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The second of the four sons of Seth Hunat Ram was Ram Dutt (1803-1864) who at a young age ventured out of Dundlod gaining his first foothold in life in the river port town of Mirzapur, UP. He was employed by the well known business family, the Singhanias. He was sent to Kolkata to negotiate and establish their textile interests with British companies. The move was a great success and Ram Dutt gained useful experience.
He branched out amicably on his own. His contacts with British textile businessmen proved helpful and earnings increased rapidly. His elder son, Ramkishan Das (1825-1853) looked after the family at Dundlod while the younger son, Arjun Das (b-1830) joined him in Kolkata. The firm of Ram Dutt Ramkishan Das was a financial success. Later, they were joined by Ram Chander (b.1844) son of Ramkishan Das. Their business acumen blossomed fully, fame and prosperity steered the name of the Goenka family to one of prominence in the community. During the period of 1889-1896 the family had paid Income tax of ₹2035-2374 per year. They had also made a Fixed Deposit of ₹25000/- earning an interest of 3.6 % which was prevalent at that time. Arjun Das was 50 then, had acquired wealth and the future was still bright. There arose the thought of building in his home town Dundlod a unique and gorgeous haveli to suit his status.
It should be tall enough to command a panoramic view of the countryside from its rooftop, and also beautiful to look at.
Other than the Haveli meant for the comforts of his family Seth Arjun Das was a do-gooder for the local community. Charity was his second nature. In close proximity was built the grand and beautiful Sri Satyanarayan Temple by the family where daily pujas have been performed to this day. The decorative domes and jharokas (balconies) and the flight of steps at the entrance make it an imposing structure.
A large four-post well was dug for water: a tremendous convenience for the people in the village. In the compound of the haveli a "piao" was installed so that passers by could have a drink of cool clean water.
Not far away from the haveli a school for children, a hospital for the sick, dharamshalas (rest house) for the travellers and chhatries (cenotaphs) were constructed. Chhatri of Ram Dutt Goenka, in the memory of their ancestors is especially notable Recognising his social concerns and attitude the Raja of Dundlod had presented him with a 'Sword of Honour. Seth Arjun-Das would have liked to retire to Dundlod for a life of dignified relaxation but this was not to be. He breathed his last in Kolkata in August of the year 1899.
The construction of the upper part of the Haveli was completed by his two young sons Subhkaran Das (1878-1939) and Anand Ram (1882-1946) according to the visions and plans of their departed father.
Subhkaran Das inherited the mantle for steering the fortunes of the Goenka family in Dundlod. The Haveli served as a symbol of his social status. He was awarded the title of "Rai Bahadur" by the then British Government for the family's contribution to socially productive activities.
Dressed in elegant clothes he sat on the spacious gaddi in his office, a picture of dignity and respect. A large bolster served him as back rest and in his left hand he held one end of the pipe leading to his hukka for smoking tobacco, a piece of special decorative design.
He was surrounded by his brother Anand Ram and his munim (accountant) and other assistants. The grown up sons and nephews would watch all the proceedings and learn their lessons.
Their mode of transport was a chauffeur driven rath, a palanquin-like two-wheeler cart pulled by bullocks. For the ladies of the house there was a four-wheeler rath.
Auspicious occasions in the family such as birth of a child, thread ceremony, weddings were celebrated with sumptuous feasting, show of fireworks and lighting. Young and old would be dressed in their choicest finery and decked with jewellery in gold and precious stones. Joy and laughter rent the air.
Colour throwing at one another with joyful abandon was observed during the spring festival of Holi. Krishna Janmasthami, Dussera Diwali, were celebrated with exchange of sweets and greetings and fireworks for children.
Ladies took part in the festival of Teej and Gangaur taking part in a singing procession carrying pooja idols of Devi Parvati to a nearby river or pond for immersion, to ensure good and noble husbands for their grown up daughters.
Life continued this way for the next 50 years in the Haveli. Many summers and winters of life did they see. The properties got divided between the cousins; happy occasions and sad events, all part of the earthly existence. However, in 1944 Seth Anand Ram moved to Kolkata with family leaving the Haveli in the hands of the family's faithful caretaker Sohanlal Sharma.
The reason was the changing economic scene in the country. The big towns are turning into cities and existing cities are becoming bigger. Rapid industrialisation drew people from all walks of life to the cities. Village economy remained stagnant. Dundlod was after all a sleepy village.
The Goenka family branched out to different cities, content with the new life there. Visits to the Haveli by these members became less and less frequent.