Draft:Ranjan Chakrabarti

Professor Ranjan Chakrabarti Honorary Professor of History, Jadavpur University A Luminary Academician: A towering figure in the academic community, Professor Ranjan Chakrabarti is globally acknowledged as one of the pioneering scholars of environmental history in India. His far-reaching academic contributions span decades and continents, marked by pathbreaking research, extensive publications, and inspired teaching. However, his research encompasses a diverse array of themes that bridge ecological, social, and political histories. Professor Chakrabarti has been honoured with several prestigious fellowships, including the Fulbright Visiting Professor at Brown University (1994–95), the Charles Wallace Fellowship at SOAS (University of London), the Alexander O. Vietor Memorial Fellowship at Brown University, and the Alfred Bell Memorial Fellowship at the Forest History Society, Duke University. His passion for environmental history played a pivotal role in the establishment of the International Consortium for Environmental History Organizations (ICEHO) and in organizing the inaugural World Congress of Environmental History in Copenhagen, Denmark. He also served as a key member of the Programme Committee for the second World Congress, held in Portugal—an event that continues to be organized every five years. He was also a founder-editorial board member of the renowned journal Global Environmental History, and presently he is also serving as a founder-editorial board member of Culture and Climate in History, a White Horse Press journal. Additionally, he has contributed as an editorial board member and external reviewer for numerous internationally reputed journals, particularly in the field of environmental studies and related disciplines. He was instrumental in securing and leading the UGC-SAP Project in the Department of History at Jadavpur University. Under his guidance, the department conducted landmark studies on themes like “Reading Government Reports on Wildlife,” “Shikar in Colonial India,” “Environmental Movements,” and “Tiger-Human Conflict in the Sundarbans,” laying new foundations for research in environmental history. His acclaimed project “Dictionary of Historical Places: Bengal 1757–1947” (funded by the Government of West Bengal, 2007–2010), received international recognition for its scholarly merit and meticulous documentation. Professor Chakrabarti’s extensive body of work includes numerous authored and edited volumes published by leading academic publishers: • Does Environmental History Matter? Shikar, Subsistence, Sustenance, and the Sciences (Primus Books, 2024, revised and edited) • Climate, Calamity and the Wild: An Environmental History of the Bengal Delta, c.1737–1947 (Primus Books, 2022). Here, Professor Chakrabarti examines how climatic events, such as cyclones and floods, influenced the region’s political economy, agriculture, and trade. He explores the interplay between natural disasters and societal transformations in colonial Bengal. • Order And Disorder in Early Colonial Bengal, 1800–1860 (Primus Books, 2022). This book delves into the mechanisms of social control employed by the British colonial administration, focusing on rural violence, dacoity, and the responses of the colonial state to social unrest. • Critical Themes in Environmental History of India (SAGE Publications, Los Angeles/London/Delhi, 2020, edited). As the editor of this volume, he addresses methodological approaches to environmental history, covering topics like waterbodies, forests, land use, and climate history in India. • A New History of Modern India: An Outline (Surjeet Publications, 2019) • Natural Resources, Sustainability and Humanity (Springer, London/New York, 2012, co-edited) • A History of the Modern World: An Outline (Primus Books, 2012) • Dictionary of Historical Places: Bengal 1757–1947 (Primus Books, 2013, edited) • Situating Environmental History (Manohar Publishers, New Delhi, 2007, reprinted 2021, edited) • Random Notes on Modern Indian History (Readers, Kolkata, 2006; Book Syndicate, 2002) • Space and Power in History: Images Ideologies Myths and Moralities (Penman, Kolkata, 2001, edited) • Authority and Violence in Colonial Bengal (Brookland, Kolkata, 1997) • Political Economy and Protest (Firma K.L.M., Kolkata, 1996, co-edited) • Bengal: A Historiographical Quest (International Council of Bengal Studies, Kolkata/Dhaka/Amsterdam, 1996) • P. C. Sen’s Banglar Itihas Sadhana (translated from Bengali to English). Professor Chakrabarti’s contributions to journals of national and international repute, along with his lectures and academic deliberations across the world, continue to serve as guiding lights for students, scholars, and academicians. Along with various strands of environmental history, Professor Chakrabarti has also delved into the relationship between local communities and wildlife, focusing specifically