Biraja Sankar Guha Centenary Year of Teaching of Anthropology in India

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During my initial days of joining Anthropological Survey of India (Eastern Regional Centre, Kolkata) 1 had the opportunity to glance through framed black and white photographs of the former Directors in the Conference Hall, Head Office, Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata. The first photograph was that of Dr. B. S. Guha, the founder Director of this august institution. It was in the month of September, 1992; I was then attached to this institution as a Junior Research Fellow. 1 had felt a kind of inertia with inspiration for a moment and decided to work on this great man's life. In November, 1996, I joined this institution at its Ranchi Field Station as Senior Technical Assistant (Cultural) and then transferred to Head Office, Kolkata in April, 2003. In course of my research oriented service I got the opportunity to participate in the Visual Anthropology Training in Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata in 2007. Though the opportunity came late but it was still a boon and my academic interest initiated to reorient towards Visual Anthropology. On 15th August, 2016, I decided to make a documentary on Dr. B.S. Guha and started reading on his life in different libraries located in Kolkata and discussed with some scholars of anthropology as well as explored for the visual materials. Finally the shooting for this documentary was initiated on 2nd January, 2017. I made the documentary Untiring Mind and got this screened for the first time on the occasion of 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr. B.S. Guha on 15th August, 2019 at Indian Anthropological Society Kolkata. But then this film was officially inaugurated on 14th October, 2019 at Swami Vivekananda Auditorium Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. I have collected thousands of photographs and old documents. Only one third of this precious material has been utilized in my documentary and the rest are with me. For this work I went to different states of India and visited many institutions and places, which are linked with Dr. Guha's life and his works. Some of these institutions are Anthropological Survey of India (An. S.L), Kolkata and its two regional centres at Shillong and Dehradun, The Asiatic Society, Archaeological Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Indian Museum, Bose Research Institute, Indian Science Congress Association, Calcutta University, Presidency University, City College, Bangabasi College, Indian Anthropological Society (IAS) and Rammohan Hall in Kolkata, Ram Dayal Munda Tribal Research Institute, Ranchi, Jharkhand; Ghatsila railway station, East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, different offices of daily news papers in Kolkata, All India Radio, Lucknow Station in Uttar Pradesh, Cotton University and Guwahati University in Assam for collecting old photographs, and old records as well as for taking interviews from different persons who had some connection with Dr. Guha or his research works. However, main visual source of this book is taken from Guha's family in different locations, Indian Anthropological Society, Kolkata, archives of Harvard University and Government of India. Sometimes I have also visited a number of houses that he resided and their working places for gathering essential visual materials and information from August, 2016 to August, 2019. It was very hard task to collect visual materials and information. This was only possible for me due to the kind co-operation and continuous correspondence with them. Then I decided to publish a pictorial biography on Dr. Guha as a tribute on his 125th Birth Anniversary and on the occasion of 100 years teaching of anthropology in India. Finally, I started the writing and arranged the photographs of this publication during the lock down period (for Corona Virus pandemic situation) i.e. from the last week of March, 2020. Some of the photographs taken from other sources is only for the information of readers. For my work I received encouragement from senior anthropologists, friends especially from the discipline of Anthropology and some members of the Guha family I think this is the first pictorial biography on his life and anthropological journey of an Anthropologist in India. Here, an attempt has been made to illustrate the life of Dr. B.S.Guha with both visual and textual materials. Therefore, all black and white relevant photographs and documents are chronologically arranged in eleven chapters of the books which cover almost every spheres of his life and beyond ie. covering birth and family background, education and anthropological training, family life, professional life, vision and mission, anthropological field work, association and activities, post retirement endeavour, publications and honour. commemorating programme and an unexplored tale in Indian anthropology. This short pictorial book is not an assessment of life and works of a person like Dr. B.S.Guha but a tribute to him. I feel proud that I am working in the Anthropological Survey of India, which was founded by Dr. Guha and is the world's largest anthropological research organization in the government sector. I express my deep condolence to Mr. Bhaskar Sankar Guha and pay my tribute and respect to his memory. I am fortunate for his message for this book. On 26th May, 2018 the idea took a final shape while discussing with Mr. T. N. Pandit, former Acting Director, of the Anthropological Survey of India on Dr. B.S. Guha's personality and his vision about the Survey and its development at Monotel Hotel, Salt Lake, Kolkata. He earnestly advised me to write a book on this great anthropologist and architect of Indian anthropology. I will be happy if this pictorial book will help the young scholars to understand the development of anthropology in India, and inspire them in taking up of anthropological career for nation building process.

Dr. Bjraja Sankar Guha (1894-1961) is one of the few luminaries in the field of anthropology in India. He is remembered for his academic brilliance, research contribution and administrative capabilities. These are highly essential for an institutional builder. The Anthropological Survey of India was founded by him in 1945 out of Zoological Survey of India is today a national institution in anthropological research with pan Indian presence. He played a leading role in many academic institutions in both India and abroad. Throughout his life, he was deeply committed to the development of anthropology in India. This publication is an humble effort to highlight some of the significant initiatives of a visionary with important and rare photographs, written records of Dr. B. S. Guha. This has depicted the life and anthropological journey of an architect of Indian anthropology and shows his dedication to the discipline. This volume will be of interest to the students and researchers in the fields of anthropology and allied disciplines especially for those interested in the study on growth and development of anthropology in India.

About

Nabakumar Duary (b.1965) obtained his Master's from University of Calcutta and the Doctorate Degree from Ranchi University. He is working for the Anthropological Survey of India since 1992. Duary has published a number of research papers in various journals and edited books. He has edited two books and authored one on the education in tribal communities of West Bengal. He has also done significant research on folk painting, traditional knowledge, tribal education, tribal and folk culture and visual anthropology and has always remained involved in anthropological research and making of several documentary films in the domain of Anthropological research. Dr. Duary is an Assistant Research Director in the Indian Anthropological Society, Kolkata and has been the former Joint Secretary of the Society.