Dr Annada Charan Khastagir was a man ahead of his time

Dr Khastagir's Government Girl's School  is a very well known and prestigious school in the port city of Chattogram. Its name and fame has spread beyond the city. The school is famous for quality education,

discipline,co and extra curricular activities. It has produced thousands of secondary school graduates since it's inception and amongst it's alumni we have a host of great names who have excelled in different fields of life. To name a few, we have Veerkannya Preetilata Waddedar(revolutionary anti British colonial freedom fighter,an active member of Masterda Surya Sen's IRA) and her comrade Kalpana Dutta, famous novelist and writer Moitreyee Devi, famous sculptor Novera Ahmed, Ekushey Padak laureate educationist Protiva Mutsuddi, National Professor Sufia Rahaman, political leader Ivy Rahman( a victim of a political massacre and spouse of ex President Honourable Zillur Rahman),leading women activist Begum Umartul Fazal(spouse of writer and edicationist Abul Fazal). We can go on and on but I prefer to proceed with other points.Most of us know about the school and many of it's alumni. But do we know much about who Dr Khastagir was? Have we ever pondered how this school got this name? The reply to my query most probably will be in the negative from most of us.

Well,today let us get into knowing this illustrious son of our soil. Annada Charan was born in 1832(some sources give a date 1829 and 1890) in the village Suchakradandi of Patiya upazila. He grew up to become one of the first generation Indian doctors. We will come to that story later. Lets know about his early life first. His father Mr Ram Chandra Khastagir was a lawyer. He was a Government prosecutor first and took up the job of a Munsiff(judge)when offered. But soon he found out that it was not a suitable profession for him. So,he quit same and started practising as a pleader in Chittagong court. He,being a proficient lawyer became a leading figure in his profession which brought him fortune in the form of fame and wealth. He was a forward thinking man and put all three of his sons to study in Chittagong Government English School soon after it was established in 1836. The society was not yet ready to send their children to study under the British curriculum. Most people tried to cling to their orthodox old system of education and the Government English School got very few clients. Mr Ram Chandra's decision proved right. His son Uma Charan became a judge, Shyama Charan a court official and skilled musician and Annada Charan went on to become a doctor. Most meritorious among the brothers,Annada showed signs of a genious in his childhood and his father Ram Chandra wanted his son to become a Deputy Magistrate,a coveted position in those days. But fate fixed for Annada was different. After completion of his secondary education with flying colours from his alma mater which later on would become Chittagong Collegiate School with his little contribution ,as well, young Annada went to study FA(equivalent to present day Higher Secondary)in Dhaka. There he started staying in a house shared with two of his class mates. One fell severely sick one night presumably with cholera. Annada and the other friend turned the world upside down to get some medical help but got none. The poor pal of theirs succumbed to dehydration by the time when early lights of the next morning broke out. Young Annada vowed that moment to himself that he will be a doctor to save as many lives as he could.

After completion of his FA examination from Dhaka,contrary to his father's desire (of becoming a Deputy Magistrate),he got himself admitted into Calcutta Medical College. Being a brilliant student, he completed his medical studies with flying colours and was selected to be sent to England for higher medical studies. Religious backwardness of the society(chance of being outclassed from own religious society of Hinduism)and unwillingness of his newlywed wife prevented him from going abroad crossing the seas. He joined the Government medical service as Assistant Surgeon and went for his first posting to Burma which was then also under British rule. Next quarter of a century saw him serving humanity as a medical doctor and learning at the same time.During this period he was posted at different places in North India and Bengal Presidency. Finally,he ended up in Calcutta and before retiring from Government services,had been a teacher at Calcutta Medical College. During his stay and private medical practice at Calcutta he stayed at a house at Wellington Square. This house was purchased later by another legendary doctor Bidhan Chandra Roy. Dr Khastagir,besides being a famous physician,was a leading personality in the Bengal Society. He was a forward thinking civil society leader who joined the Brahmo Samaj. A modern conception in those days,it brought under one umbrella the leaders of the then civil society who would lead the Bengali Hindus to progress. They wanted to bring the ladies forward giving them education and allowing them to perform at equal footing with men in all spheres of life. Dr Khastagir,being in the forefront of Bengal Society in those days was a great Physician,Writer,Social Reformer and Medical Books presenter at the same time. Though not actively associated with politics,he was very closely connected to some of the very prominent political leaders of that time. One of the three preparatory meetings before formation of Indian National Congress was Presided over by him.The first President of Indian National Congress Mr Umesh Chandra Banerjee considered Dr Khastagir as a Friend,Philosopher and Guide. Parallel to this,he was a close friend of the great Educationist and Social Reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

 Dr Khastagir was a successful father. He had three well educated sons one of which Hemendralal became a Deputy Magistrate to fulfill his grandfather's dream. Annada Charan was father of four educated daughters. Eldest Soudamini was married to Magistrate Biharilal Dutta. Monomohini's husband was Karuna Chandra Sen,son of Brahmo top leader Keshab Chandra Sen. The third daughter Binodini was married to the leading law practitioner and Congress leader of Chittagong Mr Jatra Mohan Sen. We will come back to Mr Sen again a little later. The Doctor's youngest daughter became the first female graduate of Chittagong and became an educationist. She rose upto the position of Bethune College's Principal. 

The famous son of Chittagong soil Dr Khastagir was the Civil Surgeon of Chittagong in the 1870s. Another illustrious son of Chittagong Poet Nabin Chandra Sen was incidentally the DM of Chittagong at the same time. The duo working in tandem turned their Alma Mater Collegiate School to a college by starting FA class in the institution which later became Chittagong College,Collegiate School retaining it's original identity. While still in Chittagong,Dr Annada Charan started a Vernacular Medium School for girls in 1878. It  started with three students and was still running as was established as a medium vernacular school until 1907. Dr Khastagir expired in 1890 in Calcutta in the meantime at the end of his chequered carrer. In 1906 his daughter Binodini,mother of Deshopriyo Barrister Jatindra Mohan Sengupta and wife of Jatra Mohan Sengupta died. In her memory,J M Sengupta drew a plan to convert her father's dream school an exemplary one.He donated 7 acres of land to extend the school, turned it into a High School and named it as Dr Khastagir Girl's School which was later taken over by the Government and is now proudly running as one of the premier Institutions of the country as Dr Khastagir's Government High English School for Girls. Dr Khastagir's name has become immortal with the school and has become a beacon of female education thus fulfilling one of Dr Khastagir's dreams.

In the concluding part of his medical professional life he was a Co- Editor of a medical journal named Medical Conference which dealt with articles in Homoeopathic, Ayurvedic and Modern Medical sciences. 

He authored many books on medicine which included:

Pictorial Childbirth and Obstetrics.

Neonatal sickness and treatment.

Gynaecological Treatment.

Human Longevity.

Family medicine and Healthcare.

His descendants are still prominent citizens living in Kolkata and elsewhere. Ms Padma Khastagir, belonging to the family was a Justice in Kolkata High Court. Dr Goutam Khastagir,one of his descendants is a renowned gynaecologist of Kolkata. He feels strong attraction towards his family roots and visits Chattogram from time to time. On his visits he makes it a point to visit the Dr Khastagir's Government Girl's School and tries to participate in the school's development activities. He stays as a Guest of Honour at the accomodation facilities of the (adjacent to the School) Chittagong Seniors Club. It may be noted that the land for establishing the Club was donated by his family. A picture of the great Doctor is sported at the Lobby of the Seniors Club.

* Our tributes to the illustrious son of Chattogram