Narasingha Malla Deb

Raja
Narasingha Malla Deb
Born (1907-01-22)22 January 1907
Died 11 November 1976(1976-11-11) (aged 69)
Nationality Indian
Ethnicity Rajput
Home town Jhargram, West Bengal
Religion Hindu
Spouse(s) Binode Manjari Devi
Rupa Manjari Devi
Children Birendra Bijoy Malla Deb,
Savitri Devi,
Gayatri Devi,
Jayshree Devi
Parent(s) Raja Chandi Charan Malla Deb,
Rani Kumud Kumari Devi

Raja Narasingha Malla Deb (born 22 January 1907) was a Member of the Indian Parliament. He was the 16th Ruler of Jhargram from 1916 until the royal powers, privileges were abolished by an amendment to the Constitution of India in 1954.[1]

Early years and accession

Narasingha Malla Deb's ancestors had come from Rajasthan with Man Singh to conquer Bengal on behest of Mughal Emperor Akbar.They defeated the local Malla tribal rulers and took the name Malla Deb.He was born the only son of Raja Chandi Charan Malla Deb of Jhargram by his wife, Rani Kumud Kumari of Ghatshila. Narasingha belongs to the Chauhan clan of Rajputs. He succeeded to the titles and dignities of his father after nine years of Court of Wards (India) because his father suddenly died when he was a minor. He was enthroned shortly afterwards.[2]

The infant and his sibling sister Vishnupriya were raised by their mother, Rajmata Kumud Kumari Devi. The Governor of Bengal appointed Professor Debendra Mohan Bhattacharya of Dacca as his preceptor who was obligated to groom him up as an accomplished ruler.As a child, Narasingha was sent first to Midnapore Collegiate School, and then to Presidency College, Calcutta , where he obtained a degree in History.
Narasingha was also known with his full name as Raja Sir Narasingha Malla Ugal Sanda Deb, Raja Bahadur of Jhargram. The King of Jhargram was popularly known as Ugal Sanda – the bull in the fort walls of the city of Jhargram.

Family

The Jhargram Palace

Jhargram Palace, a part of which remains his residence

In 1927, Narasingha Malla Deb returned to Jhargram to take up his duties as the ruler of Jhargram and head of the Malla Deb dynasty. In 1930, he married Binode Manjari Devi, daughter of the Lal Saheb Girish Chandra Bhanja Deo of Mayurbhanj, a major feudatory state in Orissa. They were the parents of two children, being:

  1. A son, Yuvraj Birendra Bijoy Malla Deb (born 1931), and
  2. A daughter, Rajkumari Savitri Devi (born 1943).

He married secondly Rupa Manjari Devi after his first wife died in 1944,they had two daughters

  1. Rajkumari Gayatri Devi
  2. Rajkumari Jayshree Devi

[3]

Derecognition

In 1950, the constitution of India was amended, the Estate acquisition act was enforced and the Jhargram Raj Estate was merged with the state of West Bengal.In 1971 the Government of India abolished all official symbols of princely India, including titles, privileges, and remuneration (privy purses).[4]

Work

Politics

Raja Narasingha Malla Deb served for two terms as a Member of the Legislative Council of Bengal. He also served in the Lok Sabha,[5] the Lower House of the Indian Parliament.

Administration

Raja Narasingha Malla Deb is considered the father of modern Jhargram.He empowered his preceptor Prof.Debendra Mohan Bhattacharjee as the Dewan of Jhargram to guide and administer the Kingdom in a right way.
This is exaggeration to say that 1922–1950 as Prof. Debendra Mohan Battacharya as the administrator was the Golden Period of Jhargram estate .In these twenty eight years Jhargram developed into a township and during this period many educational Institutions were established and developed. Kumud Kumari Institution (K.K.I) a Premier Institution of the Sub-division was founded in 1924. In 1925 an annual sports fund was created which was be used to encourage sports activities and construct the football stadium and Jhargram Club.Raja Narasingha Malla Deb established Jhargram Agricultural College which was renamed Jhargram Raj College,he also established Vidyasagar Polytechnic,Idustrial training and gave funds to set up Sri Ramkrishna Saradapeeth Girls High School and Bharat Sevashram Sangha.He commissioned the new palace in 1931 which is one of the finest example of Indo Saracenic architecture and spread over 23 acres of land. During World War II, Raja sahib constructed an airstrip in Dudhkundi for the United States Air Force, apart also provided the allied forces with elephants, vehicles and other help.
The royal family has established and assisted in the running of all primary institutions for backward class people in the Jhargram estate.At the consent of the Governor of Bengal he establishment a hospital at Jhargram town in the name of it after his late father Chandi Charan Charitable Hospital.Later on in every tehsil area a charitable hospital on a was established for Primary treatment in the nearby villages. .The Raja established Bani Bhaban under guidance of Lady Abala Bose for rehabilitation of widows and donated land to Roman Catholic Church of India and the Muslim community to build Nurrani Jama Masjid in Jhargram.In 1947 further land was acquired and Jhargram Raj constructed buildings to develop a school which was Rani Binode Manjuri Govt. Girl's School which is now one of the premier schools in Midnaporedistrict. At the consent of the Governor of Bengal he establishment a Hospital at Jhargram town in the name of Chandi Charan Charitable Hospital. Later on in every Tahsil area a charitable hospital on a miniature scale was established for Primary treatment in the nearby villages.
In Midnapore district town he founded the Tuberculosis Chest Clinic,Homeopathic College,he also gave donations for construction of Vidyasagar Memorial & purchase of books for the library and borne all the expenses to build Midnapore Club and Jhargram Stadium at Midnapore. But now the name 'Jhargram Stadium' has been changed to 'Aurobinda Stadium' after his death. Between 1928–1950 Raja Sir Narasingha Malla Deb donated around lakhs of rupees towards welfare causes and donated 10000 bigha’s of land to poor farmers in 1947, making him the single largest land donor in West Bengal his donations extended from Calcutta Bangiya Sahitya Parishad to New Delhi Kali Bari.

