David Hare (philanthropist) - Revision history

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2026-01-29T19:10:50Z

quick refined details based on references and updated info as per guidelines

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:40, 30 January 2026
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			{{Short description\|Scottish watchmaker, philanthropist, and educationist (1775-1842)}}
	{{other people\|David Hare}}		{{other people\|David Hare}}
	[[~~Image~~:~~David Hare Statue by Edward Hodges Baily - 1845 CE - Hare School Playground - 87 College Street - Kolkata 2015-02-09 2256~~.~~JPG~~\|thumb~~\|250px\|right\|A statue of David Hare kept at [[Hare School]]~~]]		[[File:David_Hare 1877.jpg\|thumb]]

	{{EngvarB\|date=July 2015}}		{{EngvarB\|date=July 2015}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2015}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2015}}

	'''David Hare''' (~~1775–1842~~) was a [[Scotland\|Scottish]] [[watchmaker]] ~~and~~ [[philanthropist]] in [[Bengal]], [[India]] (see [[East India Company]] and their rule in India). He founded many educational institutions in Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]), such as the [[Hindu School]], and [[Hare School]] and helped in founding [[Presidency College, Kolkata\|Presidency College]].		'''David Hare''' (1775 – 1 June 1842) was a [[Scotland\|Scottish]] [[watchmaker]], [[philanthropist]], and educationist in [[Bengal]], [[India]] (see [[East India Company]] and their rule in India). He founded many educational institutions in Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]), such as the [[Hindu School]], and [[Hare School]] and helped in founding [[Presidency College, Kolkata\|Presidency College]].<ref>{{Cite news \|date=2023-12-18 \|title=Rediscovering David Hare after two centuries \|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/kolkata/rediscovering-david-hare-after-two-centuries/articleshow/106094850.cms \|access-date=2024-07-23 \|work=The Times of India \|issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

	==Early life==		==Early life==
	David Hare was born in Scotland in 1775. He came to India in 1800 to make a fortune as a watch maker. However, while he prospered in his business his mind was distracted by the deplorable conditions of the native population and unlike most of the other people who returned to their native land after gathering a fortune to live a life in peace and prosperity, he decided to stay back in the country and devote himself entirely to the cause of its uplift. However, he was no missionary, seeking to convert others to his religion. He lived his own life and allowed others to live their own, only helping to improve their condition. He also founded the School Book Society.		[[File:David Hare Statue by Edward Hodges Baily - 1845 CE - Hare School Playground - 87 College Street - Kolkata 2015-02-09 2256.JPG\|thumb\|left\|upright\|Statue of David Hare by [[Edward Hodges Baily\|E.H. Baily]] at [[Hare School]]]]
			Hare was born in [[Scotland]] in 1775. He came to India in 1800 to make a fortune as a watch maker. However, while he prospered in his business his mind was distracted by the deplorable conditions of the native population and unlike most of the other people who returned to their native land after gathering a fortune to live a life in peace and prosperity, he decided to stay back in the country and devote himself entirely to the cause of its uplift. However, he was no missionary, seeking to convert others to his religion. He lived his own life and allowed others to live their own, only helping to improve their condition. He also founded the School Book Society.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Mukherjee \|first=Sarojesh \|date=2024-01-05 \|title=A new biography of David Hare examines how the educationist reformed schools in colonial India \|url=https://scroll.in/article/1061584/a-new-biography-of-david-hare-examines-how-the-educationist-reformed-schools-in-colonial-india \|access-date=2024-07-23 \|website=Scroll.in \|language=en}}</ref>

	==Contribution==		==Contribution==
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	Thereafter, David Hare was instrumental in establishing the School Book Society on 6 May 1817. It took the initiative to print and publish text books in both English and Bengali. This society contributed substantially to the flowering of the [[Bengal Renaissance]].		Thereafter, David Hare was instrumental in establishing the School Book Society on 6 May 1817. It took the initiative to print and publish text books in both English and Bengali. This society contributed substantially to the flowering of the [[Bengal Renaissance]].

