Almost two hundred years back in the bustling city of Calcutta, which at that point in time was experiencing a renaissance, a man of Bengal decided to dream different. And looking back in time we can very well conclude that he dreamt big, probably so big that initially it was rather difficult for many to comprehend.
Dwarkanath Tagore was born in the year of 1794 in Kolkata. According to the 'Memoirs of Dwarkanath Tagore' by Kishori Chand Mitra, his grandfather Nilmoni Tagore was the younger son of Jayram Tagore who was the Amin of the 24 Parganas. Nilmoni who became a well-known professional himself rose to the rank of a Sheristadar and later settled in Joransanko in a house which was built on a piece of land previously owned by one Baistam Dass Sett. By the time he passed away Nilmoni Tagore left behind three sons. They were Ramlochan, Rammoni and Ramballabh. It was to Rammoni Tagore that Dwarkanath Tagore was born. But as his elder uncle Ramlochan was childless, he was designated as his heir. Radhanath & Ramanath Tagore were his biological brothers. Ramanath the youngest was later conferred the title of Maharaja in 1877.
Importance of education
He was educated at the school of Mr Sherbourne who was a Eurasian and was the son of a European father and a Brahmin mother. While nothing can be traced of Mr Sherbourne's past or his other family members but there once lived another person by the name of Joseph Sherbourne in Kolkata who once owned a famous Bazaar and was also a senior government official by 1785. Now whether Mr Sherbourne, the teacher was anyway related to Mr Joseph Sherbourne, the market owning civil servant is something that cannot be determined in any way owing to the lack of available literature. In the book 'Henry Derozio: The Eurasian Poet, Teacher & Journalist' by Thomas Edwards we get to know that Mr Sherbourne, the teacher was known to be proud of his unique parentage and also took an annual offering from his pupils. It is also mentioned that some of the most distinguished natives of that generation received the rudiments of English education under him.
Dwarkanath continued his education at Mr Sherbourne's school along with his brother and cousins and among the books he studied there were 'Enfield's Spelling', 'Royal English Grammar', 'Universal Letter Writer' and 'Tutinama' or Tales of a Parrot which is a Persian series of fifty-two stories. We can assume that the balance of Eastern and Western cultures that we later find in the personality of Dwarkanath probably had its roots in a school run by a Eurasian teacher whom he later also provided a pension. He further educated himself by interacting with individuals like Reverend William Adams and also individuals like Mr JG Gordon and Mr James Calder who were partners in Mackintosh & Co, a well-known firm of its day. It can be rightly said that the seeds of entrepreneurship were also sown in him around this period. His closest friend who also influenced him greatly was none other but Raja Ram Mohun Roy, the reformer who laid the foundation of a movement which later became the Brahmo Samaj.
Training and appointment
In 1807 Ramlochan Tagore passed away leaving his entire fortune to Dwarkanath who did not take the plunge immediately as history tells us that he continued educating himself till 1810 when he finally left school. While he inherited a fortune, which comprised of zemindari or landed estates, but he decided not to spend his life like many other zamindars of that time. Realising the importance of legal education in the running of his estates he decided to pursue his training under the famous barrister, Robert Cutlar Fegusson who would later become the Advocate General of Bengal and who on his return to England served first as a MP and then as the Judge Advocate General. After training under him and becoming well versed in the required legal knowledge he himself became a Law Agent thus winning the confidence of some of the most wealthy and influential individuals of that time. These connections were useful and productive to the young Dwarkanath as he also expanded as a successful commercial agent by acquiring products like silk and indigo and exporting the same to Europe against orders.
He eventually took up the appointment as the Dewan to the Board of Customs, Salt and Opium and developed an everlasting friendship with one Mr Plowden who was the Salt Agent and Collector of the Twenty Four Parganas and after serving in this position for a good duration he resigned from his service to become a partner in Carr, Tagore & Co, a managing agency. The other partners in the firm included Mr William Carr and Mr William Prinsep among others. While Carr, Tagore & Co is considered to be the first Indo-European partnership entity of its kind which probably it was in many ways considering the wide areas of businesses it ventured into but there was also the existence of another firm called Rustomjee, Turner & Co which was started by Rustomjee Cowasji Banaji, a Parsee friend of Dwarkanath Tagore which according to the 'Calcutta Magazine and Monthly Register', Volumes 21-24 dated 1831 was already in existence by the late 1820s. At Carr, Tagore & Co, Dwarkanath led the operations and finance side of the business and we can assume that the firm also benefitted from his legal knowledge.
A strict and able entrepreneur, his personal connections further aided the rapid growth of his business empire. This included the setting up of indigo and sugar factories, acquisition of more zamindari estates, a coal mining business, a shipping business involving some finely built clippers and he also explored the idea of setting up a railway company. For the management of his businesses he even hired European officials. A visionary, he saw the potential of the steam engine and implemented its use in different areas of his business including tugboats, steam ferries and mining. Though successful in many areas, he also suffered business setbacks on more than one occasion which left an everlasting impact on his financial strength and that of his family. Dwarkanath was married to Digambari Devi and among his children were Girindranath, Debendranath and Nogendronath. Debendranath who later led the Brahmo Samaj was also the father of the poet Rabindra Nath Tagore.
Founder and backing of many associations
The remaining years of his life were marked with a lot of important endeavours which created the everlasting legacy of this person. He was behind the founding of the Landholders' Society, backed various associations, gave freely to charity including the City, the Calcutta Medical College, the Sans Souci Theatre and also funded the education of many. The memoir by KC Mitra further tells us that during his trips to Europe he was entertained by the Court of Directors at a public dinner at the London Tavern and he also visited both the houses of the Parliament. Among the nobles with whom he interacted were Lord John Copley, the Lord High Chancellor and the Duke of Wellington. He also attended a grand review of the troops by royal invitation. He also visited Buckingham Palace, Stafford House, Chatsworth and frequented Hyde Park, Regent's Park and the Kensington Gardens. A very well-travelled person he had also personally met the Queen, the Prince Consort and even the Pope on different occasions. On one occasion he also met the Scottish science writer, astronomer and polymath Mary Somerville. His adventurous life suddenly came to an abrupt end on the 1st of August 1846 at St George's Hotel, Albemarle Street in London. Looking back one can very well wonder that had he lived longer he would have surely received far many honours than he had already received which included the epithet of 'Prince'.
