Institute celebrates scholar Prabash Chowdhury’s centenary

Think of a professor teaching Physics, Philosophy and English literature in a Central university.

The class rooms were flooded with students who were enjoying every bit of the unique teaching technique which inspired them and helped them develop an understanding of different subjects.

Like problems of Physics, the philosophy of Aesthetics, deep intellectual and spiritual quest reflected in the poems of Tagore or Wordsworth and the twist and metaphor in Shakespearian prose.

Professor Prabash Jiban Chowdhury’s centenary will be celebrated at a function held at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture on March 5. Swami Suparnananda, secretary RMIC, Gol Park will inaugurate the centenary celebration.

Ishwar Sandhane, a book containing the essays of Chowdhury that has been reprinted by Sutradhar will be released on the occasion. The essays are published in Debajan, a monthly magazine of Mahamilan Math and was later printed in a form of a book in 1973 almost a decade after his death.

Chowdhury passed his Msc. in Physics in 1939. In 1943 and 1944 he obtained post graduate degree in Philosophy and English literature. In 1945 he joined Visva Bharti and started teaching three subjects. He is the only scholar so far in the country who used to teach three subjects in a university.

His unmatched scholasticism had attracted scholars throughout the globe. He joined the Presidency College and was also the visiting fellow of Cornell University and South California University in USA . His area of specialisation was Aesthetics. He was the Vice -President of the Fourth International Aesthetics Conference held in Athens. His articles were regularly published in international journals. His essay on Tagore received global appreciation. 

He enjoyed the support of Tagore scholars like Kshiti Mohan Sen and Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay. 

Chowdhury’s simple life had attracted both scholars and common people. Students from different colleges came to attend his classes at Presidency College.  

The well known Journal of Aesthetics and Artcriticism of United States had took out a special issue after his premature death at the age of 44 years in 1961 when Tagore’s birth centenary was being observed throughout the globe.