According to Asian Voice’s special columnist, Abhiroop Sengupta, the 'Memoirs of Dwarkanath Tagore' by Kishori Chand Mitra suggest that his grandfather Nilmoni Tagore was the younger son of Jayram Tagore who was the Amin of the 24 Parganas. Dwarkanath probably had its roots in a school run by an Eurasian teacher to whom he later also provided a pension. He further educated himself by interacting with individuals like Reverend William Adams and also individuals like Mr JG Gordon and Mr James Calder who were partners in Mackintosh & Co, a well-known firm of its day. It can be rightly said that the seeds of entrepreneurship were also sown in him around this period. His closest friend who also influenced him greatly was none other but Raja Ram Mohun Roy, the reformer who laid the foundation of a movement which later became the Brahmo Samaj.
Dwarka Nath was married to Digambari Devi and among his children were Girindranath, Debendranath and Nogendronath. Debendranath who later led the Brahmo Samaj was also the father of the poet Rabindra Nath Tagore.
Among the nobles with whom he interacted were Lord John Copley, the Lord High Chancellor and the Duke of Wellington. He also attended a grand review of the troops by royal invitation. He also visited Buckingham Palace, Stafford House, Chatsworth and frequented Hyde Park, Regent's Park and the Kensington Gardens. A very well-travelled person he had also personally met the Queen, the Prince Consort and even the Pope on different occasions. On one occasion he also met the Scottish science writer, astronomer and polymath Mary Somerville. His adventurous life suddenly came to an abrupt end on the 1st of August 1846 at St George's Hotel, Albemarle Street in London. Looking back one can very well wonder that had he lived longer he would have surely received far many honours than he had already received which included the epithet of 'Prince'.
Dwarkanath Tagore died "at the peak of his fortune" on the evening of 1 August 1846 at the St. George's Hotel in London.
In his obituary, The London Mail newspaper of 7 August wrote: "Descended from the highest Brahmin caste of India his family can prove a long and undoubted pedigree. But it is not on account of this nobility that we now review his life but on far better grounds. However gifted, his claims rest on a higher pedestal – he was the benefactor of his country... [T]hey testified to his merits in the encouragement of every public and private undertaking likely to benefit India."
Heritage Bengal Global will host a commemorative event at the Kensal Green cemetery on 5 August to mark Tagore’s death anniversary as part of South Asian Heritage month.
