Mohini Mohan Dhar

Mohini Mohan Dhar
Raja IV Babu Dewan Justice
Official Portrait
Born	1866-08-21 Dhar Zamindar Palace, Jalsin, Dhaka
Died	Kolkata
Issue	5
Royalty/Jagirdari	Dar
Dynasty	Dar
Father	Raja III Rai Bahadur Hara Mohan Dhar
Mother	Rani Elokeshi Devi

Mohini Mohan Dhar Esq. M.A.B.L. (born 21 September 1866 - 1952)) was the Fourth Maharaja of the House of Dar and the 19 Dar estates in Bangladesh and West Bengal Second Dewan of Mayurbhanj (20th June 1905 to 21st April 1912) State Judge of Mayurbhanj Vice-President of the State Council, Mayurbhanj, Head of Revenue, Agriculture, Education, Settlement, Zamindari and Registration Department of Mayurbhanj.

Early Life and Background

Mohini Mohan Dhar was born on 21 September 1866 in Dhaka, Bengal Presidency, British India, into the royal family of Dar Raj. He was the son of Rai Bahadur Raja III Hara Mohan Dhar, a barrister and zamindar, and Rani Elokeshi Dhar (née Choudhari) fourth daughter of Raja Gurnindra Chunder, the Zamindar of Bhagalpur.

Dhar completed his schooling from Dhaka Collegiate School and his higher education education, earning Master of Arts (M.A.) and Bachelor of Laws (B.L.) and B.Sc. (Mathematics) degrees from the University of Calcutta.

Career

Academic and Early Roles

Before entering major state administration, Dhar worked as a Professor of Mathematics at Ravenshaw College in Cuttack, Odisha. During his tenure, he served as a private tutor to the young Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo.

Dewan of Mayurbhanj (1905–1912)

On 20 June 1905, Dhar was appointed as the 2nd Dewan of Mayurbhanj State under Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo. Simultaneously, he served as:

• Vice-President of the Mayurbhanj State Council
• Judge of the Mayurbhanj State Chief Court
• Chief Judicial Officer of Mayurbhanj
• Head of Revenue Department of Mayurbhanj
• Head of Agriculture Department of Mayurbhanj
• Head of Settlement Department of Mayurbhanj
• Head and Chief of Zamindari of Mayurbhanj
• Head of Registration Department of Mayurbhanj
• Chief head of Education and Research of Mayurbhanj

His administration was noted for strict legal reforms and aggressive bureaucratic organization. While proponents credited him with modernizing the state's administrative apparatus and managing crucial iron ore resource arrangements that formed the backbone of regional heavy industry, his policies drew sharp local criticism. Contemporary local newspapers like the Star of Utkal criticized him for bringing administrators and workers from East Bengal into Mayurbhanj state departments, which marginalized local Oriya and domiciled Bengali populations. Consequently, while he maintained the absolute confidence of the Maharaja, public opinion was frequently divided.

Dhar stepped down from his position as Dewan on 21 April 1912 and was succeeded by Hari Das Bose. Later in life, he also served as a Sheristedar at the Netrokona Munsiff's Court from 1920 to 1935.

TATA Steel and Mohini Mohan Dhar

Following geologist P.N. Bose's discovery of rich iron ore deposits in the Gorumahisani hills, Dhar drafted and successfully negotiated the historic 1905 mining lease between Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo and the TATA Steel. To make the project commercially viable, Dhar championed the development of the Rupsa–Baripada-Bangriposi light railway (initially opened in 1905) and its strategic extension into the Gorumahisani mining belt. By linking these remote extraction zones to the Bengal Nagpur Railway network, Dhar enabled the efficient bulk transit of iron ore to the Tata steel plant in Sakchi (Jamshedpur), effectively anchoring the birth of India’s modern steel industry.

Assassination Attempt

In 1909, when Mohini Mohan Dhar was the Dewan of Mayurbhanj, an assassination attempt was made against him. An old official, angered by Dhar's administrative reforms and strict laws, attempted to attack him during his morning carriage ride to court. The attacker approached the car under the pretext of delivering a message and attempted to injure Dhar with a hidden knife. However, Dhar's guards, noticing suspicious movements, immediately stopped the attacker. Dhar remained safe, but there was some commotion among onlookers. The attacker was immediately apprehended and the entire case was investigated by local authorities.

