Dutta
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 India | |
| Languages | |
| Bengali Punjabi Assamese Hindi Maithili English | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Indo-Aryan peoples |
Dutta, also spelled Datta, Dutt and Datt (Devanagari: दत्त/दत्ता), is an Indian family name and surname that is found primarily among Bengali and Punjabi Hindus, and is also present among Assamese, Bihari, and Haryanvi Hindus. Datta means "given" or "granted" in Sanskrit, and is an alternative name for the Hindu deity Dattatreya.[1]
Bengalis
Bengali Duttas/Dattas belong to the Kayastha caste, which evolved in Bengal as a caste from a category of officials or scribes, between the 5th-6th century AD and 11th-12th century AD, its component elements being putative Kshatriyas and, for the larger majority, Brahmins.[2] Tej Ram Sharma, an Indian historian, says that
The names of brahmanas occuring in our inscriptions sometimes end in a non-brahmanic cognomen such as Bhatta, Datta and Kunda, etc., which are available in the inscriptions of Bengal. Surnames like Datta, Dama, Palita, Pala, Kunda (Kundu), Dasa, Naga and Nandin are now confined to Kayasthas of Bengal but not to brahmanas. Noticing brahmanic names with a large number of modern Bengali Kayastha cognomens in several early epigraphs discovered in Bengal, some scholars have suggested that there is a considerable brahmana element in the present day Kayastha community of Bengal.[3]
Some members of the Baidya caste use Dutta/Datta as a surname, although they more often use compounded variations such as Duttagupta or Duttasharma instead.
Famous Bengali Dattas/Duttas include:
- Akshay Kumar Datta (1820–1886); writer
- Aloke Dutta; tabla player
- Amal Dutta; famous Indian footballer (retired) and football coach.
- Anik Dutta; Bengali film director
- Anjan Dutt; popular artist of the 1990s Bengali music scene defined by anyodharar gaan (alternative song)
- Aswini Kumar Dutta (1856–1923); nationalist leader and philanthropist
- Bhupendranath Datta, Indian revolutionary and later a sociologist.
- Chitra Singh; born Chitra Dutta, singer and wife of Jagjit Singh.
- Dhirendranath Datta (1886–1971); Bengali lawyer and politician
- Gurusaday Dutt founder- Bratachari Movement,
- Indrani Dutta, Bengali television actress
- 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
- Samadarshi Dutta; Bengali film actor
- Satyendranath Dutta: (1882-1922) Bengali poet.
- Sudhindranath Dutta, Bengali poet, essayist
- Swami Gambhirananda born Jatindranath Datta, Hindu religious teacher.
- Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902); born Narendranath Datta, 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
- Himangshu Dutta (1908–1944); music composer
- Arpita Singh; born Arpita Dutta, Padma Bhushan awarded Painter
Punjabis And Haryanvis
Punjabi and haryanvi Duttas belong to either the Kayastha or Mohyal Brahmin community. According to the gotra system, Mohyal Duttas are the descendants of Rishi Bharadwaj. Some consider Gaj Bhavan, the grandson of Rishi Bharadwaj to be the real founder of their clan.
Famous Punjabis with the surname Dutta or Dutt include:
- Divya Dutta (born 1977); Hindi and Punjabi film actress.
- Hulasa Ram Dutta; businessman and social activist.
- Lara Dutta; actress and former Miss Universe.
- Sanjay Dutt; actor
- Sunil Dutt (1929–2005); actor, politician
- Yogeshwar Dutt; Wrestler
Assamese
In Assam, Duttas/Dattas belong to general caste and are associated with Kalita community. Being Kalitas, they are 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.
Famous Assamese with the surname Dutta or Datta include:
- Anandita Dutta Tamuly, record holder in Limca Book of Records
- Birendra Nath Datta, writer and a Padma Shri award recipient[4]
- Monikangana Dutta, model and actress from Assam
- Utpal Dutta, a National Film Award-winning film critic
References
- ^ Antonio Rigopoulos (1998). Dattatreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatara : A Study of the Tranformative and Inclusive Character of a Multi-Faceted Hindu Deity. State University of New York Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0791436950. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ Andre Wink (1991). Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World, Volume 1. Brill Academic Publishers. p. 269. ISBN 978-90-04-09509-0. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Sharma, Tej Ram (1978). Personal and Geographical Names in the Gupta Empire. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. p. 115.
- ^ "Cultural Contours of North-East India". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
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