Rai Sahib

{{short description|Title of honour issued in British Raj}} {{Redirect|Rao Saheb|1985 film|Rao Saheb (film)}} {{EngvarB|date=June 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox award | name = Rao Sahib | image = Rao Sahib.jpg | caption = Title Badge for Rao Sahib | type = Civilian Honour | country = {{flag|British India}} | presenter = 20px Viceroy of India | ribbon = | established = | firstawarded = | lastawarded = | status = Discontinued {{small|(since 1947)}} | total_awarded = | description = | eligibility = Hindu Indian | higher = Rao Bahadur | lower = | same = }}

'''Rai Sahib''' / '''Rao Saheb''' / '''Roy Sahib''' / '''Rao Sahib''' (abbreviated '''R.S.''') was a title of honour issued during the era of British rule in India to individuals who performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation.<ref name=Dorling>{{Cite book |author=H. Taprell Dorling.|title= Ribbons and Medals|page=111|publisher= A.H.Baldwin & Sons, London|year=1956}}</ref> From 1911 the title was accompanied by a special Title Badge. Translated, ''Rai'' means "King" ''Sahib'' means "Leader".<ref>{{cite book|title=Hanklyn-janklin By Nigel B. Hankin|year=2003|page=404|isbn=9788187943044|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7BdxLtC1_ucC&pg=PA404|last1=Hankin|first1=Nigel B.|publisher=India Presearch Press }}</ref> Awarded during the reign of George VI. For another image of the badge see link<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=65&size=big&cat= |title=Image of Rao Sahib Medal |access-date=19 November 2013 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203140841/http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=65&size=big&cat= |url-status=live }}</ref> This was the start level title usually awarded to civilians, which could later be upgraded to Rao Bahadur and then to Dewan Bahadur titles.<ref name=j>{{cite web|url=http://www.quilahouse.com/dewan-bahadur.htm|title=Quila House and the Jalan Collection: Dewan Bahadur|work=quilahouse.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215130229/http://www.quilahouse.com/dewan-bahadur.htm|archive-date=15 February 2011|access-date=21 April 2022}}</ref>

The title styled ''Rai Sahib'' were awarded to Hindu people of North India, Rao Saheb in Maharashtra and styled ''Rao Sahib'' to Hindu people of South India, however, they were both of same category and spelling was altered to meet with regional differences of pronunciation.<ref name="worldofcoins">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?topic=21524.0|title=British India: INDIAN TITLE BADGE (MYB # 327), RAO BAHADUR & RAO SAHIB MEDALS|publisher=worldofcoins.eu|access-date=18 October 2014|archive-date=24 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024044312/http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?topic=21524.0|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Rai Sahib/Rao Sahib/Roy Sahib and other similar titles issued during the British Raj were disestablished in 1947 upon independence of India.<ref>Introduction to the Constitution of India By Sharma, Sharma B.k.. 2007. p. 83.</ref>

