Lost Legacy

Santanu Dey explores the social and political condition of the descendants of the Zamindars in the decolonization period of independent India.

1. 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 (DOI-05.04.2019) 2. A written statement by Pravat Kumar Raychowdhury diptych with one of the oldest Map of Calcutta during British period, when “Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata” merged and established as Calcutta (DOI-14.12.2018).

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.

03. Lily Mullick is one of the oldest surviving members of Mullick family of Kalutola in Calcutta (DOI-06.03.2019). 04. An archival document of the Sil family during the British period (DOI-14.03.2019).

5. Pasupati Ray and his wife are the present oldest members of the Kalutala Ray family. Nandalal Ray was a founder member of the Kolkata Stock Exchange (DOI-19.10.2018). 6. Juthika Ray, the elder sister of Pasupati Ray, is a pet lover. She has a collection of birds seen with one of them (DOI-06.03.2019).

7. Sourindra Mullick is the surviving oldest member of the Mullick family at Pathuriaghata in Calcutta. He is the sixth descendant of the Mullick family (DOI-04.03.2019). 8. This wall hanging abstract bears the legacy of the rich lineage of the Bengalis during that time (DOI-10.12.18).

9. Astik Dutta, the current descendant of the Hathkhola Dutta family, and his childhood picture reflecting the same aristocracy (DOI-07.04.2019). 10. Manjulika Roy is the present oldest descendant of Posta palace (DOI-23.10.2019).

These families are an important part of the history of Calcutta and once were makers of the economic, social and cultural landscapes of Bengal. I’m archiving the history of the Zamindars in the decolonization period through their present descendants.

11. Shyamalendra Krishna Mitra is the current descendant of the Nilmoni Mitra family in Calcutta. Nilmoni Mitra was one of the rich elite businessmen during the British period in the nineteenth century (DOI-07.04.2019). 12. Ms Mullick is 0ne of the oldest members of Kalutola Mullick palace (DOI-01.11.2019).

13. Nandini Deb is a present queen of Shovabazar Rajbari (DOI-22.03.2019). 14. A written statement by Maharaja Alok Krishna Deb: “Raja Nobo Krishna Deb was a learned 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 has 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.” 15. The inner courtyard of shovabazar Rjabari in Calcutta carries theloneliness, emotions and belongings of the past elites (DOI-22.03.2019).

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.