on the Sundarbans area. In his article, “Local People and the Global Tiger: An Environmental History of the Sundarbans,” published in Global Environment (Issue 3, 2009, pages 72–95), he examines the importance of the Sundarbans as a protected natural habitat and explores how human-tiger interactions have evolved over various historical eras. His extensive body of work has significantly contributed to the understanding of environmental and social histories in India, offering nuanced perspectives on the interactions between nature, society, and colonial power structures. His blend of intellectual rigor, administrative brilliance, and global outreach makes him an unparalleled figure in the realm of higher education. His pedagogical journey includes teaching at top Indian institutions like Visva-Bharati and Jadavpur University since 1983, and internationally at Brown University, University of London, Roskilde University (Denmark), SOAS London, Australian National University (Canberra), Sydney University of Technology, West Virginia University, and others. Currently, he continues to inspire through his roles as Director of Research & Academic Development at Swami Vivekananda University, Kolkata, and as Honorary Distinguished Professor Emeritus in History at Royal Global University, Guwahati. Thanks to his extensive experience over the years, he has recently been awarded an Honorary Professorship at the School of Environmental Studies, Rani Rashmoni Green University. Alongside, he is also devoting his valuable time as the Series Editor of ‘Nature, Culture and Colonialism in South Asia’, a forthcoming academic series to be published by Primus Books. A visionary scholar and a deeply respected mentor, Professor Chakrabarti’s lifelong dedication to the discipline of history and other strands of social sciences continues to shape minds and disciplines across the world. A Visionary Administrator In addition to his scholarly distinction, Professor Ranjan Chakrabarti is widely recognized as an exceptional academic administrator. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, for nearly a decade, where his dynamic leadership transformed the institution in unprecedented ways. Under his tenure, the university witnessed the kind of infrastructural growth and academic revival unseen in the previous fifty years. He also held the esteemed position of Vice-Chancellor at Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata, further affirming his administrative acumen. Professor Chakrabarti’s tenure at Vidyasagar University was marked by a complete overhaul of academic and administrative bodies, ushering in a new era of efficiency and innovation. Regular organization of seminars, workshops, and conferences became part of the institutional culture. His transparent, honest, and integrity-driven leadership set benchmarks in university governance. With a keen eye for long-term planning and a proven ability to implement transformative roadmaps within record time, he handled institutional challenges with unmatched poise and efficacy. His commitment to global academic collaboration was equally remarkable. Notable among his efforts were: • Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2006 between the Department of History, Jadavpur University, and Jackson State Community College, USA. • Establishing MoUs between Vidyasagar University and international institutions including: o Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, China (2013) o Yunnan Normal University, China (2013) o University of Lodz, Poland (2014) o University of Chittagong, Bangladesh (2015) Professor Chakrabarti’s legacy as a visionary academic leader, capable of both reimagining institutions and building global bridges, continues to inspire and set standards in higher education governance. He has served as an expert member on numerous search committees for the selection of Vice-Chancellors and Directors at both state and central universities and institutions. In addition, his significant contributions as an expert member in the appointment and promotion of faculty at international universities are particularly noteworthy. Professor Chakrabarti has also made significant contributions at the national policy level. He has served as an expert member on various committees of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Government of West Bengal, where his insights have helped shape academic frameworks and institutional strategies. He was appointed as a Nominee of the Visitor (the Honourable President of India) and of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education), Government of India, to several Central Universities and Institutes. Notably, he served as the Visitor’s Nominee to Mizoram Central University and Nagaland University, further reflecting the trust and recognition he commands at the highest levels of Indian academia.

Subhabzsmondal (talk) 13:03, 4 September 2025 (UTC)