27/08/2026
Today is the Foundation Day of the Brahmo Sammilan Samaj. Earlier known as the Bhowanipur Subarban Brahmo Samaj, at the proposal of Deshabandhu Chittaranjan Das, the name Brahmo Sammilan Samaj was adopted at the Special General Meeting held on 1st October,1902 to ensure the full participation of Adi Brahmo Samaj,Navabidhan and Sadharan Brahmo Samaj.
Unity of all Brahmos in worship and in welfare and social activities had been a marked feature of the nascent Institution and Sri Das felt that this should be enshrined in the very name as also in the rules and regulations of the Brahmo Sammilan Samaj..
Following major organizational splits in 1878 over the Cooch Behar marriage controversy, the Brahmo movement splintered into factions (Adi Brahmo Samaj, Brahmo Samaj of India, and Sadharan Brahmo Samaj), Pundit Shivanath Shastri heavily valued the Brahmo Sammilan Samaj because it operated on a unique "union principle." He strongly approved of inviting ministers from different rival branches to share the same pulpit, seeing it as a crucial space for reconciliation.
The foundation stone of the present Mandir was laid on the Maghotsov day of 1919(11th Magh1325). The consecration took place on 11th January 1920 and the prayers that day was offered by Satyendra Nath Tagore and Satish Chandra Chakraborty.
Sivnath Shastri was the first minister of the Samaj . Pyari Lal Roy was most probably the first president and Lakshmi Narayan Chowdhury was the first secretary. Four distinguished men had a distinct hand in the upkeep of the Sammilan Samaj. These were Chandicharan Sen, K N Roy, Ram Brahma Sanyal and Ambika Charan Sen. Chandicharan Sen helped by conducting the divine services as the minister of the Samaj. K N Roy who was from the Indian Statutory Civil Service filled up some of the highest positions like Magistrate and Judge in the country. He settled down in Bhowanipore after retirement and devoted his life to Samaj work. Ram Brahma Sanyal was the superintendent of the Alipore Zoological Gardens. He donated a large amount of money for the purchase of the land for the building of the Samaj. Ambika Charan Sen was also a member of the Indian Statutory Civil service and settled down in Bhowanipore after retirement. He also devoted his life to spread of the Brahmo gospel.
The suggestion of Sashi Bhushan Majumder to add a gallery in the hall was accepted and this was built at a cost of Rs. 2,500/-. The consecration of the Mandir took place on 11th January 1920 and the prayers that day were offered by Satyendra Nath Tagore and Satish Chandra Chakraborty, the then Permanent Minister. The quarters for the Permanent Minister, a three storied building to the north of the mandir was built at the same time. The ground floor of the annexe to the east of the mandir was built in 1952. Its second storey named after Satish Chandra Chakraborty was added in 1958.
Bhowanipore Sunday School was started on 2nd February 1902 in the then prayer hall of the Samaj, with 14 children. Hemlata Sarkar, daughter of Sivnath Shastri and Sunitibala Chaudhury were entrusted with the running of the school. Student's Weekly Service was started on 1st August 1909. A decision was taken on 20th October 1913 that there would be a Sangat Sabha every Monday and a service for families once every fortnight. Rabindranath Tagore conducted the divine service on the morning of 17th Magh, 1915. This was the Sunday following the Maghotsava that year and most probably the Samaj had a day long festival that day as has been the custom as far back as memory goes. During the Maghotsava festival that year, Maharani Suniti Devi of Coach Behar and the eldest daughter of Keshub Chandra Sen, conducted a Kathakata programme on 8th Magh.
The Samaj decided to establish a library on 24th September 1911. This came to be known as the 'Prarthana Samaj Library.'
The Charitable Homoeopathic Dispensary was started in 1940 The initiative was taken by Malati Bose, the only daughter of the celebrated homoeopath Dr. Dwarka Nath Ray. She made a donation of Rs.5,000/- for this purpose. The ground floor of the annexe to the mandir came to be named Dr. D. N. Ray Memorial Hall. The dispensary was put under the management of a separate body called the Bhowanipur Charitable Homoeopathic Hospital which was registered under the Societies Registration Act.
The Centebary Celebration of the Samaj took place with a yearlong festivity in 1997.
Brahmo Sammilan Samaj organised and hosted All India Brahmo Conference in the year 2018 with delegates from all over India and abroad.
In the year 2022, a Free Allopathic Consultancy Centre was founded with collaboration of Hare School alumni 1967 and is run twice a week .
All faith Conference are being held at regular intervals.
The Samaj has been blessed with pious and devoted Permanent Ministers.
Pandit Shivnath Sastri (1897-1902) & (1910-1912), Dr J N Mitra ( 1903-1908),Bipin Chandra Pal (1902-1904), Kedar Nath Roy 1911, Rev Kanti Chandra Mitra- 1911 ,Prof Binayendra Nath Sen -1911,Rev Brojo Gopal Niyogi – 1911, Dr Prankrishna Acharya -1913 and 1918, Gurudas Chakraborty – 1913 & (1915-1916), Rev Krishna Kumar Mitra (1913-1914), Acharya Satish Chandra Chandra (1919-1943), Bipin Behari Chakraborty (1946-1948),
Nani Bhushan Dasgupta (1950-1957) & 1975, Dr Kalyansri Dasgupta (1977-1993),Sm Sunanda Das (1995-2003).
In 1913 Rabindranath Thakur conducted a prayer service.
At present Sri Sanjib Mookerji is the Permanent Minister, Sri Prasadranjan Ray is President of the Brahmo Sammilan Samaj
and amongst others Dr Amitava Khastagir, Dr Madhusree Ghosh, Dr Sunanda Roy Chowduri, Sri Siddhartha Brahmochari, Sri Tapobroto Brhmochari , Sm Sutapa Roy Chowdhuri , Sm Sreelata Gupta,Sri Aniruddha Raksh*t, Dr Suchita Deb, Dr Sunanda Roy Chowdhuri (Rakhee), Sri Saurav De, Sri Argyo Brahmachari, Sm Rebecca Raksh*t, are amongst others conducting the prayer service.
The monthly organ of the Samaj is the Brahmo Sammilan Barta which is bi-lingual in Bengali and English. (although it is infrequent at present).
