Biswabrata Goswami
MIDNAPORE, 19 MARCH: The Anil Kumar Gayen Memorial Lecture, an event aimed at commemorating the overlooked contributions of Professor Anil Kumar Gayen towards the establishment of Vidyasagar University, took place at Vidyasagar University’s B.N. Sasmal Hall. However, the event was marked by a notable absence of faculty and students from various academic departments of the university.
Unlike previous years, this year’s invitation card did not specify the seriality of the lecture, causing confusion among attendees. Nevertheless, Professor Dipanwita Roy Chowdhury of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kharagpur delivered the keynote address on March 18, 2024.
The absence of both the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar, who were expected to grace the occasion, raised eyebrows among participants. Professor Susanta Kumar Chakraborty, the Vice-Chancellor, was slated to inaugurate the event but was conspicuously absent, leaving the proceedings to begin without the university’s top officials.
Professor Madhumangal Pal, Chairman of the organizing committee and a faculty member of the Department of Applied Mathematics, acknowledged the pivotal role played by Dr. Abhijit Guha, a former Professor of Anthropology at Vidyasagar University, in unearthing the lost history surrounding Anil Kumar Gayen’s contributions to the university’s foundation.
Anil Kumar Gayen, born into a humble family in Khejuri in 1919, proposed the establishment of Vidyasagar University in the early 1980s, advocating for a rural educational institution catering to tribal communities. Despite facing initial reluctance, Gayen’s proposal gained traction and led to the passing of the Vidyasagar University Act in the West Bengal Assembly in 1981, albeit posthumously, following his untimely demise.
Gayen’s academic journey saw him earn a doctorate from Cambridge University in 1944 before returning to India to join the Indian Statistical Institute and later becoming a professor at IIT Kharagpur. Throughout his career, Gayen conducted extensive research in mathematics and statistics, alongside field surveys in the Midnapore district, contributing significantly to educational reforms in the region.
Despite his monumental efforts, Gayen’s contributions were not adequately recognized in the formation of Vidyasagar University. It wasn’t until 2012 that the Executive Council of the university decided to honor his legacy with the Anil Kumar Gayen Memorial Lecture.
The lecture series serves as a testament to Gayen’s enduring impact on education in the region, highlighting the importance of acknowledging the unsung heroes whose vision shapes the trajectory of institutions like Vidyasagar University.
Tags: #AnilKumarGayen #VidyasagarUniversity #Midnapore
