Radha Krishna Sinha (1 January 1917 – 27 August 2003) was an Indian scholar of

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. He came from a family of elite intellectuals and academics. He was a

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and the head of the Department of English,

Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern er ...

. All his children and grandchildren teach

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

Biography

Sinha was born in an affluent family on 1 January 1917 at Maheshpur in the district of

Munger Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern In ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

. He was a gold medallist at his university for his Master of Arts (English) degree and obtained a DPhil from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 1950, he had been teaching at the

University of Patna Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern er ...

from 7 July 1938 to 31 January 1979, the topic of his research was ''Literary Influences on

D H Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

''. His guide was

Lord David Cecil Lord Edward Christian David Gascoyne-Cecil, CH (9 April 1902 – 1 January 1986) was a British biographer, historian, and scholar. He held the style of "Lord" by courtesy, as a younger son of a marquess. Early life and studies David Cecil was ...

, an authority on Victorian novels. Sinha did research from

October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the sixth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôct ...

1946 to December 1949 under his supervision.

Obituaries

A P J Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...

Rashtrapati Bhawan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bh ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

''R K Sinha was an eminent and outstanding English Professor of Patna University.'' * Lt General S K Sinha,

Governor of Jammu and Kashmir The governor of Jammu and Kashmir was the head of the Indian state Jammu and Kashmir. When India became independent, Hari Singh was the Maharaja of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. Technically he remained so until 17 November 1952, al ...

, ''I had the privilege of being taught by R K Sinha, he commanded respect, by his sincerity, depth of knowledge and teaching ability, he became a colossus, in English literature.'' *

Dinesh Nandan Sahay Dinesh Nandan Sahay (also known as D.N. Sahay) (2 February 1936 – 28 January 2018) was a police officer turned politician and served as DGP of Bihar and later as Governor of Tripura and Governor of Chhattisgarh. He was born in Madhepur ...

, Governor of Tripura, ''Dr Sinha, whose student I had been a legend in his lifetime, a versatile Professor of English of the Patna University, was a living encyclopaedia of English literature and an ocean of knowledge.'' *

Kailashpati Mishra Kailashpati Mishra (5 October 1923 – 3 November 2012) was an Indian politician. He was a leader of Jana Sangh, and later Bharatiya Janta Party. He was Finance Minister of Bihar in 1977. He was Governor of Gujarat from May 2003 to July 2004. ...

Governor of Gujarat The governor of Gujarat Is a nominal head and representative of the president of india In the state of Gujarat. The governor is appointed by the president for a term of five years and resides in Raj Bhavan (Gujarat), Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar. ...

, ''The noteworthy academic contribution of the late Dr R K Sinha, would long be remembered.'' *

Alison Richard Dame Alison Fettes Richard, (born 1 March 1948) is an English anthropologist, conservationist and university administrator. She was the 344th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, the third Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge since the po ...

, The

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, ''Dr Sinha served his country, his University, and scholarship with great distinction and imbued generations of students with love of the English language and its literature.'' *

Randolph Quirk Charles Randolph Quirk, Baron Quirk, CBE, FBA (12 July 1920 – 20 December 2017) was a British linguist and life peer. He was the Quain Professor of English language and literature at University College London from 1968 to 1981. He sat as ...

, Former Vice-Chancellor

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, ''It, commemorative volume is a thoroughly worthy objective, for the eminent Professor R K Sinha.''

Biography

Obituaries

References

Further reading