Dutta

Dutta, also spelled Datta Pronounced Dot̪t̪o (listen:Dutta^ⓘ) and Dutt (Assamese and Bengali: দত্ত - Dottô: in Assamese, Dôtto: in Bengali); is an Indian family name and surname found amongst Assamese, Bengali and Punjabi Hindus. The name is derived from the word aditya, which means sun in Sanskrit.

Assamese

In Assam, Duttas/Dattas belong to general caste and are associated with Kalita community. Being Kalitas they more inclined towards Eksaran Naam Dharma and thus may not religiously follow idol worship unlike most of the traditional Hindus. Assamese Duttas' have made significant contribution to the society of Assam.

Few of the Assamese Duttas' include:

• Dr. Birendra Nath Datta, renowned litterateur of Assam and a Padma Shri award recipient
• Anandita Dutta, record holder in Limca Book of Records

Bengalis

Bengali Duttas/Dattas belong to the Kayastha community, a sub-caste of Kshatriyas (warriors/rulers) that originated from Kannauj, the capital of India during much of the classical period, and immigrated to eastern India during the 11th century AD. Kayasthas held positions as high-ranking ministers and government officials during the Sena Dynasty, and over time came to form part of the landowning, or zamindari, class of Bengali society. During modern times, Kayasthas have made significant contributions to various fields, including the arts, academia and politics. Except Kayasthas there are Baidya (Vaid Brahmin) Duttas who generally using Duttagupta or Duttasharma or only Dutta as there surname. And there are Baishya (Benia) community who are also using that same surname Dutta .

Famous Bengali Dattas/Duttas include:

• Akshay Kumar Datta (1820–1886); writer
• Aloke Dutta; tabla player
• Amal Dutta; famous Indian footballer (retired) and football coach.
• Anjan Dutta; popular artist of the 1990s Bengali music scene defined by anyodharar gaan (alternative song)
• Aswini Kumar Dutta (1856–1923); nationalist leader and philanthropist
• Chitra Singh; born Chitra Dutta, singer and wife of Jagjit Singh
• Geeta Dutt (1930–1972); singer
• Gurusaday Dutta founder- Bratachari
• Jyotirmoy Datta; writer, journalist, poet and essayist
• Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824–1873); poet and dramatist
• Radha Raman Dutta; music composer
• Rajani Palme Dutt, British politician
• Romesh Chunder Dutt (1848–1909); writer, economist, historian, translator of Vedas
• Sudhindranath Dutta
• Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902); born Narendranath Dutta, spiritual leader of modern India
• Tanushree Dutta; Indian actress
• Tina Dutta; (actress)
• Toru Dutt (1856–1877); poet
• Utpal Dutt (1929–1993); author, dramatist, director, actor and activist

Punjabis

Punjabi Duttas are a clan of the Mohyal Brahmins. According to the Gotra system, they are the descendants of Rishi Bharadwaj, the same as the Duttas from Bengal. Some consider Gaj Bhavan, the grandson of Rishi Bharadwaj to be the real founder of their clan.

Famous Punjabis include:

• Divya Dutta; actress
• Lara Dutta; actress and former Miss Universe.
• Sanjay Dutt; actor
• Sunil Dutt (1929–2005); actor, politician
• Nargis Dutt (1929–1981); actor
• Pundit Hulasa Ram Dutta; A resident of village known as "Dakbagra" or "Dak Badla" in hills of old Himachal (Now in Distt. Mandi). Born in Hoshiarpur distt. of Punjab went for trade/business with Britishers in early 20s (1912–13).

See also

• Dattatreya - a Hindu deity