This web site is about the Choudhurys who migrated from Bengal, India (now Bangladesh) and settled down in colonial Malaya, mainly in the rubber plantations of Negri Sembilan. The progenitor of our line is one Rai Sree Pratap Debogupta who is believed to have been appointed by the Mughals to preside over a vast area called Bholachang and conferred the title of Rai Choudhury, such being a sort of an elitist talaqdar (area administrator).
From the eight pilgrims who migrated to Malaya in the early 1900s, namely Dinesh Chandra, Kitish Chandra, Shachikanta, Hirendra Kumar, Kiran Kumar, Anil Kumar, Kalyani and Bani, we number almost two hundred today, with most still residing or having at one time resided in present day Malaysia.
Many of us, especially the younger ones, are somewhat ignorant of our early history, apart perhaps that we are "from northern India". Also, as we are so caught up in our own busy lives, many are not aware of the existence of some of our kin, let alone having met them. It is hoped that this web site will help bridge these shortcomings and also serve as a legacy of our lives so future generations would remember us as more than just a name from the past, a fate most of our ancestors have regretfully been condemned to.
A little bit on how this site came to being. Sometime in 2005, having time in my hands, I decided that I wanted to know a bit more about my origins; being of the ICT generation, I looked up the web for suitable software and thus began my journey of discovery, rather pleased with myself for having traced our history back to my great grandfather Girish Chandra, whom I had never met.
When my uncle Biplob heard of this, he told me that my grand-uncle, Mr H K Choudhury, had done extensive research on our family roots and handed me a copy of his work - I was simply quite amazed to find that it not only went back to my great grand-father, but to another seven generations earlier, right to the progenitor of our present family name, Rai Sree Pratap. It is with this as a foundation and other info gathered along the way that this site was formed; it is hoped that all family members partake in its development as we are all part characters in the "Malaysian Choudhurys" epic which, though not quite a Mahabaratta, can be interesting reading.
I would like to make it clear that the contents in this site are by no means my solo effort. Many have aided me in this venture and I would like to put on record some of them below:-
„« Hirendra Kumar Choudhury (deceased) : he developed our family genealogical tree in the 1980s,
„« Payal Choudhury : she did the family tree as a school project in 2004, which has helped fill certain gaps in the tree done by H K Choudhury
„« My mother Sephali Chaudhury : although only a Chaudhury by marriage, she knows our past history rather well, having spent her youth in Brahmanbaria, near Bholachang
„« Bani Sinha Roy : she is the only living Choudhury in Malaysia who spent substantial time in Bholachang, i.e. until the age of 24
„« Jayantha (Pijush) Choudhury : the eldest son of H K Choudhury, he has been a rich source of information and interesting anecdotes,
„« And last, but not least, Anupama Choudhury (Choto Sumi to some) who patiently and selflessly assisted me with the interviews, archiving of records, and compiling of information for the family tree.
Trying to trace and correctly record our early family history has not been an easy task. This is because most that would have had first-hand knowledge of our early pre-Malaya period are no longer living, and the few who do know something of our heritage have occasionally, due to failing memories, given conflicting reports. My attempt to piece the bits of information together is thus with some best-guess conjecture and possibly erroneous on occasion. If such are found, please make them known to me and I shall correct accordingly.
Shujol
|
