Sarat Chandra Kuthi

2022-06-20T19:02:33Z

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{{short description|House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay in Samta, Howrah district}}
{{Other uses|Sarat Chandra (disambiguation){{!}}Sarat Chandra}}
[[File:House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay - Western View - Samtaber - Howrah 2014-10-19 9791.JPG|thumb|250px|right|The house of Bengali novelist, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, in the village of Samta]]

'''Sarat Chandra Kuthi''' ({{IPA-bn|ʃɔrot tʃɔndro kuʈʰi|pron}}), also known as '''Sarat Smriti Mandir''' ({{IPA-bn|ʃɔrot sriti mondir|pron}}), is a [[Historic house museum|house museum]] located in the village of [[Samta, India|Samta]], in the [[Howrah district]] of [[West Bengal]], [[India]], on the banks of the [[Rupnarayan River|Rupnarayan river]]. It is noted for being the house of [[Bengali people|Bengali]] novelist, [[Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay]] for twelve years. The house was constructed in the year 1923 by a local worker named Gopal Das and it cost a sum of {{INR}}17,000. During the 1978 West Bengal floods, the structure had suffered damage, following which the government undertook its repair. Sarat Chandra Kuthi is a heritage-historical site protected under the West Bengal Heritage Commission Act (IX) of 2001. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's works such as ''[[Devdas]]'', ''Baikunther Will'' (''Baikuntha's Will''), ''Dena Paona'' (''Debts and Dividends''), ''Datta'' (''Bethroed''), and ''Nishkriti'' (''Deliverance'') among others were serialised during his stay at Sarat Chandra Kuthi. He also wrote ''Ramer Sumati'' and ''Mahesh'' among others during his stay in the house.

==History==
[[File:Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (1876–1938)]]
The plot for Sarat Chandra Kuthi in Samta was bought by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1919, at a sum of {{INR}}1,100. Samta was close to the village of Panitras and to his sister's home. Construction of the house began in 1923, and was done by local worker Gopal Das; Sarat Chandra had moved in by February 1923.{{sfn|Narasingha Prosad Sil|2012|pp=51-52}} He fenced his area and added ponds and paddy fields adjacent to his house; following which he renamed the area Samtaber.{{sfn|Narasingha Prosad Sil|2012|pp=51-52}} A total sum of {{INR}}17,000 was spent on the construction.{{sfn|Narasingha Prosad Sil|2012|pp=51-52}}

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay lived in Sarat Chandra Kuthi for twelve years, until moving to [[Calcutta]].{{sfn|Narasingha Prosad Sil|2012|pp=54-55}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/for-the-love-of-picnics/article21308902.ece1 |title=For the love of picnics |last=Basu |first=Anjana |date=11 December 2015 |work=The Hindu Business Online |access-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905075843/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/for-the-love-of-picnics/article21308902.ece1 |archive-date=5 September 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/the-mortals-of-devdas/article6719027.ece |title=The mortals of Devdas |last=Sinha |first=J. N. |date=9 January 2015 |work=Frontline |access-date=5 September 2019}}</ref> Earlier, the course of the Rupnarayan river was much closer to the house.<ref name = "ebela">{{Cite news |url=https://ebela.in/entertainment/deulti-an-amazing-destination-for-pujo-1.484687 |title=ঘুরে আসুন রূপনারায়ণের ধারের দেউলটি |trans-title=Visit Deulti on the banks of Runarayan |date=26 September 2016 |work=Ebela |language=bn-IN |access-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905104817/https://ebela.in/entertainment/deulti-an-amazing-destination-for-pujo-1.484687 |archive-date=5 September 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sarat Chandra's works such as ''Devdas'', ''Baikunther Will'' (''Baikuntha's Will''), ''Dena Paona'' (''Debts and Dividends''), ''Datta'' (''Bethroed''), and ''Nishkriti'' (''Deliverance'') among others were published in ''Bharatbarsha'' during the years he lived in Samta, following which they were published as books by Gurudas Chattopadhyay and Sons, and M. C. Sarkar and Sons.{{sfn|Narasingha Prosad Sil|2012|pp=54-55}} He also wrote ''Ramer Sumati'' and ''Mahesh'' among others during his years in Samta.<ref name = "ebela"/><ref name = "archive"/> Upon moving to the village, Sarat Chandra initially faced resentment from conservative elders and influential men for his bold stories, mingling with [[caste|lower caste people]], and for being an "outsider". It was after he started helping those in need, helped in setting up an education institution, and his legacy as a novelist grew that they warmed up to him.{{sfn|Narasingha Prosad Sil|2012|pp=54-55}}

