Rabindra Kumar DasGupta
Encyclopedia
Rabindra Kumar Das Gupta (2 July 1915 – 3 February 2009) was a Bengali
India
n scholar of Bengali
and English literature
and a social and cultural commentator. He was considered by his peers as one of the last scholars with equal command of English and Bengali languages.
from the New Indian School, in what was then Calcutta, in 1931.
He graduated from the Scottish Church College in 1935, where he had studied English and Bengali literature from scholars like William Spence Urquhart and Birendrabinode Roy.
He continued with his graduate studies at the University of Calcutta
, where he earned an M.A. degree in English literature 1937. He received Regina Guha Gold Medal and U.N. Mitra Research Scholarship for his M.A. thesis on English Tragedies on Attic Lines. He also obtained the Premchand Raichand Scholar (PRS) award in 1939.
He was a Mouat Gold Medalist and obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Calcutta in 1950.
He went to Exeter College
on a Sir Rashbehari Ghosh Travelling Fellowship in 1955, to complete his D.Phil in English literature on the works of John Milton
, in record time. He worked under the guidance of Dame Helen Gardner.
. After that he was appointed as the Officiating Professor of English at Presidency College, Kolkata
in 1958. In 1958 he joined Jadavpur University
as a Reader in English, where he worked until 1960.
Subsequently he joined Calcutta University as a Reader in English. He continued in this post until 1962. In the same year he went to Delhi as Tagore Professor of Bengali in the Department of Modern Indian Languages, University of Delhi
and served in that post until 1977. While he was in Delhi, he was both a contemporary and colleague of eminent academics such as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
and Amartya Sen
. After retirement he was a Professor at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta.
Later in life, he became the first Indian executive member of the International Comparative Literature Association
and Canadian Review of Comparative Literature.
He contributed articles in Kolkata's English language daily, The Statesman
and in the Bengali periodical Desh
, till he became a nonagenarian.
, Kolkata but resigned later due to differences of opinion with the authorities.
. Instead of relying on historians, either British or Indian, whom he criticized for applying the model of the European Renaissance, he emphasized Indian indigenous political-religious elements to understand the phenomenon better. In his critiques of Rabindranath Tagore
and Sri Aurobindo
, he emphasized the indigenous and spiritual elements in the Bengal Renaissance rather than Western influences. He upheld that colonial rule challenged the very concept of Indian civilization, something that even Muslim rule
was unable to do.
He was an eloquent and expressive thinker, who rarely hesitated to call a spade a spade.
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n scholar of Bengali
Bengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
and English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and a social and cultural commentator. He was considered by his peers as one of the last scholars with equal command of English and Bengali languages.
Education
As a child he was admitted to Calcutta Municipal Corporation Upper Primary School. He passed his matriculationMatriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
from the New Indian School, in what was then Calcutta, in 1931.
He graduated from the Scottish Church College in 1935, where he had studied English and Bengali literature from scholars like William Spence Urquhart and Birendrabinode Roy.
He continued with his graduate studies at the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
, where he earned an M.A. degree in English literature 1937. He received Regina Guha Gold Medal and U.N. Mitra Research Scholarship for his M.A. thesis on English Tragedies on Attic Lines. He also obtained the Premchand Raichand Scholar (PRS) award in 1939.
He was a Mouat Gold Medalist and obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Calcutta in 1950.
He went to Exeter College
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
on a Sir Rashbehari Ghosh Travelling Fellowship in 1955, to complete his D.Phil in English literature on the works of John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
, in record time. He worked under the guidance of Dame Helen Gardner.
Academic
After his post-graduation from the University of Calcutta, he was first appointed as a faculty at the post-graduate department of English at the University of Calcutta in 1938, where he worked until 1945. He was a Reader at University of Saugar from 1946 to 1947. He went to Delhi and joined as a Professor in English at the Hindu College, University of DelhiHindu College, University of Delhi
Hindu College, Delhi is one of the oldest and well-known colleges in India, that was set up in 1899. It is under the affiliation of University of Delhi.It has seen enviable growth over the years. It offers undergraduate as well as postgraduate courses in Science, Humanities and Commerce...