Dhar Brothers of Calcutta

Dhar was the principal figure behind Dhar Brothers of Calcutta, a fountain pen house established around 1875, by his father Rai Bahadur Raja Hara Mohan Dhar, which he joined around 1890 after it began as a shop selling metal trunks. Under his leadership, the firm became one of India's most celebrated fountain pen establishments, holding dealerships for Parker and Sheaffer and dealing in Waterman, Soennecken, and Pelikan pens, in addition to manufacturing its own line of ebonite-handled safety razors. His most notable contribution was the creation of the in-house "Ruby" brand of safety pens, developed after imported German hard-rubber pens proved highly popular in the Calcutta market; Ruby pens went on to become a respected name in British Calcutta through the early twentieth century and remain sought after by collectors of vintage Indian pens today. Dhar-babu was also known for hand-crafting signature gold nibs offered to discerning customers, and the shop attracted a distinguished clientele over more than five decades, including Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Bonoful (Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay), Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, and Dr. Pratap Chandra Chandra. Dhar Brothers was eventually sold around 1998–99, marking the end of an institution regarded as a landmark in Calcutta's fountain pen history. Dhar was also a crucial member of the Calcutta Mathematical Society.

Literary Philosophical Work

After the death of Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo, Dhar joined the Theosophical Society (TS) and went to England for further studies. Dhar received the diploma of The Theosophical Society membership from Annie Besant in Benares in December 1913. After reaching England, he joined the Westminster Lodge in London. During his stay in England, from 1914 to 1920, he remained continuously associated with The Society. Theosophical community of London helped him in building social connections during his stay there. During this period, Dhar gave some lectures and wrote two books in 1919 - Gauranga and his Gospel and Krishna the Charioteer. Dhar's written works provide another example where a Bengali Theosophist reveals his devotion to Vaishnavism.In 1920, Dhar returned to India and wrote a letter to the General Secretary of Adyar, requesting that he be associated with the Bhowanipur Lodge in Calcutta. In this letter, which is still preserved in the Adyar Archives, Dhar recounts his earlier association with T.S. in England.

Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo was married to Sucharu Devi, the elder daughter of Brahmo leader Keshab Chandra Sen. Sucharu Devi was an active women's rights leader and associated with the leaders of the All India Women's League—a movement in which Theosophists played a significant role. Such connections indicate that Mohini Mohan was well connected with the intellectual circles of Dhar, Calcutta, and other parts of the country. The networks they created help us understand the deep connections between Theosophy, Vaishnavism and the princely states of India.

King of the House of Dar

A year after the death of his father, Raja III Rai Bahadur Hara Mohan Dhar, Mohini Mohan Dhar became the King of the 19 Dar Estates in Bangladesh and West Bengal. Upon his return to Bengal from England, he ordered the partial demolition of The Dhar Zamindar Palace. He converted the Zamindar Palace to Elokeshi High School, Jalsin. He also established two more branches of the school in Gidhni (Gidhni Elokeshi High School) and Bhagalpur (Elokeshi High School, Bhagalpur) By the end of the 1930, he purchased the Rowail Zamindar Palace in the Rowail Village, Dhamrai Upazila. By the end of 1935, he built the Kabir Road Mansion in Calcutta and shifted there permanently with his family.

As the fourth King of the House of Dar, he banned consanguineous marriage in the royal family. in 1929 he commissioned a Kalighat Patachittra of his great-grandfather Maharaja Virendra Mohan Dar. In August 1906, the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj State authorized the striking of a unique, ceremonial gold coin to posthumously honor the long-standing political and administrative legacy of Raja Virendra Mohan Dar, on the request of the Dewan- Mohini Mohan Dhar. The commemorative coin featured a portrait of Dar on one side and the official emblem of the Dar Raj State on the reverse. It was placed on public display at the Dar Raj Kachahri on September 14, 1906.

Personal Life and death

Mohini Mohan Dhar was married to Saudamini Dhar (sister of Jogesh Chandra Ghosh). The couple had five children, including Dhirendra Mohan Dhar a barrister-at-law and Mathematician from the Kings College London and Satyendra Mohan Dhar CIE ICS.

Mohini Mohan Dhar passed away, due to oral cancer, at his Kabir Road residence in Kolkata at the age of 86.