Saha (surname)

Saha (Bengali: সাহা) is a Bengali Hindu surname mostly residing in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura, as well as in Bangladesh. However, members of the community also adopt other surnames such as Poddar, Roy, Roy Chowdhury, Chowdhury, Sikder, Sarker, Bhowmik, Das, Mallick, and Majumder. They are mostly grocers, shopkeepers, traders and dealers in various commodities. Some of them are engaged in money lending and farming.[2] Several meanings of Saha include 'merchant', 'honest' and 'good'. The word Saha is derived from Sanskrit "Sadhu".[3]

Meghnad Saha of Bengal Presidency

Saha (Shaha)
PronunciationSaha
Origin
Word/nameBengali
MeaningBusinessperson, merchant
Region of originBangladesh, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura
Other names
Variant form(s)numerous
[1]

Saha as a distinct sub-caste did not flourish in Bengal before the mid-nineteenth century. Medieval literature and scriptures bear little testimony to their existence in Bengal. Though Sahas claim to be Aryan Vaishyas, the evidence of history, literature and scriptures suggests nothing of the kind.

Notable people

Images


Chandrima Shaha of West Bengal


See also
  • Saha ionization equation - relating the densities of atoms, ions, and electrons in a plasma.
  • Saha Airlines - an Iranian airline based in Tehran that operates scheduled domestic flights.
  • Saha, Ambala - town and tehsil in Ambala district of Haryana state of India.

References
  1. "1990 Census Name Files". United States Census Bureau. 30 March 2005. Archived from the original on 30 March 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  2. "Saha". Banglapedia. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
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