Papers of Vennelacunty Soob Row

The papers consist of A Grammar of the Maratah Language by Soob Row Maratah, Bramney of Tanjore. The purpose of his writing was to explain the Marathi language giving clear rules of grammar. The book is handwritten in Marathi and English and bound in a leather volume. Unfortunately the boards have come loose from the spine. The spine bears the title 'Maratah M.S. Grammar'.

Soob Row was born in Ongole in 1784, of a Maratha Brahman Desatha family. After his father's death, he moved, age 10, to Masulipatam where a cousin who worked as an Accountant in the Secretariat of the district's Head Office taught him to copy out Arabic accounts and Roman letters in copperplate hand. An uncle in Vinukonda, Manager of the Postmaster's Office, then tutored Soob Row. He next worked again in the Musulipatam Collectorate Office and studied English with a fellow Brahman. He subsequently worked as a volunteer copying out documents in English script. By 1799 he was proficient enough for paid employment and worked for Henry Wilson at Guntur. He continued to improve his competency and by 1818 had become Head Translator to the Sadr Adalat (High Court).

When the Madras School Book Society was formed in 1820 Soob Row became its secretary and a powerful advocate for a modern educational system. He retired in 1828 and spent the latter part of his life in ensuring provision for his decendants.

Biography was taken from Frykenberg, Robert Eric, "Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present", Oxford University Press, 2008, pp. 310-313.

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The source of acquisition is unknown.

These papers were catalogued by Nancy Charley, RAS Archivist, in 2022.

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The volume was written by Soob Row. It is unknown how it came to be sent to the Royal Asiatic Society.