Pratul Chandra Gupta (16 January 1910 – 11 March 1990) "Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan Vol.II in Bengali edited by Anjali Bose, published by Sahitya Samsad, Kolkata, India, January 2019 edition Page 226 was an Indian historian, writer and the author of ''Nana Sahib and the Rising at Cawnpore'', a historical account of the

siege of Cawnpore The siege of Cawnpore was a key episode in the Indian rebellion of 1857. The besieged East India Company forces and civilians in Cawnpore (now Kanpur) were unprepared for an extended siege and surrendered to rebel forces under Nana Sahib in retu ...

. Considered by many as an authority on Maratha history, he translated ''The Maharashta Purana'', an 18th-century

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

text written by Gangaram into English, Edward C. Dimock, a known

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is o ...

, being his co-translator. One of his books, ''INA in Military Operation'', was commissioned by

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

but the book could not be published, reportedly due to political objections. ''The Last Peshwa and the English Commissioners, 1818-1851'' and ''Shah Alam II and His Court'' are some of his other notable works. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, in 1975, for his contributions to Literature.

Career

Pratul Chandra Gupta was born in th
Teota Rajbari
(the home of his mother's family) in 1910. He started school in Rangpur and then attended Calcutta's South Suburban School. He attained an BA Hons. and MA in history fro
Presidency College
Calcutta, and, after further study of law, he returned to history. He was one of the first Indians to receive a PhD from a UK university (

School of Oriental Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...

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 ...

, 1936).
On his return to India, he became lecturer (1939-1956), and then reader (1957-1961) at the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...

, and then Professor and Head of the Department of History at

Jadavpur University Jadavpur University is a public state university located in Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 1905 as ''Bengal Technical Institute'' and was converted into Jadavpur University in 1955. In 2022, it was ranked fourth am ...

(1961-1970). He was Vice-Chancellor at

Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati () is a public central university and an Institution of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which means the communion of the w ...

Santiniketan Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...

(1971-1975) and Vice Chancellor at

Rabindra Bharati University Rabindra Bharati University is a public research university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. ...

, Calcutta (1975-1979).
Pratul Chandra Gupta was active in several learned societies, and especially in

The Asiatic Society The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...

(Calcutta) where he was President 1981–1983. He was a member of the Trustees of the

Victoria Memorial The Victoria Memorial is a large marble building on the Maidan in Central Kolkata, built between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria, Empress of India from 1876 to 1901. The largest monument to a monarch anywhere ...

, Calcutta 1972–1980. As well as writing scholarly works in English, he published extensively in Bengali, writing stories for children and adults. His autobiography,
Dinguli Mor
', was published by Ananda Publishers, Calcutta, in 1985.
He died in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

in 1990.

Family

Pratul Chandra Gupta was the eldest son o
Atul Chandra Gupta
and Savitri Ray. He married Supriya Roy, and had two children, Avijit (born 1942) and Ishani (born 1949). Supriya died in 1956.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gupta, Pratul Chandra Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education 20th-century Indian historians Indian male writers 20th-century Indian translators 1910 births 1990 deaths Scholars from Kolkata

Career

Family

See also

References

External links