Date:03/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/03/stories/2008120357060200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Tracing 300-year family roots

Staff Reporter

Bangalorean tries to trace his genealogy with documents he has inherited

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Proof: S.R. Rao Sahib showing the family tree record.

Bangalore: Sheshadri Rao Sahib has taken up a huge project: he is trying to trace the remaining relatives belonging to the Punth family of Maharashtra.

Documents

Mr. Rao Sahib has with him documents tracing his genealogy to Rajaji Punth from Pune, who migrated to the South following Chhatrapati Shivaji some time during 1670s. “Rajaji Punth and his three sons, Bhaskar Punth, Govind Vallabh Punth and Appa Sahib Punth, migrated to Madras Presidency and joined the Arcot Nawab. It was then that the Nawab gave the title, “Rao Sahib”, to Bhaskar Punth,” he said.

The family was also given three “jagirs” (property). “We have documents to prove this. The documents, I am told, are also available with the Geological Survey of India archives in the Arcot region of Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Mr. Rao Sahib, Director of Nutricare Technologies Pvt. Ltd., said that he inherited the ancient documents, which were passed on to him as heirlooms by his father Ranganatha Rao Sahib. “My great grandfather Vedoji Rao Sahib moved from Arcot and settled down in Bangalore. Our family has since been living in Bangalore,” he added.

He said that his interest in preserving the family name and finding a little more about its history became stronger when he heard that an American of Indian origin had come to India with an aim to trace her family history. “She was here for about two years and she succeeded in tracing her roots. It was then that it struck me that I could do the same with the help of the documents that I had inherited,” he said. Many members of the Punth family had dropped the title from their names. “May be they saw no purpose in holding on to the title. But, it is part of our history which I want to preserve by tracing my relatives,” he said. He said that there were many people who had settled down in various parts of Tamil Nadu. “That was more than 100 years ago. We have lost the links with those families.” If anyone has information about the Rao Sahib families, contact Mr. Rao Sahib on 9448353490 or email raosahib@nntpl.com.