Professor D. C. Sircar-a new interpreter of Ancient Indian History.
In my early years of teaching in the seventies at Calcutta University I saw Professor Dinesh Chandra Sircar in the galaxy of learned personalities. During my tenure as Secretary of the Geographical Society of India in the early eighties Prof. Sircar paid tribute to Professor Nirmal Kumar Bose delivering a lecture outlining the historical perspectives of Indian geography a rare symbolism of scholar-ship with innovating ideas. His profound knowledge on multifaceted aspects of historical studies drew attention of all, students hovering around him in the pursuit of new understanding of Ancient Indian History.
Professor D. C. Sircar was born in a village of Bangladesh in 1907 and had his early education in muffesil environment. Having honours graduation in Sanskrit he transcended to a new world of study in Ancient Indian History. His exposure to Ancient Indian History was a boon in the proliferation of knowledge in this expanding field. Prof. Sircar contributed in wide range of subjects-cosmography in ancient India to epigraphy. His analysis had always been very comprehensive sparkled with intellectual brightness.
Professor Sircar visited many countries of the world as a messenger of resurgent India, fervent with basic understanding of Indology. He was honoured by many universities and learned societies in India and abroad. He held many chairs and delivered endowment lectures on many occasions.
The University of North Bengal feels proud in releasing a publication in the memory of Prof. D. C. Sircar. Prof. Sircar's contribution will always be remembered and inspire new generation of scholars in the understanding of Ancient Indian history with a new vision.
It was in the year 1996 in the month of November 21-23, a Na tional Seminar on Indian History was organised by the Lalit Chandra Bharali College, Maligaon, Guwahati on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the college. The organisers kindly invited me to be present on the occasion. Three other eminent scholars from Jawaharlal Nehru University including Professor Romila Thapar and one from Aligarh Muslim University were also invited on this occasion. Professor Thapar's name was though not un-familiar to me, but the Guwahati Seminar gave me an opportunity of ex-changing our ideas on a number of knotty problems of Ancient Indian History. During this period I proposed Professor Thapar if she could deliver the First Dr. D. C. Sircar Endowment Lecture at our University. She kindly gave her consent, but could not confirm the date of the lecture at that time. After going back to New Delhi. she wrote to me that in view of her pre-occupations (since dates were fixed earlier) in a number of other Universities in India and abroad, it would not be possible to come to North Bengal University in immediate future. Moreover, she also wrote to me she would require sufficient time to prepare a lecture that goes in the name of Dr. D. C. Sircar a name conjures in our mind as the symbol of precision and scholarship. We were touched at the sincerity of Professor Thapar and accepted the dates as proposed by her.
It was also a matter of great pleasure for us that Professor Srilekha Bell, a daughter of Dr. D. C. Sircar and member of Dr. D. C. Sircar Memorial Lecture Committee, North Bengal University (N. B. U.) arrived at our University to attend the Seminar-Lecture as the Chief Guest. Professor Bell is at present in the Faculty of the University of New Haven, Connecticut, U. S. A. Dr. Debala Mitra, formerly Director General, Archaeological Survey of India and also member of Dr. D. C. Sircar Memorial Commit-tee, N. B. U. however, could not attend the seminar owing to her ill-health.
The arrival of Professor Thapar in the North Bengal University Campus created stir in the intellectual circle of North Bengal.
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