Sake Dean Mahomed

Sake Dean Mahomed
Sake Dean Mahomed by Thomas Mann Baynes (c. 1810)
Born	Sheikh Din Muhammad 1759 Buxar, Patna, East India
Died	1851 Brighton, UK
Spouse(s)	Jane Daly
Children	Rossana Mahomed Henry Mahomed Horatio Mahomed Frederik Mahomed Arthur Mahomed Dean Mahomed Amelia Mahomed

Sake Dean Mahomed (Bengali: শেখ দীন মুহাম্মদ; Hindi: दीन मुहम्मद; Arabic: شيخ دين محمّد Sheikh Din Muhammad) was a Bengali Anglo-Indian traveller, surgeon and entrepreneur who was one of the most notable early non-European immigrants to the Western World. He introduced South Asian cuisine and shampoo baths to Europe, where he offered therapeutic massage. He was also the first Indian to publish a book in English.

"so long as the Sepoy's maintain their formations, which they call 'lines,' they are like an immovable volcano spewing artillery and rifle fire like unrelenting hail on the enemy, and they are seldom defeated."

Born in 1759 in Patna, Bihar, then part of the Bengal Presidency, Sake Dean Mahomed came from Buxar. His father, who belonged to the traditional Nai (barber) caste, was in the employment of the East India Company. He had learned much of Mughal alchemy and understood the techniques used to produce various alkali, soaps and shampoo. He later described the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and the cities of Allahabad and Delhi in rich detail and also made note of the faded glories of the Mughal Empire.

Sake Dean Mahomed grew up in Patna. Mahomed's father died when Mahomed was young. He was then taken under the wing of Captain Godfrey Evan Baker, an Anglo-Irish Protestant officer at the age of 10. He served in the army of the British East India Company as a trainee surgeon and honourably served against the Marathas. Sake Dean Mahomed also mentions how Mir Qasim and most of the entire Bengali Muslim aristocracy had lost their famed wealth and complained regarding Shuja-ud-Daula and his campaign against his Rohilla allies and how Hyder Ali defeated the British during the Battle of Pollilur. Mahomed remained with Captain Baker's unit until 1782, when the Captain resigned. That same year, Mahomed also resigned from the Army, choosing to accompany Captain Baker, 'his best friend', to Britain.