Bhagwandas Bagla
Bhagwandas Bagla was the first Marwari shekhawati millionaire and was a very wealthy timber merchant. He was originally from Churu Rajasthan but he even proceeded his business to Burma and settled in Rangoon. Sethani ka Johara (The Reservoir of the Wealthy Lady) was built by his wife which is some 3 km west by the Ratangarh road, as a relief project during the terrible ‘Chhapan Akaal’, the Famine of VS 1956 [1] The water attracts birds and mammals such as ‘Nilgai’ (blue bull – a large antelope.) .
A well-known story relates the manner in which Bagla made Rossogolla popular in and around Bengal.[2] One day Bhagwandas Bagla, an opulent businessman, stopped at Nobin Chandra Das's shop while driving by. His child was thirsty. Bagla asked the helper-boy of Nabin's shop to fetch a glass of water. As was the custom of the day, the boy offered sweetmeat along with water. It was the special 'Rossogolla' of Nobin Chandra's shop served on a dish. Bagla's child was delighted to taste this unique sweet. Seeing this, Bhagwandas Bagla himself tasted the 'Rossogolla' and was fascinated. Soon, the fame of this special sweet spread like wildfire and within a short span of 6/7 years, Rossogolla won the hearts of millions in and outside Bengal.
Many roads/schools/colleges/temples have been named in his and his children's memory.
- C-18 Bhagwan Das Road (next to Rajmandir Cinema) Jaipur 302001.
- Parvati Bagla Road, Tilak Nagar Kanpur- 208002.
- Ganpat Bagla Road, Barabazar H.O., Kolkata - 700007.
- Bagla School road, Churu, Rajasthan -331001.
- Bagla Road, Hissar.
- Bagla Convent School, Babupeth. Chandrapur – 442401.
- Seth Phool Chand Bagla (P. G.) College, Hathras.
- Bagla Primary School, Pashchim Medinipur-west Bengal.
- Debinibas- Bagla Mandir, South Dumdum, Kolkata.
- Purushottam Bagla Homoeopathic College & Hospital, Bagla Nagar, Babu Peth, Chandrapur-44, Maharashtra
References
- ↑ V. Samvat (1899AD).
- ↑ Piyasree Dasgupta (2011-10-29). "Sticky Sweet Success". Indian Express.