Niharranjan Ray
Niharranjan Ray | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 January 1903 British India (now in Bangladesh) |
| Died | 30 August 1981 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Signature | |
 | |
Niharranjan Ray (1903–1981) was an Indian Bengali historian, well known for his works on the history of art and Indian history.
Early life and education
He was born on 14 January 1903 at Kayetgram village of
London University College
. He married Manika and had two sons and one daughter. His son, Pranabranjan Ray, is a historian. He died 30 August 1981 at the age of 78 in Kolkata, West Bengal India.
Career
He was appointed the Chief Librarian in the Central Library of Calcutta University in 1936. In 1946, he was appointed
Third Pay Commission from 1970 to 1973.[2]
Political views
He was a nationalist and participated in the
Quit India movement
and was imprisoned from 1943 to 1944.
Major works
His magnum opus in Bengali, Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba (History of the Bengali People: Early Period) was initially published in 1949. Later, an enlarged and revised edition was published by the Saksharata Prakashan in two volumes in 1980.
His other significant works include:[2]
- Brahmanical Gods of Burma (1932)
- Sanskrit Buddhism in Burma (1936)
- Rabindra Sahityer Bhumika (An introduction to the works of Rabindranath Tagore) (1940)
- Theravada Buddhism in Burma (1946)
- An Introduction to the Study of Theravada Buddhism in Burma (1946)
- Maurya and Śuṅga Art (1947) (a revised and enlarged edition of the work was published in 1976 as Maurya and Post-Maurya Art)
- Art in Burma (1954)
- An Artist in Life; A Commentary on the Life and Works of Rabindranath Tagore (1967)
- Nationalism in India (1972)
- Idea and Image in Indian Art (1973)
- An Approach to Indian Art (1974)
- Mughal Court Painting: A Study in Social and Formal Analysis (1974)
- The Sikh Gurus and the Sikh Society (1975)
- Eastern Indian Bronzes (1986)
Awards and honors
- First recipient of the Rabindra Puraskar, West Bengal (for his Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba in 1950).
- Padma Bhushan, 1969.[3]
- Sahitya Akademi award (An Artist in Life).[2]
Notes
- ^ Chakrabarty, Ramakanta (ed.) (2008). Time Past and Time Present, Kolkata: The Asiatic Society, p.28
- ^ ISBN 81-7079-270-3, pp.761-3
- ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
Further reading
- Hood, John W. (1997). Niharranjan Ray. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-8-12600-207-8.
