Eminent historian and inspiring teacher Barun De (80) died in Kolkata on Tuesday night at a private hospital after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan visited Mr. De’s residence in the Ballygunge Circular Road in the south of the city and offered his last respect.
The Vice-Chancellors of the University of Calcutta and the Presidency University and other eminent academicians and students also offered their tributes to him.
Born on October 30, 1932, Mr. De studied at the Presidency College and in the Oxford University. He taught at several institutions, including the University of Calcutta, the Burdwan University and the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta.
Among books authored by him is Secularism at Bay: Uzbekistan at the Turn of the Century . His thesis titled Henry Dundas, and the Government of India, (1773-1801): A Study in Constitutional Ideas received much acclaim.
Mr. De was known for his works on the Bengal Renaissance and colonial history of the country in the late 18 and early 19 centuries.
He was the founder-director of the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, where he held the post from 1973 to 1983, and the Moulana Azad Institute of Asian Studies.
He was associated with a number of institutions. He was the chairperson of West Bengal Heritage Commission, State Editor of the West Bengal District Gazetteers and chairperson of the West Bengal State Archives.
Historian and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta Suranjan Das described Mr. De as a rare entity who possessed the expertise of a teacher and a researcher and was blessed with organisational skills.
“The most interesting thing about his class lectures was that he motivated students to think afresh on any historical problem. He encouraged students to interpret and reinterpret the received wisdom,” Professor Das said.
