On August 1, 1846, a treacherous thunderstorm raged through London. ‘Vivid flashes of lightning’ struck, the wind howled, and in a hotel room, very close to Bond Street, a ‘Prince’ died. Dwarakanath Tagore was only 52 when he died in the company of just two members of his vast family — a son and a nephew.

Four days later, they buried him, without ceremony in Kensal Green Cemetery. Among the mourners were his youngest son Narendranath, nephew Nabin Chandra Mukherji, four medical students who had accompanied him on his trip to England and his former partners Major Henderson and William Prinsep. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert — who had welcomed him to their court like ‘an old friend’ just over a year ago — sent four carriages. It was a princely send off.

Whatever may have been his reputation back home, in London Dwarakanath was the darling of fashionable society. He gave lavish parties, dined with royalty in England and France, showered his friends and hosts with expensive gifts and gave generously to charities. He was immensely popular with European ladies and made no attempt to conceal his many ‘friendships’. He even kept a boat on the Thames with a certain Mrs Caroline Norton — a divorced, small-time Victorian poet of some ‘beauty and wit’ — where he hosted the literati of the day from Charles Dickens to WM Thackeray.

It is all a very different picture today. Although, the city that he so loved continues to remain popular with most of his fellow countrymen, not many people come to see him. We took the Bakerloo Line on the Underground, got off at Kensal Green Station, and turned left. It was late September and the trees had started changing colour. Kensal Green is huge — 72 acres in fact — and is one of London’s oldest and most distinguished public burial grounds. It has many celebrated residents from scientists, botanists, actors and royalty — Ingrid Bergman and Freddie Mercury among them.

But just as we walked though the very impressive archway of the main gate, we realised we were quite lost. In the absence of any map or directions it was near impossible to find Dwarakanath. Although I knew what his grave looked like, I had no idea where it was. And there was not a soul in sight. A little later, a group of Americans ambled in for a guided walk with a ‘Friend’ of Kensal Green. And this ‘Friend’ – locals who volunteer their time – showed us the way.

Just yards from the main gate, where we had been rummaging the last half hour, lay Dwarakanath. The ground was a little sunken. The grave, simple and grey, simply said ‘Dwarkanath Tagore of Calcutta’. Obit 1st.

The ‘Friend’ who knew a bit about the man seemed curious in our interest. “Nobody visits him these days. Not even on his anniversary. You would think someone from the Indian High Commission or his fellow Bengalis would come to lay flowers. But, I have seen no one.”

Standing there — a little overgrown and overlooked by numerous other graves of different ages — it is difficult to imagine the life and times of Dwarkanath Tagore, once the ‘most prominent citizen’ of Calcutta and the leading force behind the first joint-stock commercial bank in India, Union Bank. Pioneer, philanthropist and partner in Carr, Tagore and Co, Dwarkanath dabbled in everything from customs, salt, tea, coal and steam navigation to indigo and sugar plantations and opium. A great friend of Rammohun Roy, he was a strong voice behind the anti-Sati movement, freedom of Press in India and women’s education. Never shy of controversy, he was almost the self-styled mayor of Calcutta at one point.

The hotel where he died still stands, although under a different name. Brown’s Hotel on 33, Albermarle Street is now a luxury five-star hotel in Mayfair. A room for a night costs anything between £460 and £3,000 and a Sunday three-course lunch for two will set you back by £100. A stay fit for a ‘Prince’ indeed.

— The author is a former journalist who has worked for British and Indian newspapers. She now works at Bath Spa University

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / TNN / August 01st, 2014