== Recipients awarded the title == {{Dynamic list|multiple=no}} * Rai Sahib Bipin Bihari Sasmal – Eminent Zamindar, educationist, politician and Social Worker from Contai, elder brother of Birendranath Sasmal.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Das |first=Basantakumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F7i1AAAAIAAJ&q=%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A8+%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%80+%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%B2 |title=Svādhīnatā saṃgrāme Medinīpura |date=1980 |publisher=Medinīpura Svādhīnatā Saṃgrāma Itihāsa Samiti |language=bn}}</ref> *Rai Sahib Dina Nath - military officer an civil servant.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.03014/11783.E33004_Imperial_Coronation_Durbar_1911%252C_Vol-I/page/n215/mode/2up?q=Gadariya |title=Imperial coronation durbar 1911 |date=1911 |publisher=The Imperial Publishing, Lahore}}</ref> * Rao Bahadur Satyendra Nath Mukherjee, awarded Rai Saheb on 4 June 1934. He was the first Indian Origin Deputy Commissioner of Police, Calcutta.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/562736/|title=Santi Priya Mukherjee vs Surendra Nath Chatterjee on 28 November, 1950|website=indiankanoon.org|access-date=27 March 2020|archive-date=27 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327140448/https://indiankanoon.org/doc/562736/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Channa|first1=Subhadra Mitra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qak0AAAAQBAJ&q=rai+bahadur+s.n.+mukherjee&pg=PA79|title=Gender in South Asia|last2=Channa|first2=Subhadra|date=5 September 2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-04361-9|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Gupta (IAS.)|first=G. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=76ZIAAAAYAAJ&q=S.N.+Mukherjee|title=Free Masonry in India|date=1991|publisher=G.S. Gupta|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=India Supreme Court|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a4M2AAAAIAAJ&q=Deputy+commissioner+S.N.+Mukherjee|title=Indian Factories & Labour Reports|date=1963|publisher=Law Publishing House.|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Police |first1=Calcutta Commissioner of |title=Annual Report on the Police Administration of the Town of Calcutta and Its Suburbs |date=1933 |page=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4sIOWtbKjzUC&q=Rai+sahib+Satyendra+Nath+Mukherjee |language=en}}</ref> *Rao Sahib Ayyathan Gopalan (Kerala, India) a.k.a. "Darsarji" – Doctor, chief surgeon, hospital superintendent and in charges, medical school professor who also served as the magistrate of Malabar region of Kerala (during British rule in India), social reformer of Kerala. Awarded on 17 November 1917 by British Government. *Rai Sahib Bhagat Ram Sahni, founded the Arya Samaj movement in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last= |url=http://archive.org/details/HnJS_yoga-nidhi-edited-by-dr-kanta-gupta-yoga-mandir-prakashan-delhi |title=Yoga Nidhi |publisher=Yoga Mandir Prakashan Delhi |year=1986 |editor-last=Gupta |editor-first=Kanta |page=202 |language=hi, en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=http://archive.org/details/pdpx_the-arya-patrika-lahore-an-english-weekly-june-1885-to-86-vidya-prakashak-press-lahore |title=The Arya Patrika Lahore: June - 1885–1886 |publisher=Vidya Prakashak Press |location=Lahore |page=7}}</ref> *Pandit Wazir Chand Trikha, Jhang, Pakistan (India) Chief Accounts Officer of Northern Railways.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4clbRzW8nYkC&q=rai+sahib+wazir+chand+trikha&pg=PA125|title=Maharaja Ranjit Singh|last=Kaur|first=Madanjit|date=2008|publisher=Unistar Books|isbn=9788189899547|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/ThreeLettersOfMaharaniJindKaurDr.GandaSingh|title=Three Letters of Maharani Jind Kaur – Dr. Ganda Singh|last=Sikh Digital Library|date=1 April 1964|publisher=Sikh Digital Library|others=Sikh Digital Library}}</ref> *Nagendra Kumar Bhattacharyya Commissioner of Berhampore 1932–1948, Murshidabad District, West Bengal. *Rao Sahib Katragadda Pedha Achaiah, Landlord, Amruthalur which is presently located in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. *Ramnath Goenka, Bombay – Newspaper editor and businessman. *Mulji Jagmal Sawaria, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh – Miner. *A. Y. S. Parisutha Nadar, Thanjavur – Politician and industrialist. *Deep Chand Bahman – Awarded Rai Sahib for the best saang.