Year of Establishement

1961

Objectives

• • To provide adequate infrastructure and facilities for the study of the Bengali language and literature at M.A. and M.Phil level.
• • To assist fostering the latent aesthetic and critical capabilities of the students for the proper appreciation of the fullest import of language and literature on individual and society.
• • To provide research facilities to scholars desirous of undertaking advanced researches on the subject.

Mission

The mission of the Department is to project the study of language and literature as an effecting vehicle for promoting the cause of the social cohesion and national integration.

Vision Statement

Literature as Tagore emphasizes touches the inner most truth of human self both individual and collective. Its task is to focus this truth as the power of the immortal spirit and guide human consciousness towards the freedom of the sky where highest ideas can interact and intermingle. It is only truth literature that inner and outer existence of mankind can act in harmony preserving unity in diversity as well. Keeping the perspective in view the Department of Bengali, G.U. envisages as its vision the projection of study of language and literature as an effecting vehicle for promoting the cause of social cohesion and national integration as well as international understanding.

History of the Department

The Department was opened in the year 1961. It was, however, not an independent department at that time. Prof. Birinchi Kumar Baruah, who was the Head of the Assamese Department, acted as the incharge of the Bengali Department also. The department earned its independent status as soon as Sri Jatindra Mohan Bhattacharyya (since Dr.) joined the Department as its Reader and Head i8n 1964. Initially, only 2(two) full time teachers, viz. Sri Sudhangsu Bhusan Dey and Sri Dipak Sen (since Dr.), were in the faculty although most teachers of the Assamese Department, viz. Dr. Birinchi Kumar Baruah, Dr. Maheswar Neog, Dr. Satyendra Nath Sharma, Sri Golak Chandra Goswami (since Dr.), Dr. Upendra Nath Goswami, Sri Sukumar Biswas (since Dr.) taught in the Bengali Department as part-time lecturers. Dr. Amasesh Dutta and Sri Hirendra Nath Dutta of English Department were also part-time lecturers in Bengali initially. 

In the beginning there were only 12(twelve) students in the Department, but gradually roll strength increased so much so that there are by average 120 students every year in the Department from 1970. However, with the introduction of Semester System the intake capacity was reduced to 40 students per semester. At the very beginning the Department followed a syllabus for M.A. very akin to Assamese and had a number of books from Sanskrit and English literature. In the final year, there were two divisions or groups, Group A offering literature and Group B Bengali linguistics for special study. The students had to offer any one of the two. The syllabus underwent a change in the year 1967 when portions of English and Sanskrit literature were dropped and new books from Bengali literature were enclosed. Keeping the group system intact, the syllabus was being reoriented from time to time. The Department had prepared a draft syllabus on a drastically changed pattern for the semester system which was placed before the Faculty Council by the month of August 2001. New and comprehensive, this was aimed at the necessity of the age. This syllabus came into effect in the year 2002.

At the beginning the Department was accommodated at the main Arts Building. In 1974 the Department was shifted to a newly constructed Arts Block. There are at present 13 (thirteen) rooms at its disposal, four class rooms, one for library, six chambers for teachers , one for office and one room for Head’s chamber.  

The Department of Bengali has a glorious history of its own. It is credited with a galaxy of scholars in the Bengali studies who held important positions some or other. They are Dr. Jatindra Mohan Bhattacharyya, M.A., D. Litt.; Dr. Debidas Bhattacharyya, M.A., D. Litt.; Dr. Sukumar Biswas, M.A., Ph.D., D. Litt.; Dr. Dipak Sen, M.A., Ph. D.; Dr. Sukdeb Sinha, M.A., Ph.D.; Dr. Sudhangsu Shekhar Tunga, M.A., D. Litt.,; Dr. Usharanjan Bhattacharyya, M.A., Ph.D.; Dr. Nikhilesh Purkait, M.A., Ph.D., D. Litt.; Dr. Birendra Nath Rakshit, M.A., Ph. D.; Dr. Amalendu Chakrabarty, M.A.(double), Ph. D.; Dr. Tarit Choudhury, M.A., Ph. D. Other Members of the Department : Sri Subhas Dey, M.A.(died in 2008); Dr. Binita Rani Das, M.A., Ph. D.; Dr. Sanjay Bhattacharjee, M.A., Ph. D.; Ms. Devarati Jana, M.A. are also following that tradition.

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Department of Bengali
Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, Assam
Email : bengali@gauhati.ac.in
Web   : gauhati.ac.in/arts/bengali