Suniti Kumar Chatterji
Encyclopedia
Suniti Kumar Chatterji (26 November 1890 – 29 May 1977) was an India
n linguist, educationist and litterateur. He was born on 26 November 1890 at Shibpur
in Howrah. He was the son of Haridas Chattopadhyay, an affluent Kulin Brahmin
.
Suniti Kumar was a meritorious student, and passed the Entrance (school leaving) examination from the Mutty Lal Seal
's Free School (1907), ranking sixth, and the FA (pre-university examination) from the renowned Scottish Church College, standing third. He did his Major (Honours) in English literature from Presidency College, Kolkata, standing first in the first class in 1911. In 1913, he completed his M.A. in English literature, again standing first. The same year, he was appointed lecturer in English at Vidyasagar College, Kolkata where his colleague was the thespian, Sisir Kumar Bhaduri. In 1914, he became assistant professor of English in the Post-Graduate Department of the University of Calcutta, which he held till 1919. He went abroad to study at the University of London
where he studied Phonology
, Indo-European Linguistics
, Prakrit
, Persian
, Old Irish
, Gothic
and other languages. He then went to Paris and did research at the Sorbonne
in Indo-Aryan, Slav
and Indo-European Linguistics, Greek and Latin. His teacher was internationally acclaimed linguist, Jules Bloch. After returning to India in 1922, he joined the University of Calcutta
as the Khaira Professor of Indian Linguistics and Phonetics. After retirement in 1952, he was made Professor Emeritus and later in 1965, the National Rsearch Professor of India for Hmanities. He caused a great uproar and controversy after declaring that the Ramayana
has its origin in Buddhist Dasaratha Jataka http://threeroyalwarriors.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/ramajataka.pdf No. 461 in Asiatic society
in 1968. The Ramayana controversy started with his extempore lecture at the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, in January 1976. He was vehemently criticised for his contention, in saying that Rama was the sister of Sita, whom he married. This was collated in his posthumous book on the same subject.[2]
Suniti Kumar accompanied Rabindranath Tagore
to Malaya
, Sumatra
, Java
, and Bali
, where he delivered lectures on Indian art and culture. He was Chairman of the West Bengal
Legislative Council (1952-58) and President (1969) of the Sahitya Akademi
.
Among his important publications on both language and literature are
Suniti Kumar died on May 29, 1977 in Calcutta. A large part of his house 'Sudharma' সুধর্মা, an architectural marvel, in South Calcutta has been converted into a Fabindia
store.
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 linguist, educationist and litterateur. He was born on 26 November 1890 at Shibpur
Shibpur
Shibpur is a residential area located in the city of Howrah, West Bengal, India. It is well known for being the location of the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, the Bengal Engineering College and the Hazar Hath Kaali Temple. The famous Bengali linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterji...
in Howrah. He was the son of Haridas Chattopadhyay, an affluent Kulin Brahmin
Kulin Brahmin
Kulin Brahmin is the highest strata of upper caste Brahmins in India's caste system. This term is more generally used to refer to upper caste "twice-born" Brahmins in nineteenth century Bengal considered themselves to be more knowledgeable as regards the scriptures as compared to other Brahmins.The...
.
Suniti Kumar was a meritorious student, and passed the Entrance (school leaving) examination from the Mutty Lal Seal
Motilal Seal
Mutty Lall Seal was an Indian businessman and philanthropist. Beginning life as a bottle and cork dealer, he closed his run of luck with a colossal fortune out-topping that of all his contemporaries...
's Free School (1907), ranking sixth, and the FA (pre-university examination) from the renowned Scottish Church College, standing third. He did his Major (Honours) in English literature from Presidency College, Kolkata, standing first in the first class in 1911. In 1913, he completed his M.A. in English literature, again standing first. The same year, he was appointed lecturer in English at Vidyasagar College, Kolkata where his colleague was the thespian, Sisir Kumar Bhaduri. In 1914, he became assistant professor of English in the Post-Graduate Department of the University of Calcutta, which he held till 1919. He went abroad to study at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
where he studied Phonology
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
, Indo-European Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Old Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
, Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
and other languages. He then went to Paris and did research at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Indo-Aryan, Slav
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
and Indo-European Linguistics, Greek and Latin. His teacher was internationally acclaimed linguist, Jules Bloch. After returning to India in 1922, he joined 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...
as the Khaira Professor of Indian Linguistics and Phonetics. After retirement in 1952, he was made Professor Emeritus and later in 1965, the National Rsearch Professor of India for Hmanities. He caused a great uproar and controversy after declaring that the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
has its origin in Buddhist Dasaratha Jataka http://threeroyalwarriors.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/ramajataka.pdf No. 461 in Asiatic society
Asiatic Society
The Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones on January 15, 1784 in a meeting presided over by Sir Robert Chambers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the Fort William in Calcutta, then capital of the British Raj, to enhance and further the cause of Oriental research. At the time of...
in 1968. The Ramayana controversy started with his extempore lecture at the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, in January 1976. He was vehemently criticised for his contention, in saying that Rama was the sister of Sita, whom he married. This was collated in his posthumous book on the same subject.[2]
Suniti Kumar accompanied 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...
to Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, where he delivered lectures on Indian art and culture. He was Chairman of the West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
Legislative Council (1952-58) and President (1969) of the Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
.
Among his important publications on both language and literature are
- The Origin and Development of the Bengali Language
- Bengali Phonetic Reader
- Indo-Aryan and Hindi
- Ramayana: its Character , Genesis, History and Exodus: A Resume. Calcutta: Prajna.
Suniti Kumar died on May 29, 1977 in Calcutta. A large part of his house 'Sudharma' সুধর্মা, an architectural marvel, in South Calcutta has been converted into a Fabindia
Fabindia
Fabindia is an Indian chain store retailing garments, furnishings, fabrics and ethnic products handmade by craftspeople across rural India...
store.
See Also
- Suniti K Chattopadhyay at the '12th Prabasi Banga-Sahitya Sammelan (Photograph, Dec 1934)'
- Suniti Kumar Chatterjee - a centenary tribute, Sahitya Academi, Kolkata (1997)