TEZPUR: Tezpur University (TU) on Friday organized a condolence meeting in the Council Hall of the University to mourn the demise of noted academician, folklorist and artiste, Padma Shri Prof. Birendranath Datta.
Tezpur University had a deep relationship with Prof. Datta. He was the founder head of the Department of Traditional Culture and Art Forms (later rechristened as the Department of Cultural Studies), where he served as Head and Advisor from 1995 to 1999. He was behind the concept of the cultural museum at Tezpur University and brought a project from Ford Foundation to establish a research centre to study the cultural heritage of Northeast India. The first book from Tezpur University titled ‘Folk Painting in Assam’ was also published by Prof. Datta. Later, as a Visitor’s Nominee on the Board of Management (highest executive body of the University) of the University, he guided and mentored the University towards excellence.
Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University, expressed the university’s grief, saying that Prof Datta’s intellectual contributions in the form of books, research, and publications on folklore would continue to be invaluable resources for scholars and enthusiasts alike. His passing is a great loss to Tezpur University and to the region, Prof. Singh said.
The condolence meeting was attended by faculty, staff, and students of the University. The Department of Cultural Studies will organize an event in memory of Prof. Datta separately.
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