	On 1 September 1818, he established the Calcutta School Society'. He and [[Radhakanta Deb]] were secretaries of the society. He worked tirelessly to establish some schools to teach in English and Bengali, according to new methods of teaching, at such places as Thanthania, Kalitala and Arpuly. Every day, he visited the schools and Hindu College and met almost every student. So great was his attachment and commitment to these students that it acted as a great inspiration of many of them. Some of the greatest names in subsequent years were all his students. It was much later that [[Alexander Duff (missionary)\|Alexander Duff]] or [[Henry Louis Vivian Derozio]] came on the scene and influenced the course of events.		On 1 September 1818, he established the 'Calcutta School Society'. He and [[Radhakanta Deb]] were secretaries of the society. He worked tirelessly to establish some schools to teach in English and Bengali, according to new methods of teaching, at such places as Thanthania, Kalitala and Arpuly. Every day, he visited the schools and Hindu College and met almost every student. So great was his attachment and commitment to these students that it acted as a great inspiration of many of them. Some of the greatest names in subsequent years were all his students. It was much later that [[Alexander Duff (missionary)\|Alexander Duff]] or [[Henry Louis Vivian Derozio]] came on the scene and influenced the course of events.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Chandrima S. Bhattacharya \|title=Yesterdate: This day from Kolkata’s past, May 11, 1885 \|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/news/yesterdate-this-day-from-kolkatas-past-may-11-1885/cid/1935900 \|access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref>

	Additionally, David Hare was a subscriber to the Ladies' Society for Native Female Education (formed in 1824), and would be present in the periodical examinations held by the society.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Mittra\|first=Peary Chand\|title=A Biographical Sketch of David Hare\|year=1877\|publisher=W. Newman & Co.\|location=Kolkata\|page=63\|url=https://archive.org/details/davidhare00mitrgoog}}</ref>		Additionally, David Hare was a subscriber to the Ladies' Society for Native Female Education (formed in 1824), and would be present in the periodical examinations held by the society.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Mittra\|first=Peary Chand\|title=A Biographical Sketch of David Hare\|year=1877\|publisher=W. Newman & Co.\|location=Kolkata\|page=63\|url=https://archive.org/details/davidhare00mitrgoog}}</ref>

	==Later life==		==Later life==
			[[File:Memorial Plaque of David Hare in Nicco House, Hare street in Kolkata 07.jpg\|left\|thumb\|The Plaque of David Hare in Nicco House]]
	In later life, he did not find time to devote to his watch business and so he sold it to a friend named Grey and spent some of the money to buy a small house for himself and the rest for the development of the schools. After a long life of activity he fell ill. He was attacked by cholera. One of his students, Dr. Prasanna Kumar Mitra, tried his best but all efforts failed and David Hare died on 1 June 1842. As news spread around the city, a pall of gloom spread over the city. The Christian missionaries refused to allot him land in their cemeteries, as they thought that he was a non-believer. He was buried in what was then the compound of Hare School-Presidency College that he had donated. The tomb, marked with a bust statue, currently falls within the College Square (renamed Vidyasagar Udyan) swimming pool, opposite to [[Hare School]].		In later life, he did not find time to devote to his watch business and so he sold it to a friend named Grey and spent some of the money to buy a small house for himself and the rest for the development of the schools. After a long life of activity he fell ill. He was attacked by cholera. One of his students, Dr. Prasanna Kumar Mitra, tried his best but all efforts failed and David Hare died on 1 June 1842. As news spread around the city, a pall of gloom spread over the city. The Christian missionaries refused to allot him land in their cemeteries, as they thought that he was a non-believer. He was buried in what was then the compound of Hare School-Presidency College that he had donated. The tomb, marked with a bust statue, currently falls within the College Square (renamed Vidyasagar Udyan) swimming pool, opposite to [[Hare School]].
	[[File:David Hare's Tomb in Kolkata.jpg\|thumb\|The grave of David Hare, college square, Kolkata]]		[[File:David Hare's Tomb in Kolkata.jpg\|thumb\|The grave of David Hare, college square, Kolkata]]
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	According to [[Sivanath Sastri]], “As his body was brought out of Mr. Gray’s house, thousands of people, some in vehicles, others on foot, followed it. The scene that was witnessed by Kolkata on that day will not be witnessed again. Right from [[Bowbazar]] crossing to Madhab Dutta’s bazaar, the entire road was flooded with people.”		According to [[Sivanath Sastri]], “As his body was brought out of Mr. Gray’s house, thousands of people, some in vehicles, others on foot, followed it. The scene that was witnessed by Kolkata on that day will not be witnessed again. Right from [[Bowbazar]] crossing to Madhab Dutta’s bazaar, the entire road was flooded with people.”

