Rabindra Puraskar
1 appearances
Niharranjan Ray
ニハランジャン・レイ
Niharranjan Ray
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1903-01-14 （Kayetgram village, Mymensingh District, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Bangladesh)）
- Died
- 1981-08-30 （Kolkata, West Bengal, India） age 78
- Nationality
- Indian
- Languages
- Bengali, English
- Residence History
- Mymensingh (birthplace) → Kolkata (long-term residence and workplace) → Shimla (during tenure at Indian Institute of Advanced Study) → London (diploma in Librarianship)
Career
- Occupations
- Historian, Librarian, Professor
- Active Years
- 1924-1973
- Affiliations
- University of Calcutta (Central Library; Bageswari Professor of Fine Arts), Asiatic Society, Calcutta, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla
- Memberships
- Asiatic Society, Calcutta (former General Secretary)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrityunjaya School | — | — | — | 初等・中等教育（年不詳） | British India |
| Ananda Mohan College, Mymensingh | — | — | — | 初等・中等の後期（年不詳） | British India |
| Murari Chand College, Sylhet | — | Department of History | B.A. | 〜1924 | British India |
| University of Calcutta | — | Ancient Indian History and Culture | M.A. | 1924–1926 | British India |
| University College London | — | Librarianship | Diploma | 1935（在籍期間詳細不明） | United Kingdom |
Mrityunjaya School
Period:
初等・中等教育（年不詳）
Country:
British India
Ananda Mohan College, Mymensingh
Period:
初等・中等の後期（年不詳）
Country:
British India
Murari Chand College, Sylhet
Department of History
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
〜1924
Year of Graduation:
1924
Country:
British India
Passed B.A. examination in History in 1924
University of Calcutta
Ancient Indian History and Culture
Degree:
M.A.
Period:
1924–1926
Year of Graduation:
1926
Country:
British India
Stood first in M.A. (Ancient Indian History and Culture) in 1926; received the Mrinalini Gold Medal for Political History of Northern India, AD 600-900
University College London
Librarianship
Degree:
Diploma
Period:
1935（在籍期間詳細不明）
Year of Graduation:
1935
Country:
United Kingdom
Diploma in Librarianship
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Rabindra Puraskar | Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba (History of the Bengali People: Early Period) | — | Government of West Bengal (Rabindra Puraskar) | 受賞 |
| 1969 | Padma Bhushan | — | — | Government of India | 受賞 |
| — | Sahitya Akademi Award | An Artist in Life (A Commentary on the Life and Works of Rabindranath Tagore) | — | Sahitya Akademi | 受賞 |
Rabindra Puraskar
1950
Work:
Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba (History of the Bengali People: Early Period)
Organization:
Government of West Bengal (Rabindra Puraskar)
Result:
受賞
Padma Bhushan
1969
Organization:
Government of India
Result:
受賞
Sahitya Akademi Award
Work:
An Artist in Life (A Commentary on the Life and Works of Rabindranath Tagore)
Organization:
Sahitya Akademi
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba (History of the Bengali People: Early Period)
1949 History (regional history) 761 pagesA major work on the early history of the Bengali people. First published in 1949; an enlarged and revised two-volume edition was published in 1980.
Bengal historyEthnogenesisEarly civilizations
Brahmanical Gods of Burma
1932 Art history / Religious studies 220 pagesA study of Brahmanical deities and related iconography and practices in Burma (Myanmar).
Buddhist–Hindu interactionsSoutheast Asian art
An Artist in Life; A Commentary on the Life and Works of Rabindranath Tagore
1967 Literary criticism / Biography 320 pagesA detailed critical study of Rabindranath Tagore's life and works. Recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Tagore studiesModern Indian literature
Idea and Image in Indian Art
1973 Art history 280 pagesEssays examining the formation of ideas and images in Indian art.
Indian art historyVisual culture
Bibliography
- Brahmanical Gods of Burma (1932)
- Sanskrit Buddhism in Burma (1936)
- Rabindra Sahityer Bhumika (Introduction to the works of Rabindranath Tagore) (1940)
- Theravada Buddhism in Burma (1946)
- Maurya and Śuṅga Art (1947; revised edition 1976 as Maurya and Post-Maurya Art)
- Art in Burma (1954)
- An Artist in Life (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, posthumous)
- Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba (1949; enlarged revised edition 1980)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Scholarly and expository styleSource-based analytical approachComparative cultural perspective
- Recurring Motifs
- Formation of community and cultureRelationship between art and religionState and nationalism
Legacy
Niharranjan Ray made significant contributions to the study of Indian and Bengali art history and history; he is also highly regarded for his studies on Rabindranath Tagore. He held important academic and administrative posts and his works have influenced scholarship in the field.
Academic Societies
- Asiatic Society, Calcutta
Archives
- Central Library, University of Calcutta (possible holdings and related materials)
- Archives and records of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta
Trivia
- Participated in the Quit India movement and was imprisoned from 1943–1944.
- Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba was first published in 1949; an enlarged revised edition appeared in 1980.
- He was the first recipient of the Rabindra Puraskar.
- His son Pranabranjan Ray is also a historian.