Hobbies

He was a lover and enthusiast for sports and games like his uncle Ganga Charan Malla Deb. At that time Rs. 20 / 22 thousand was allotted and sanctioned every year for development sports. He was a very a good angler and a shikari for which he had won many trophies which are still kept in the Palace. Rather than this he was a very good photographer. He had won many international prizes from America,Switzerland, Singapore and Russia. Culinary art and music was among the inherited qualities from his family, he had deep knowledge of Vaishnav Sangeet and used to organize regular concerts in the Palace.

Honours

Legacy

He died on 11 November 1976 at Calcutta. He was widely acknowledged for the efforts made by him as a ruler and his contributions towards the welfare of the people of Jhargram and Bengal, he worked towards rehabilitation of refugees after the Partition. Post independence he owned business in Calcutta and large real estate properties in Calcutta, Midnapore and Digha.His son Yuvraj Birendra Bijoy Malla Deb got involved in politics and was two times Member of Legislative Assembly of West Bengal from Jhargram (Vidhan Sabha constituency), representing the Indian National Congress.Birendra's son Shivendra Bijoy Malla Deb is an eminent social worker and politician associated with Trinamool Congress who is currently serving as the Chairman of Jhargram Municipality.

See also

References

  1. ↑ World of Royalty,Indian Princely States
  2. ↑ Rajput Provinces of India
  3. ↑ Royal Families of India
  4. ↑ 1. Ramusack, Barbara N. (2004). The Indian princes and their states. Cambridge University Press. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-521-26727-4. Retrieved 6 November 2011., "Through a constitutional amendment passed in 1971, Indira Gandhi stripped the princes of the titles, privy purses and regal privileges which her father's government had granted." (p 278). 2. Naipaul, V. S. (8 April 2003), India: A Wounded Civilization, Random House Digital, Inc., pp. 37–, ISBN 978-1-4000-3075-0, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "The princes of India – their number and variety reflecting to a large extent the chaos that had come to the country with the break up of the Mughal empire – had lost real power in the British time. Through generations of idle servitude they had grown to specialize only in style. A bogus, extinguishable glamour: in 1947, with Independence, they had lost their state, and Mrs. Gandhi in 1971 had, without much public outcry, abolished their privy purses and titles." (pp 37–38). 3. Schmidt, Karl J. (1995), An atlas and survey of South Asian history, M.E. Sharpe, p. 78, ISBN 978-1-56324-334-9, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "Although the Indian states were alternately requested or forced into union with either India or Pakistan, the real death of princely India came when the Twenty-sixth Amendment Act (1971) abolished the princes' titles, privileges, and privy purses." (page 78). 4. Breckenridge, Carol Appadurai (1995), Consuming modernity: public culture in a South Asian world, U of Minnesota Press, pp. 84–, ISBN 978-0-8166-2306-8, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "The third stage in the political evolution of the princes from rulers to citizens occurred in 1971, when the constitution ceased to recognize them as princes and their privy purses, titles, and special privileges were abolished." (page 84). 5. Guha, Ramachandra (5 August 2008), India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy, HarperCollins, pp. 441–, ISBN 978-0-06-095858-9, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "Her success at the polls emboldened Mrs. Gandhi to act decisively against the princes. Through 1971, the two sides tried and failed to find a settlement. The princes were willing to forgo their privy purses, but hoped at least to save their titles. But with her overwhelming majority in Parliament, the prime minister had no need to compromise. On 2 December she introduced a bill to amend the constitution and abolish all princely privileges. It was passed in the Lok Sabha by 381 votes to six, and in the Rajya Sabha by 167 votes to seven. In her own speech, the prime minister invited 'the princes to join the elite of the modern age, the elite which earns respect by its talent, energy and contribution to human progress, all of which can only be done when we work together as equals without regarding anybody as of special status.' " (page 441).
  5. ↑ "1957 Midnapur loksabha vote". www.indiavotes.com.

External links

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