. After that he was appointed as the Officiating Professor of English at Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
in 1958. In 1958 he joined Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University , is a premier educational and research institution in India.It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal and comprises two campuses - the main campus at Jadavpur and the new campus at Salt Lake...
as a Reader in English, where he worked until 1960.
Subsequently he joined Calcutta University as a Reader in English. He continued in this post until 1962. In the same year he went to Delhi as Tagore Professor of Bengali in the Department of Modern Indian Languages, University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
and served in that post until 1977. While he was in Delhi, he was both a contemporary and colleague of eminent academics such as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , OM, FBA was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was the first Vice President of India and subsequently the second President of India ....
and Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen, CH is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members...
. After retirement he was a Professor at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta.
Later in life, he became the first Indian executive member of the International Comparative Literature Association
International Comparative Literature Association
The International Comparative Literature Association - ICLR) founded in 1954 is an international organization for international research in the field of comparative literature....
and Canadian Review of Comparative Literature.
He contributed articles in Kolkata's English language daily, The Statesman
The Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
and in the Bengali periodical Desh
Desh magazine
Desh is a Bengali language literary magazine published by Anadabazar Patrika Limited from India. This magazine, which is in publication since 1933, has been edited by editors like Sagarmoy Ghosh in the past. The present editor is Harsha Dutta...
, till he became a nonagenarian.
Administration
He was also appointed as the Director of National LibraryNational Library of India
The National Library of India at Belvedere, Calcutta is the second largest library in India after the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and India's library of public record....
, Kolkata but resigned later due to differences of opinion with the authorities.
Views on Bengal Renaissance
He questioned the Eurocentric view of understanding the social reform movements in 19th century Bengal, which were collectively known as the Bengal RenaissanceBengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the period of British rule...
. Instead of relying on historians, either British or Indian, whom he criticized for applying the model of the European Renaissance, he emphasized Indian indigenous political-religious elements to understand the phenomenon better. In his critiques of Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
and Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
, he emphasized the indigenous and spiritual elements in the Bengal Renaissance rather than Western influences. He upheld that colonial rule challenged the very concept of Indian civilization, something that even Muslim rule
Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent
Muslim conquest in South Asia mainly took place from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though earlier Muslim conquests made limited inroads into the region, beginning during the period of the ascendancy of the Rajput Kingdoms in North India, from the 7th century onwards.However, the Himalayan...
was unable to do.
He was an eloquent and expressive thinker, who rarely hesitated to call a spade a spade.
Books
- English Poets on India and Other Essays,
- Revolt in East Bengal, 1971,
- Revolutionary Ideas of Swami Vivekananda,
- Our National Anthem,
- East West Literary Relations,
- Swami Vivekananda's Vedantic Socialism,
- Bangali ki Atmaghati O Anyanya Rachana ('Are Bengalis Self-Destructive and Other Essays' in Bengali, in response to Nirad C. Chaudhuri's Atmaghati Bangali -- 'The Self-Destructive Bengali').
Awards
- Sarojini Gold Medal for his essays on Michael Madhusudan Dutta.
- Rabindra PuraskarRabindra PuraskarThe Rabindra Puraskar or the Rabindra Smriti Puraskar is the highest honorary literary award given in the Indian state of West Bengal. This award is administered by the Government of West Bengal under the aegis of the Paschimbanga Bangla Academy , Kolkata.The award is given for creative...
by the Government of West BengalGovernment of West BengalThe Government of West Bengal also known as the State Government of West Bengal, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts... - Desikottama by the Visva-Bharati UniversityVisva-Bharati UniversityVisva Bharati University is a Central University for research and teaching in India, located in the twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India...
in 2006 - Sarat Puruskar in 2008