Nalinaksha Sanyal (1898 – 29 October 1987) was an Indian politician, economist and freedom fighter.

Education

He studied at

Krishnath College Murshidabad University is a public state university in Berhampore, Murshidabad, West Bengal. The university was established in 2021 by the West Bengal government under ''The Murshidabad University Act, 2018''.It is named after a great thinker, a ...

Baharampur Berhampore (), also known as Baharampur (), is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. Berhampore is the administrative headquarters of the Murshidabad district. As of 2011 census, Berhampore is the seventh largest cit ...

, and

Presidency College, Kolkata Presidency University, formerly Presidency College, is a public state university located in College Street, Kolkata. Established in 1817 as the ''Hindoo College'', it was later renamed ''Presidency College'' in 1855 and functioned as a leadi ...

, and taught economics at

. He earned a master's degree from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and secured a PhD in economics from

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

after carrying out research under W.T.Stephenson.Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical Dictionary) by Anjali Bose, Vol II, 3rd edition 2004, page 150, , (in Bengali) Sishu Sahitya Samsad Pvt. Ltd., 32A Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, Kolkata-700009 1929 PhD thesis University of London "Development of Indian Railways, 1842-1928" N SANYAL supervised by Prof Foxwell; Dr Slater

Political career

While in London, Sanyal served on several committees for the London branch of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

, a banned organization. He was arrested twice for his participation. Sanyal returned to India to become a professor at

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

, but the government disallowed his appointment because of his activism. Sanyal took a position with insurance companies New India Assurance Co., the Metropolitan Assurance Co., and the Hindustan Co-operative Society Ltd. Sanyal continued to actively protest against British colonial rule and was imprisoned seven times. He was elected to the Bengal Assembly and served as Chief Whip of the Indian National Congress of undivided

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

, prior to the partition of the province. He was a vocal critic of the colonial government's policies during the Bengal Famine in 1943. In 1946, Sanyal was at the forefront of efforts to avoid the Partition of India. His suggestion of a loose federation was widely circulated and debated but was ultimately not adopted. When India was partitioned in 1947, he and

Atulya Ghosh Atulya Ghosh (28 August 1904 – 18 April 1986) was a Bengali Indian politician.Bose, Anjali (editor), 1996/2004, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol II, , pp8-9, He has been described as "a wise, scholarly and hon ...

were able to convince the British to leave

Maldah district Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha (, , often ), is a district in West Bengal, India. The capital of the Bengal Sultanate, Gauda and Pandua, was situated in this district. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this ...

in India (the area had a population that was evenly divided between Hindus and Muslims). After the independence, Sanyal remained an active force in building the new India and held many senior positions in government as well as represented India in international bodies. In 1968 he established Karimpur Pannadevi College at Karimpur,

Nadia district Nadia () is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. It borders Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Purba Bardhaman to the west, and Murshidabad to the north. Nadia district is highly influe ...

Social activities

Sanyal was a modern personality and free thinker in his time. He married in 1924 with daughter of Sharat Chandra Bhattacharya of

with simplified Hindu rituals. He was strongly against dowry, castism, religious formalities. Even being a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

he invited his Muslim friend

Kazi Nazrul Islam Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengalis, Bengali poet, short story writer, journalist, lyricist and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a List of works by Kazi Nazrul Islam, large body of ...

to his marriage ceremony ignoring the social restrictions of that time. He established Dhoradaha RajaniKanta High School in 1961 at Dhoradaha in his father's name. After that in 1968 he established Karimpur Pannadevi College at

Karimpur Karimpur is a census town, near the bank of river Jalangi River, Jalangi, in Karimpur I Community development blocks in India, CD block in the Tehatta subdivision of the Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location ...

. The economist and writer

Sanjeev Sanyal Sanjeev Sanyal (born 27 August 1970) is an Indian economist and popular historian known for writing books based on revisionist Hindutva history. A member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, he has helped prepare s ...

is his great-grandson maternally.

References

Biography: Nalinaksha Sanyal

Haripura Haripura is a village located near Kadod town in the Surat district of Gujarat, India. It is around 13 kilometres north east of Bardoli. During the Indian independence movement, it was the venue of annual session of the Indian National Congr ...

Congress Souvenir, 1938
Development of Indian Railways, Calcutta University Press 1930
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanyal, Nalinaksha 1898 births Year of death missing Bengal MLAs 1937–1945 West Bengal MLAs 1967–1969 West Bengal MLAs 1969–1971 Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal Indian independence activists from Bengal University of Calcutta alumni Academic staff of the University of Calcutta Alumni of the London School of Economics People from Nadia district Krishnath College alumni Bangla Congress politicians