Nobo Krishna Deb was a well educated man fluent in many languages and translated books in Bengali. During the British period, Hindus stayed away from using pipe water. They believed that the tap had leather linings made of cow. So Raja Kali Krishna Deb drank from the tap to ward off the fear among the Hindus and requested them to use it. In memory of him, there is a statue of Raja Kali Krishna Deb at the Rabindra Park in Kolkata.” Right: The inner courtyard of Shovabazar Rjabari in Calcutta carries the loneliness, emotions and belongings of the past elites. 22 March 2019.

Santanu Dey is a visual artist and independent photographer based in Calcutta, India. His work often moves along the intersection of art, documentary and attempts to dive deep into mythology, cultural narratives and socio-political issues. He is one of the 6x6 Global Talent Program talents from Asia.

“Santanu Dey is a photographer who photographs with his heart, who goes beyond what you see with your eyes. He loves to photograph what doesn’t exist in reality, he photographs history.” — Saiful Huq Omi, Bangladesh, photographer, filmmaker, educator, activist, and 6x6 nominator.