	The ~~road~~ where he lived, is ~~called~~ Hare Street, ~~just off Binoy~~-~~Badal~~-~~Dinesh Bagh (earlier Dalhousie Square)~~. A life-size statue (pictured) was built with public donations and placed in the compound of Hare School.		The place where he lived, is presently named as Nicco House at [[Hare Street]]. A plaque is imbedded there.<ref>{{Citation \|last=Pinakpani \|title=English: Memorial Plaque of David Hare in Nicco House, Hare street in Kolkata \|date=2024-07-23 \|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Memorial_Plaque_of_David_Hare_in_Nicco_House,_Hare_street_in_Kolkata_07.jpg \|access-date=2024-07-23}}</ref> A life-size statue (pictured) was built with public donations and placed in the compound of Hare School.

	==Further reading ==		==Further reading ==
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	[[Category:1775 births]]		[[Category:1775 births]]
	[[Category:1842 deaths]]		[[Category:1842 deaths]]
	[[Category:~~Scholars~~ from ~~Kolkata~~]]		[[Category:Scottish watchmakers (people)]]
	[[Category:~~Bengali educators~~]]		[[Category:Scottish company founders]]
			[[Category:Scottish philanthropists]]
			[[Category:British people in British India]]
			[[Category:Educators from British India]]
			[[Category:People from the Bengal Presidency]]
	[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]		[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
	[[Category:Sheriffs of Kolkata]]		[[Category:Sheriffs of Kolkata]]
	~~[[Category:18th-century Indian educators]]~~
	~~[[Category:19th-century Indian educators]]~~
	[[Category:Presidency University, Kolkata]]		[[Category:Presidency University, Kolkata]]
			[[Category:18th-century Scottish businesspeople]]
			[[Category:19th-century Scottish businesspeople]]

>DEFCON5: Removed MOS:PUFFERY

2021-06-08T14:43:08Z

Removed MOS:PUFFERY

New page

{{other people|David Hare}}
[[Image:David Hare Statue by Edward Hodges Baily - 1845 CE - Hare School Playground - 87 College Street - Kolkata 2015-02-09 2256.JPG|thumb|250px|right|A statue of David Hare kept at [[Hare School]]]]
{{EngvarB|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}

'''David Hare''' (1775–1842) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[watchmaker]] and [[philanthropist]] in [[Bengal]], [[India]] (see [[East India Company]] and their rule in India). He founded many educational institutions in Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]), such as the [[Hindu School]], and [[Hare School]] and helped in founding [[Presidency College, Kolkata|Presidency College]].

==Early life==
David Hare was born in Scotland in 1775. He came to India in 1800 to make a fortune as a watch maker. However, while he prospered in his business his mind was distracted by the deplorable conditions of the native population and unlike most of the other people who returned to their native land after gathering a fortune to live a life in peace and prosperity, he decided to stay back in the country and devote himself entirely to the cause of its uplift. However, he was no missionary, seeking to convert others to his religion. He lived his own life and allowed others to live their own, only helping to improve their condition. He also founded the School Book Society.

