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]
| Pronunciation | Saha |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Bengali |
| Meaning | Businessperson, merchant |
| Region of origin | Bangladesh, 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
- Anamika Saha – Indian actress in Bengali films
- Arati Saha – Indian swimmer
- Arun Saha – Bangladeshi actor
- Ashim Saha – Bangladeshi poet
- Asit Kumar Saha – National level wrestler
- Bidya Sinha Saha Mim - Bangladeshi actress
- Biplob Saha - Bangladeshi fashion designer
- Chandrima Shaha – Indian biologist
- Chittaranjan Saha - Bangladeshi educator
- Debojit Saha – Indian singer
- Emon Saha - Bangladeshi music composer
- Ena Saha – Indian film actress and model
- Gopinath Saha – Bengali activist for Indian independence
- Louis Saha – French former footballer
- Mahadev Saha – Bangladeshi poet
- Meghnad Saha – Indian astrophysicist best known for his development of the Saha equation, used to describe chemical and physical conditions in stars
- Mousumi Saha – Indian actress in Bengali films and television
- Pijush Saha - Indian film director
- Proloy Saha – Indian footballer
- Ranadaprasad Saha – Bangladeshi businessman and philanthropist
- Samir Kumar Saha - Bangladeshi microbiologist
- Saraswati Saha - Indian sprinter
- Satya Saha - Bangladeshi composer
- Senjuti Saha - Bangladeshi scientist
- Shithi Saha - Bangaldeshi singer
- Surjit Saha – Indian television actor and model
- Swapan Saha – Indian film director in Bengali movies
- Viki Saha - Indian cricketer
- Wriddhiman Saha – Indian cricketer
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
- "1990 Census Name Files". United States Census Bureau. 30 March 2005. Archived from the original on 30 March 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- "Saha". Banglapedia. Retrieved 8 July 2020.