Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick
Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick | |
|---|---|
| File:Professor Prabodh Kumar Bhowmik.jpg | |
| Born | 6 September 1926 |
| Died | 5 February 2003 (aged 76–77) |
| Education | Bangabasi College (I.Sc.) University of Calcutta (B.Sc, M.Sc, Ph.D, D.Sc) |
| Occupations | Anthropologist, Social work |
Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick (1926 – 5 February 2003), was an Indian anthropologist based in West Bengal. His notable work being on the Lodha tribe of West Bengal.[1][2][3][4]
Early life
[edit | edit source]Bhowmick was born on 6 September 1926 in Amdabad village under Nandigram Police Station in the undivided Midnapore district of Bengal (now Purba Medinipur). He hailed from a well to do Mahishya family, being the third of eight children to Jogendranath and Swaryamoyee Devi.[5][6]
Education
[edit | edit source]Bhowmick's early education took place at Kelagachia Jagadish Vidyapith, one of the earliest national school established in Midnapore district in 1921. He pursued higher education in anthropology, completing his I.Sc in 1949 from Bangabasi College, Kolkata, and his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in 1951 from the University of Calcutta. He was taught by some of the legends of the field of Anthropology in India such as Tarak Chandra Das and Nirmal Kumar Bose. He later earned his Ph.D. in 1961, focusing on the socio-economic life of the Lotha tribe of West Bengal.[5][1][7]
Contributions
[edit | edit source]Bhowmick made pioneering contributions to Applied anthropology in India, with a special focus on marginalized and indigenous communities.[peacock prose]
Work with Lodha Tribe
His Ph.D. research on the Lodhas a denotified and marginalized tribe in West Bengal was groundbreaking. He didn't just study the community academically but worked toward their rehabilitation, education, and integration into mainstream society.[5]
Founding of Bidisha
BIDISA (Bureau for Integrated Development of Indigenous and Sub-Human Aided groups): This NGO became the cornerstone of his applied fieldwork. BIDISA implemented education, vocational training, and social welfare programs for tribal and underprivileged groups in West Bengal.[2]
On Education
Bhowmick emphasized field research not just for data collection, but for solving real-world problems. His work was a departure from armchair anthropology, promoting active involvement in community life and policy advocacy. He taught anthropology at the University of Calcutta and other institutions, shaping generations of students. He was elevated to professorship in 1976, following the footsteps of some of his well known teachers such as Tarak Chandra Das, held the position of the head of the department as well as the Dean of the Faculty of Science at University of Calcutta. He published extensively in journals and edited volumes on tribal studies, rural development, and applied anthropology.[4][3]
Death and legacy
[edit | edit source]He died on 5 February 2003 at the age of 76. He was first Asian scholar to be honoured with D.Sc. in social anthropology. [1][6][5]
References
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- 20th-century Indian anthropologists
- 21st-century Indian anthropologists
- 1926 births
- 2003 deaths
- Bengali Hindus
- Indian anthropologists
- Scholars from West Bengal
- 21st-century Indian male writers
- Writers from West Bengal
- Indian ethnographers
- Indian academic biography stubs
- People from Midnapore
- Bangabasi College alumni
- University of Calcutta alumni
- University of Calcutta people
- Academic staff of the University of Calcutta