Pramatha Ranjan Thakur
Pramatha Ranjan Thakur | |
|---|---|
 Statue of P. R. Thakur at Thakurnagar | |
| Born | 1902 |
| Died | 1990 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Political leader |
| Spouse | Baro Maa |
Pramatha Ranjan Thakur (1902 – 28 December 1990)[1] was an Indian politician elected as a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from the Hanskhali constituency in the 1962 elections as a candidate of the Indian National Congress.[2] The seat was reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Castes.[3]
Early life
[edit]Thakur was born at village of Orakandi in Faridpur District of Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh). His father name is Shashi Bhushan Thakur. He passed Bar at Law from London and was called to the bar from Lincoln's Inn in June 1929.[4] Thakur was the first barrister from the Namasudra community.[5] In 1933, he married Binapani Devi Thakur.[6]
Career
[edit]Thakur was a prominent member of the Namasudra community, whose great-grandfather, Harichand Thakur (1811/12-1878), had founded the Hindu religious sect called Matua Mahasangha. The sect, which was further developed by Pramatha's grandfather, Guruchand Thakur, became a focal point for the Namasudra community's efforts for social upliftment and by the 1930s Pramatha had become its head.[7] The Namasudras had been historically considered an untouchable community.[8] He became the Minister of State for Tribal Development of West Bengal in 1963.
References
[edit]- ^ "বীণাপাণি দেবীর কপি ভার্সন ২". Ei Samay (in Bengali). Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ Indrajit Kundu (6 November 2020). "The Matua factor in Battle for Bengal". India Today. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "General Elections, India, 1962, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal" (PDF). Constituency-wise Data. Election Commission.
- ^ Roy, Nirode Behari (1992). A People in Distress Being a Connected Account of the Names from 1812 A.D. Down to the Present Day Together with a Study of Their Antiquity. Kadambini Roy.
- ^ "How Pramatha Ranjan Thakur Saved Bengali Harijans From Being Engulfed By Pakistan". Swatantra Mag. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "Boro Maa laid to rest as Mahasangha factions spar over holding her last rites". The Indian Express. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ Bhandyopadhyay, Sekhar; Chaudhury, Anasua Basu Ray (2015). "Partition, Displacement, and the Decline of the Scheduled Caste Movement in West Bengal". In Chandra, Uday; Heierstad, Geir; Nielsen, Kenneth Bo (eds.). The Politics of Caste in West Bengal. Routledge. pp. 75–79. ISBN 978-1-31741-477-3.
- ^ Sinharay, Praskanva (2015). "Building Up the Harichand-Guruchand Movement: The Politics of the Matua Mahansgha". In Chandra, Uday; Heierstad, Geir; Nielsen, Kenneth Bo (eds.). The Politics of Caste in West Bengal. Routledge. pp. 152–153. ISBN 978-1-31741-477-3.