Gupta, Rampran

Gupta, Rampran (1869-1927) historian, writer and leader of the brahma samaj of East Bengal, was born in the village of Kedarpur in tangail district on 19 February 1869. After initial schooling at the village p'a'thsh'a'l'a, he studied at Dinajpur Zila School, Sankrail School and Ripon Collegiate School in Kolkata, from where he appeared at the Entrance examination. Failing in mathematics, he gave up his studies.

Rampran started his career as an apprentice at the Dinajpur Collectorate. He then worked there as a clerk and an assistant accountant. In 1903, he worked as an honorary magistrate on the independent bench of Tangail sub-division and in 1921-22 as a non-government inspector of the sub-jails of mymensingh district, member of the local board and as one of the organisers of Tangail Hindu Sabha.

In December 1918, Rampran presided over the history session of the Bangiya Sahitya Sammelon held in dhaka. He was a regular writer and patron of sahitya parisad patrika. He was non-communal and desired amity between Hindus and Muslims. Several of his writings are about Islamic subjects: Hazrat Mohammad (1904), Mughal Bangsha (1904), Re'a'z-us S'a'l'a'tin (Translation, 1905), P'a'th'a'n R'a'jab'r'tta (1911), Isl'a'm K'a'hin'i (1911). His other books include Pr'a'ch'i'n Bh'a'rat (1914), Bharat Lalan'a (1916), Aitih'a'sik Sandarbha (1917, 2nd edition), Bh'a'ratbar's'er Itihas (1922), Prachin R'a'jm'a'l'a (1924), Chengis Khan O T'a'h'a'r Uttar'a'dhik'a'riga'n, etc. He wrote several historical essays in Sukath'a, S'a'hitya, bharati, prabasi, Arati, nabanoor, etc. He died on 13 September 1927. [Md Harun-or-Rashid] [Harun-or-Rashid, Md Department of Bangla, Rajshahi University]