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{{Short description|British Indian aristocrat and philanthropist}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Raja]]
| name = Girish Chandra Roy
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name = গিরীশচন্দ্র রায়
| native_name_lang = bn
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| pronunciation = Girīś Chôndrô Ray
| other_names =
| birth_name = Bajragovinda Nandi Chaudhury
| birth_date = 27 March 1844
| birth_place = [[Balaganj Upazila|Charbhuta, Balaganj]], [[Sylhet District]], [[British India]]
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1907|4|15|1844|3|27}}
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'''[[Raja]]''' '''Girish Chandra Roy''' ({{Langx|bn|গিরীশ চন্দ্র রায়}}; 27 March 1844 – 15 April 1907), born as '''Bajragovinda Nandi Chaudhury''' ({{Langx|bn|ব্রজগোবিন্দ নন্দী চৌধুরী}}) was a British Indian [[Zamindar|aristocrat]] and philanthropist. In recognition of his contribution to the development of education in [[Sylhet Division|Sylhet]], he became the first Sylheti to be awarded the title of [[Rai Bahadur]] in 1895 and the only Sylheti be granted the title of [[Raja]] by the [[British Raj]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=চৌধুরী তত্ত্বনিধি |first=অচ্যুতচরণ |url= |title=শ্রীহট্টের ইতিবৃত্ত (উত্তরাংশ)}}</ref>

== Early life and rise to power ==
Bajragovinda Nandi Chaudhury was born on 27 March 1844 to a Bengali (Sylheti) [[Kayastha]] family in the village of Charbhuta in [[Balaganj Upazila|Balaganj]], [[Sylhet District|Sylhet]]. He was the son of Dipachandra Nandi Chaudhury. In 1849, he was adopted and raised by Bajrasundari Devi, the childless daughter of [[zamindar]] [[Murari Chand Roy]] of Sylhet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Brief History of Murarichand. College |url=https://mccollege.edu.bd/about-en#:~:text=Raja%20Girish%20Chandra%20Roy%20was,school%20after%20his%20maternal%20grandfather. |website=[[Murari Chand College|MC College]]}}</ref> Thus he inherited the vast property of the zamindari of Sylhet.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Comprehensive History of Assam: From the Pre-historic Times to the Twelfth Century A.D. · Volume 4 |publisher=Publication Board, Assam |year=1991 |editor-last=Barpujari |editor-first=H. K. |pages=361}}</ref>

== Career ==
As a zamindar, he spent all his wealth for the spread of education, the prevention of famine, the salvation of the poor and the distressed. Govinda Charan Park was established by Roy. He was the first Sylheti engineer and one of the architects of the [[Howrah Bridge]] in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Das |first=Suman Kumar |date=22 June 2021 |title=শতবর্ষী গোবিন্দচরণ পার্ক |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/শতবর্ষী-গোবিন্দচরণ-পার্ক |work=[[Prothom Alo]] |language=bn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Abdul Aziz |first=Bhasha-Sangrami Mohammad |title=কালের যাত্রার ধ্বনি |language=bn}}</ref>

He founded the Girish Bengal School (Raja Girish Chandra High School) in 1876. After the death of [[Radha Nath Chaudhuri]] in 1881,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pal |first=Bipin Chandra |title=Memories of My Life and Times |publisher=Upendra Chandra Bhattacharya |year=1932 |pages=385 |language=en}}</ref> Roy took over the Sylhet National School and established the [[Murari Chand College]] in honour of his adoptive grandfather in the Bandarbazar area of Sylhet town.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chowdhury |first=Doha |date=15 February 2024 |title=Crumbling under the weight of time |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/crumbling-under-the-weight-time-3543971 |work=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)]]}}</ref> This was the first college in Sylhet and [[Assam Province]]. He was also the founder of Murari Chand Entrance School and Sanskrit Chatuspathi, where all the four [[Vedas]] were taught. During his time, about half of the students of these schools and colleges studied for free and with low salary, a monthly stipend was fixed for the helpless students. Roy was also very supportive of women's education and helped in its spread in many ways. Moreover, Raja Girish Chandra Roy was the first among all of the Bengalis in the then [[Assam Province]] to prepare tea gardens and opened the way for others to indulge in this business.<ref>{{Cite book |last=চৌধুরী তত্ত্বনিধি |first=অচ্যুতচরণ |url= |title=শ্রীহট্টের ইতিবৃত্ত (উত্তরাংশ)}}</ref> In 1905, he was awarded the title of [[Raja]] during the visit of [[Henry Cotton (civil servant)|Sir Henry Cotton]] to Sylhet. The Raja loved to feed people, and at feasts in his house he always stood casually near the line, observing and greeting, and everyone was pleased with his humble behaviour and sweet talk. He did not hesitate to give a lot of money whether it was Hindus, Muslims or Christians.<ref>{{Cite book |last=চৌধুরী তত্ত্বনিধি |first=অচ্যুতচরণ |url= |title=শ্রীহট্টের ইতিবৃত্ত (উত্তরাংশ)}}</ref>

== Death and legacy ==
Roy died on Sunday 2nd [[Boishakh]] 1314 [[Bengali calendar|[Bangla]]] (15 April 1907) in [[Sylhet]]. On hearing the news of the Raja's death, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Cohen, closed the Deputy Commissioner Offices, Local Board Offices, Judges' Courts, All Judges' Courts, Munsiff Courts, Government Schools in Sylhet. The moneylenders of Bandar Bazar closed their respective shops on for that day. Murari Chand College High School was closed for seven days. The city was silent and silent, and everyone lamented, "What has happened?" The Raja's funeral was completed in due course.<ref>{{Cite book |last=চৌধুরী তত্ত্বনিধি |first=অচ্যুতচরণ |url= |title=শ্রীহট্টের ইতিবৃত্ত (উত্তরাংশ)}}</ref> In 2023, a portrait of Roy was revealed on campus.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reporter |first=Staff |date=19 November 2023 |title=Portrait of Girish Chandra unveiled at MC College |url=https://khoborsobor.com/portrait-of-girish-chandra-roy-unveiled-at-mc-college/ |work=Khobor Sobor}}</ref>

== References ==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Girish}}
[[Category:1907 deaths]]
[[Category:1845 births]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian nobility]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:People from Balaganj Upazila]]
[[Category:People from Sylhet]]
[[Category:20th-century Bengali people]]
[[Category:University and college founders]]

Girish Chandra Roy - Revision history

Teena29I554 at 07:12, 13 March 2026