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THE HISTORY OF THE SEN CLAN

Extract from the "History of the Bengali-Speaking People" by Nitish Sengupta.

Ancient History of the Sen Dynasty

Click button above to open the Ancient History of the Sen Dynasty

containing an extract from "History of the Bengali-speaking People" by Nitish Sengupta

              

MAP OF SONARANG

Trace your Ancestry from "THE HISTORY OF THE SEN CLAN"   by Shri Prafulla Nath Sen

 

The Source Document for the history of the Sen clan is contained in a parchment procured in mysterious ways from a sage in Bengal.  It found a birthing place in the present generation through Swaranjit to whom it was handed over in Kolkata.  The Source Document named SONARANG was written by SHRI PRAFULLA NATH SEN, B. Sc, M.B., Major IMS, in Bengali around 1945 or thereabouts, a translated version of which has been a part of the family heirloom for over 30 years now but the date of origin seemingly goes back to the twenties or thirties of the last century.  View the source document here Sonarang by P N Sen

 

        A.    Where Dr. P N Sen, IMS introduces us to the origins of  Sonarang  and life in the village.

Ø  Part I

       B.    Where we learn of the role played by Sonarang in the revolutionary struggle of Bengal; of the village  culture and tales of tigers; of prominent persons including our ancestor Kalipado Sen.

Ø  Part II

        C.    Where  we read of the House of  Surya Sen at Sonarang and his descendants.

Ø  Part III

         D.    Where Dr. P N Sen makes mention of other families at Sonarang and concludes his account of the history of Sonarang with hopes that others will not forget Sonarang.

Ø  Part IV

         E.    Two ancient family trees.

ð  Ancient Family Tree 1     ð   Ancient Family Tree 2 

 

Some interesting facts about Sonarang

    The location: Latitude 23 N, Longitude 90 E in Bangladesh.

  Sonarang village in one of the 160 villages in Tongibari Upazila in Munshiganj District of Bangladesh.  Tongibari is 150 km due east of Kolkata on the banks of River Ganga (also known as Pudma River).

Meaning of Sonarang.

Sona -- golden colour of corn (maize or wheat) fields.
Tong -- tower from where watch was kept over the fields.
The area was called "Sonar Tong" or tower in the golden fields. "Sonar Tong" over time, got corrupted to "Sonarang".
 

BHOLANATH SEN VERSUS

BENGAL TIGERS

 Through the jongole I am went
On shooting Tiger I am bent
Bugger Tiger has eaten wife,
No doubt I will avenge poor darling's life!
 
Too much quiet, snakes and leeches,
But am not feared these sons of beeches,
Hearing loud noise I am jump with start,
But noise is coming from damn fool heart!
 
Taking care not to be fright
I am clutching rifle with eye to sight, 
Should Tiger come I will fall him down
Then like hero return to native town,
Then through trees I am espying one cave,
I am telling self - "Bholanath be brave" !
 
I am now proceed with too much care,
From nonsense smell this Tiger's lair,
My leg is shake, I start to pray,
I think I shoot Tiger some other day.
 
Turning round I am going to go,
But Tiger giving bloody roar,
He bounding from cave like shooting star,
I commend my soul to Kali Ma.
 
Through the jongole I am went,
Like bullet with Tiger hot on scent,
I am a telling that never in life
I will risk again for damn fool wife.

Toilets were first introduced in 1891, and gradually became part of the construction of all coaches, saving passengers like Akhil Chandra Sen, whose ordeal is described in the letter below, addressed to the Sahibganj Divisional Office, West Bengal.
 
Dear Sir,
 
I am arrive by passenger train at Ahmedpur Station and my belly is too much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy.  Just I doing the nuisance the guard making whistle blow for train to go off and I am running with lotah in one hand and dhoti in the next when I am falling over and expose all my shockings to man and female women on platform. I am got leaved at Ahmedpur Station.  This too much bad, if passenger go to make dung guard not wait train five minutes for him. I am therefore pray your honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake. Otherwise I am making big report to papers!"

(This letter is on display at the Railway Museum in New Delhi. It was also reproduced under the caption "Travelers' Tales" in the Far Eastern Economic Review.    Contributed by Honey, Mar 06)

Kalipado's first Hindu wife was Icchamoyi d/o Prasanna K. Sen

  Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen's grandfather Kashimohan Sen lived in Sonarang village.

 

 

 

                                               

                                               Summary of Sonarang History

      A short summary of Sonarang History is given below, but don't miss     reading and imbibing the culture and ambience of the days gone by.

      Sonarang, once a vibrant tropical jungle, first became the dwelling place of the Sen Clan through SURYA SEN around the 15th century.  He belonged to the Roksha(or Roksa) Bansh (i.e. dynasty) which sprang from Raja SHRI HARSHA SEN, King of SEN Bhum (land), who reigned around four to five hundred years earlier in the same region.    

        Sonarang village took its name from Sona, a cultivator who was zealous for his produce.  He built a high tower (called 'tong' in the local dialect) to guard the precious fields of corn.  Sonar Tong soon became Sonarang, a part of Bikrampur District in Bengal.  Sonarang had a population of 1032 according to the census in 1891 and 7000 according to the census in 1941.

        The house of SURYA SEN in Sonarang established important cultural and educational institutions in the village.  Surya Sen was a kabiraj -- what we would call a 'quack' doctor, but well known in all he did.

       When Lord Curzon, the Governor General of India divided Bengal into West and East Bengal (including Assam), Sonarang became the centre of a national movement and revolutionary activities in 1905.  There are several interesting accounts of these activities in the main historical document that provide a host of information on the character of the Sen Bansh!

        Please don't miss the story of tigers in Part II.  The poem on the left is a humorous account of Sen bravado in the face of the Bengal tigers!  The poem was not written in Bengali; the author is anonymous (inserted by webmaster).

       Our ancestor, KALI PADO SEN, the first one mentioned in the Sen family tree of this website, was born in Sonarang.  He was one of the prominent persons who hailed from Sonarang.   It appears that he belonged to the fifteenth generation of Sens that came from King Shri Harsha Sen.  Perhaps he was the first one to get a double MA in 1895, after which he became a Principal of Christ Church School, Kanpur. 

       The author writes that he had met Sisil Sen (Cecil) and Eric Sen, the sons of Kali Pado Sen in Delhi.  That would be around 1940 perhaps.

 

 

THE FAMILY TREE OF KALIPADO SEN'S GENERATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Sriharsha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Kamal

Bimal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

Binayak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

Dhanvantari

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

5

Kam

Tabh

Karpoth

Rosh

Gayatri

Sambhu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

Sanket

Maru

Murari

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

Manohar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

Sahi (Sayin)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

Kakustha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

Lakshmipati

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

Urdharan

Nitayananda

Subhakar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

Bidyadhar

Ananta

Murari

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

13

 

 

 

Surjya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

 

14

 

 

 

Hridayananda

Kabindra