==Contribution==
Hare felt that the need of the country was English education. He used to discuss the topic with many of his customers, who came to buy watches in his shop. [[Ram Mohan Roy|Raja Ram Mohan Roy]] went to Kolkata in 1814 and within a short time, they became friends. In 1816, he went on his own and attended a session of the Raja’s [[Atmiya Sabha]]. Both of them discussed at length the proposal to establish an English school at Kolkata. Babu Buddi Nath Mukherjee - another member of Atmiya Sabha - later discussed the matter with [[Sir Edward Hyde East, 1st Baronet|Sir Hyde East]], Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. That led to the foundation of Hindu College, later renamed Presidency College, Kolkata, on 20 January 1817.<ref>{{cite book|author=Sivanath Sastri|author-link=Sivanath Sastri|title=[[Ramtanu Lahiri O Tatkalin Bangasamaj]]|year=1903|location=Calcutta}}</ref>

Thereafter, David Hare was instrumental in establishing the School Book Society on 6 May 1817. It took the initiative to print and publish text books in both English and Bengali. This society contributed substantially to the flowering of the [[Bengal Renaissance]].

On 1 September 1818, he established the Calcutta School Society'. He and [[Radhakanta Deb]] were secretaries of the society. He worked tirelessly to establish some schools to teach in English and Bengali, according to new methods of teaching, at such places as Thanthania, Kalitala and Arpuly. Every day, he visited the schools and Hindu College and met almost every student. So great was his attachment and commitment to these students that it acted as a great inspiration of many of them. Some of the greatest names in subsequent years were all his students. It was much later that [[Alexander Duff (missionary)|Alexander Duff]] or [[Henry Louis Vivian Derozio]] came on the scene and influenced the course of events.

Additionally, David Hare was a subscriber to the Ladies' Society for Native Female Education (formed in 1824), and would be present in the periodical examinations held by the society.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mittra|first=Peary Chand|title=A Biographical Sketch of David Hare|year=1877|publisher=W. Newman & Co.|location=Kolkata|page=63|url=https://archive.org/details/davidhare00mitrgoog}}</ref>

==Later life==
In later life, he did not find time to devote to his watch business and so he sold it to a friend named Grey and spent some of the money to buy a small house for himself and the rest for the development of the schools. After a long life of activity he fell ill. He was attacked by cholera. One of his students, Dr. Prasanna Kumar Mitra, tried his best but all efforts failed and David Hare died on 1 June 1842. As news spread around the city, a pall of gloom spread over the city. The Christian missionaries refused to allot him land in their cemeteries, as they thought that he was a non-believer. He was buried in what was then the compound of Hare School-Presidency College that he had donated. The tomb, marked with a bust statue, currently falls within the College Square (renamed Vidyasagar Udyan) swimming pool, opposite to [[Hare School]].
[[File:David Hare's Tomb in Kolkata.jpg|thumb|The grave of David Hare, college square, Kolkata]]

According to [[Sivanath Sastri]], “As his body was brought out of Mr. Gray’s house, thousands of people, some in vehicles, others on foot, followed it. The scene that was witnessed by Kolkata on that day will not be witnessed again. Right from [[Bowbazar]] crossing to Madhab Dutta’s bazaar, the entire road was flooded with people.”

The road where he lived, is called Hare Street, just off Binoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh (earlier Dalhousie Square). A life-size statue (pictured) was built with public donations and placed in the compound of Hare School.

==Further reading ==
* ''Reverend Krishnamohan Bandyopadhyaya'' (in Bengali) by Mayukh Das, Kolkata:Paschimbanga Anchalik Itihas O Loksanskriti Charcha Kendra (2014) {{ISBN|978-81-926316-0-8}}
* [https://archive.org/details/davidhare00mitrgoog "A biographical sketch of David Hare"] by Peary Chand Mittra.
* ''Ramtanu Lahiri O Tatkalin Banga Samaj'' in Bengali by Sivanath Sastri [https://archive.org/details/cu31924022941714 (English Translation)]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite book |last=Islam |first=Sirajul |year=2012 |chapter=Hare, David |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Hare,_David |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}

{{Bengal Renaissance}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hare, David}}
[[Category:1775 births]]
[[Category:1842 deaths]]
[[Category:Scholars from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Bengali educators]]
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
[[Category:Sheriffs of Kolkata]]
[[Category:18th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:Presidency University, Kolkata]]