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Haryana (India) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SYLAQAAIAAJ&q=dip+chand+bahman+rai+sahib |title=Haryana District Gazetteers: Sonipat |date=1990 |publisher=Haryana Gazetteers Organization |language=en |access-date=28 May 2023 |archive-date=18 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818195945/https://books.google.com/books?id=3SYLAQAAIAAJ&q=dip+chand+bahman+rai+sahib |url-status=live }}</ref> *Abraham Pandithar – Tamil musicologist, composer and traditional medicine practitioner (2 August 1859 – 31 August 1919). *Dinanath Atmaram Dalvi (1844–1897) Subordinate Judge Bombay Presidency, Senior Dakshina Fellow Elphinstone College Bombay, Fellow Bombay University and author of the book "An Examination of Sir Isaac Newton's Rule for Finding the Number of Imaginary Square Roots in an Equation".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2u7tgAACAAJ|title=An Examination of Sir Isaac Newton's Rule for Finding the Number of Imaginary Roots in an Equation: With Geometrical and Mechanical Theorems and a Trigonometrical Formula|first=Dinanath Atmaram|last=Dalvi|date=1 January 1869|publisher=Education Society's Press, Byculla|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The India Office and Burma Office List |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ERUbAQAAIAAJ&q=dinanath+atmaram+dalvi|year=1888|page=146}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ERUbAQAAIAAJ&q=raosaheb+dinanath+dalvi|title=The India Office and Burma Office List|date=1 January 1888|via=Google Books}}</ref> *Dukhan Ram – Indian ophthalmologist, legislator and Padma Bhushan recipient.<ref name="Padma Bhushan Dr. Dukhan Ram">{{cite web | url=http://aoibj.org/awards/name/padma-bhushan-ram/ | title=Padma Bhushan Dr. Dukhan Ram | publisher=Association of Otolaryngologists of India | date=2013 | access-date=9 July 2016 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706152008/http://aoibj.org/awards/name/padma-bhushan-ram/ | archive-date=6 July 2016 }}</ref> *Mahabir Prasad Misra – Educator, Madhubani District, Dharbanga.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/indianbiographic00raoc|title=The Indian biographical dictionary (PAGE 30)|last=Rao|first=C. Hayavando|date=1915|publisher=Madras : Pillar|others=University of California Libraries}}</ref> *Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy – Telugu linguist. *Ganpatrao Narayanrao Madiman – Businessman and banker from Hubli, Karnataka. *Kashinath Krishna Kalkar – Deputy Collector of Amalner.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Peter |first1=Thomas |title=The Royal Coronation Number and Who's who in India, Burma and Ceylon |year=1937 |publisher=Sun Publishing House |pages=584 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4BAbAAAAIAAJ&q=Kashinath++Kalkar |access-date=1 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418035544/https://books.google.com/books?id=4BAbAAAAIAAJ&q=Kashinath++Kalkar |url-status=live }}</ref> *Koovarji Karsan Rathor – Industrialist from Cuttack.<ref name=t/> *Kuppusamy Kodandapani Pillai – Deputy Collector, Protector of Emigrants, Special Officer for South African Repatriates and Controller of Emigration from Madras.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Saint George (India) |first1=Fort |title=Fort St. George Gazette|page=4 |url=https://archive.org/details/gazette.stgeorge.TG1943.TG1943JAN26/page/n3/mode/2up|year=1943|publisher=Madras}}</ref> *Harilal Shamji – Philanthropist and industrialist from Raigarh.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pradesh (India) |first1=Madhya |title=Madhya Pradesh Gazette |year=1960 |pages=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Csl436ikUnMC&q=rai+saheb+harilal+shamji |access-date=2 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=21 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621103916/https://books.google.com/books?id=Csl436ikUnMC&q=rai+saheb+harilal+shamji |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=t>{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Sir Hawthorne |title=Speeches Delivered by His Excellency Sir Hawthorne Lewis, ..., Governor of Orissa, 1941–1946 |year=1954 |publisher=Government of Orissa |pages=191 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rDTU2NdUOTgC&q=rai+saheb+harilal+shamji |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418035542/https://books.google.com/books?id=rDTU2NdUOTgC&q=rai+saheb+harilal+shamji |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=65&size=big&cat= Image of Indian Title Badge, George V, first variety, 3rd class]

Category:Rai Sahibs Category:Titles in India Category:Titles in Bangladesh Category:Titles in Pakistan Category:Orders, decorations, and medals of British India Category:Men's social titles Category:Awards disestablished in 1947