Parbati Sankar Roy Choudhury

Who was Parbati Sankar Roy Choudhury?

Parbati Sankar Roy Choudhury, was the zamindar of Teota and a philanthropic landholder. He was born in the early 1850s, and was the elder son of Joy Sankar Choudhuri of Teota.

Parbati Sankar was an active member of the British Indian Association, the Indian Association, the Indian National Congress, and the Dacca district board. He was also one of the founders of the Indian Industrial Association, which was set up to promote the material and economic development of the region. As part of the economic reconstruction programme, Parbati Sankar attempted to make use of the material raw resources available within the Teota zamindari. His name is also associated with the formulation of a concrete and detailed plan of extension of the railways to Manikganj, linking it up with the town of Dacca on the east and the river port of Goalando on the west.

Parbatisankar is best remembered, however, for pioneering the 'dharmagola' system of co-operative grain banking, intended to alleviate scarcity and resulting famine. 'Dharmagolas' or grain banks were established at various places within the Teota Estate and elsewhere in Dinajpur and the system was a success. These grain banks were registered as formal co-operative societies in the second decade of the 20th century. Parbati Sankar wrote a number of articles in which he not only outlined the basic features of the 'dharmagola' system, but also clearly brought out its many virtues and advantages. He spoke on the "Indebtedness of the Bengal peasantry" at an annual session of the Congress in the early 1900s.