Prof. Samar Guha

GUHA, PROF.  SAMAR, Janata, [West Bengal—Contai—1977):  s. of late Binod K. Guha; b. at Brahmankirta Village, Dacca, Bangladesh; 1917; ed. at Dacca Pogose School, Dacca Jagannath College and Dacca University; got first class in B.Sc. (Hons.) and M.Sc Post-Graduate Research Scholarship, conducted research work on coal distillation, imprisoned before completing thesis and released in the middle of 1946; given overseas research scholarship bin refused: m. Smt. Basana Guha, August 11, 1960; 1 d.; Lecturer, Dacca Jagannath College, 1946, Later resigned refusing to furnish bond of ‘no political activity’, Lecturer in Chemistry, Jadavpur University, Culcutta; previously Member of the Bengal Revolutionary Party since school days; joined Congress in 1936, and later Forward Bloc, Praja Socialist Party, and Socialist Party; Close associate of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, suffered internment for about 11 years during Freedom Struggle; was arrested and detained for over 20 times during Congress rule in connection with various People’s movements; remained in East Pakistan; after partition and imprisoned, therein, Dacca jail; remained under detention for about 16 months during emergency 1975; participated in the Bangladesh Liberation Struggle; Secretary and then Working Chairman, National Coordination Committee for Bangladesh; closely associated with Jaya Prakash Narain’s total revolution movement; took active part in the formation of the Janata Party; was General Secretary, East Pakistan Forward Bloc; Secretary, Pakistan Gana Samiti, and East Pakistan Minorities Association; migrated to West Bengal in 1951; Convener, All India Tibet Convention, 1959; Secretary, West Bengal Forward Bloc; Secretary, Independent East Bengal Convention since 1965; Secretary and then Chairman, West Bengal Praja Socialist Party; Member, National Committee of Praja Socialist Party and Socialist Party since 1960 till merger with; the Janata Party; Member, Working Committee, Janata Party; Member, (i) Fourth Lok Sabha, 1967-70 and  (ii) Fifth Lok Sabha, 1971—77; Leader of Praja Socialist Party in Parliament; presently Member, Estimates Committee and Chairman, Committee on Privileges, 1977-78.

Social activities:  Connected with many educational and social organisations, Refugees Relief Organisations and cultural, literary and youth Organisations.

Favourite pastime arid recreation:  Reading, writing, music and travelling.

Special interests:  Atomic science, Indian philosophy, religion and culture, political ideology of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Socialist theories, Defence Problems of India and problems of Bangladesh, Editor Journal a political weekly in East Pakistan, 1948—50 and then at Calcutta for 4 years.

Publications:  (Bengali) : United Bengal in United India (1946), August Revolution (1946), Thoughts and Paths of Netaji, Dream and Mission of Netaji, Indo-Pak Amity, Autonomous East Pakistan, Conception of Matter (Padarther Swaroop), Dream of Atom; General Chemistry for school and college ‘Uttarpath’—Himalayan Travel Account, Land of the Relatives in South East Asia (English); Behind the Curtains of East Pakistan 1951, East Pakistan Minorities since Delhi Pact, (1954), Whither East Pakistan Minorities, (1964), (Bengali) : Independent East Bengal (1965) : Amader Mukti San-gram (Our Freedom Struggle) in pseudo name of Kamalluddin Ahmed in Bengali (1967).

Travels abroad:  Visited South East Asian Countries; as a special emissary of Shri Jayaprakash Narayan, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Ceylon in 1959-60.

Permanent address:  8/2, Central Park, Calcutta-32, (West Bengal).