The two-storied Burmese-style house was also home to Sarat Chandra's second wife, Hironmoyee Debi, and his brother, Swami Vedananda, who was a disciple at [[Belur Math]].<ref name = "priyo"/> All of their ''[[Samadhi (shrine)|samadhi]]s'' are in the gardens of the house.<ref name = "priyo"/>{{sfn|Narasingha Prosad Sil|2012|p=58}} Trees such as bamboo and guava planted by the novelist stand in the gardens surrounding the house.<ref name = "archive">{{Cite web|url=http://www.howrah.gov.in/Templates/tourist.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823221452/http://www.howrah.gov.in/Templates/tourist.html|url-status=dead|title=House of Sarat Chandra|archive-date=August 23, 2011}}</ref>

Parts of the house, such as the mud-walled kitchen, had collapsed and the house was damaged in the 1978 West Bengal floods. The [[District Councils of India|Zilla Parishad]] repaired the house, and it was declared a heritage-historical site under the West Bengal Heritage Commission Act (IX) of 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wbdma.gov.in/PDF/Registered_No_WB_SC-247.pdf|title=West Bengal Heritage Commission Act 2001 (Act IX of 2001)|access-date=2012-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722022100/http://www.wbdma.gov.in/PDF/Registered_No_WB_SC-247.pdf|archive-date=2012-07-22|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, the house was renovated and preservation of the novelist's personal belongings was also undertaken.<ref name = "priyo">{{Cite news |url=https://www.priyo.com/articles/sharatchandra-kuthi-2017-20171128 |title=শরৎপ্রেমীরা ঘুরে আসুন শরৎচন্দ্র কুঠি থেকে |trans-title=Lovers of Sarat come visit Sarat Chandra Kuthi |last=Sumi |first=Afsana |date=28 November 2017 |work=Priyo |language=bn |access-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905104818/https://www.priyo.com/articles/sharatchandra-kuthi-2017-20171128 |archive-date=5 September 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Gateway - House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay - Samtaber - Howrah 2014-10-19 9770.JPG|Entrance to the house
File:Sarat-Smriti-Mandir - Plaque - House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay - Samtaber - Howrah 2014-10-19 9779.JPG|Plaque at the entrance, reading 'Sarat Smriti Mandir'
File:Study with Furniture - First Floor West - House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay - Samtaber - Howrah 2014-10-19 9838.JPG|Study room
File:Western and Southern Verandas - Ground Floor - House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay - Samtaber - Howrah 2014-10-19 9781-9784.TIF|Ground-floor corridor
File:Southern Veranda - First Floor - House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay - Samtaber - Howrah 2014-10-19 9816-9817.TIF|First-floor corridor-verandah
File:Samta - Sarat Chandra's House.JPG|Garden of the house, with trees planted by the novelist
File:House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay 06.jpg|''Samadhi''s of Sarat Chandra, his brother, and his second wife, Hironmoyee Debi
File:Western Living Room - First Floor - House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay - Samtaber - Howrah 2014-10-19 9841.JPG|A room inside the house
File:Samta - The pond Sarat Chandra mentioned in Palli Samaj.JPG|Pond opposite the house
File:Samta - Statue of Sarat Chandra.JPG|Statue of the novelist, in the house's gardens
File:Samta - The Dhaner Gola in Sarat Chandra's House.JPG|Mud-walled kitchen
</gallery>
{{clear}}

==References==
===Notes, news reports===
{{reflist}}

===Book===
* {{cite book|author=Narasingha Prosad Sil|title=The Life of Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay: Drifter and Dreamer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sJz0wG-w61gC|year=2012|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-1-61147-507-4}}

{{commons category}}

{{Howrah topics}}

[[Category:Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Howrah district]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in India]]
[[Category:Biographical museums in India]]

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Sarat Chandra Kuthi