Surendra Kumar Datta (1878–1942), also spelt as Surendra Kumar Dutta or S. K. Dutta, was the president of the

All India Conference of Indian Christians The All India Conference of Indian Christians (AICIC) is an ecumenical organisation founded in 1914 to represent the interests of Christians in India. It was founded to advocate for the moral, economic, and intellectual development of the Indian C ...

and thus the Indian

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

delegate to the Second Round Table Conference in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, as well as a prominent

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

leader, and a member of

Central Legislative Assembly The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Indian Legislature, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometimes calle ...

– also called

Imperial Legislative Assembly The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Indian Legislature, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometimes called t ...

before Indian independence – a lower house of a

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate Deliberative assembly, assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate ...

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

synonymous to the current

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

after Indian independence.

Biography

Life

He was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

colonial India Colonial India was the part of the Indian subcontinent that was occupied by European colonial powers during and after the Age of Discovery. European power was exerted both by conquest and trade, especially in spice trade, spices. The search for ...

, in

1878 Events January * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War: Battle of Shipka Pass IV – Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Russo-Turkish War: ...

, and got educated in

. He did

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

from

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He married Rena Carswell, a Scottish Irish woman and secretary in the

World Student Christian Federation The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) is a federation of autonomous national Student Christian Movements (SCM) forming the youth and student arm of the global ecumenical movement. The Federation includes Orthodox, Protestant and Cathol ...

(WSCF) in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. He served as the lecturer teaching

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

between 1909 and 1914 in Forman Christian College, Lahore. He served as principal between

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

and 1942, and later became the president of the same college.

YMCA leader

He succeeded K. T. Paul as general secretary of

Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

(YMCA) and eventually became president of the Indian YMCA. He worked as national secretary of the YMCAs of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

, and

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

(''present''

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

) from 1919 to

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

. He along with K.T. Paul and V.S. Azariah were the prominent YMCA leaders, though,

didn't directly involve in politics as it was run by the financial support of foreign donors beside an evangelistic agency, formed under the initiatives of

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

; however, under the leadership of K.T. Paul and S.K. Datta, they made the YMCA known and respected not only in India but also in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. He served as president of the All India Conference of Indian Christians in

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

, 1933, and 1934. After a lengthy service with YMCA, S.K. Datta was also associated with WSCF along with his wife Rena Datta. In June 1918, he was appointed a member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) for services in the YMCA during the First World War.

National delegate

He served as a nominated ppointedmember of Central Legislative Assembly to represent Indian Christian community, before Indian independence and Indian partition, from 1924 to 1926, and gave an address at the

International Missionary Council The International Missionary Council (IMC) was an ecumenical Protestant Christian missionary organization established in 1921, which in 1961, merged with the World Council of Churches (WCC), becoming the WCC's Division of World Mission and Evangeli ...

meeting held at

Lake Mohonk Lake Mohonk is located in Ulster County, New York, United States. It is located approximately northwest of Poughkeepsie. Activities on the lake are operated by Mohonk Mountain House. Description The small lake, long and deep, is located abov ...

in 1921 and

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

in 1928. As an Indian Christian delegate, he attended ''Second Round Table Conference'' held in London between September and December 1931—K.T. Paul and S.K. Dutta, though not followers of

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...

and represented Indian christian community, they indeed made efforts to bring reconciliation among the opposing leaders who took part in the conference, including

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (Birth name, née Chattopadhyay) (; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist and poet who served as the first Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Governor of United Provinces, after Independence Day (India), Indi ...

Madan Mohan Malaviya Madan Mohan Malaviya (25 December 1861 — 12 November 1946; ) was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and activist notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress three times and ...

Muhammad Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 187721 April 1938) was a South Asian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician. Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

, Ghanshyam Das Birla,

Mirza Ismail Sir Mirza Muhammad Ismail Amin-ul-Mulq (24 October 1883 – 5 January 1959) was an Indian statesman and police officer who served as the Diwan of Mysore, Jaipur, and Hyderabad.P. 254-258, ''Business Legends'' by Gita Piramal (1998) – Publish ...

, and more. As an editor of YMCA's periodical ''The Young Men of India'', he edited many articles like ''India and racial relationships'' and promoted national consciousness among the Indian Christians during the national movement. By 1930, prominent

Indian christian Christianity is Religion in India, India's third-most followed religion with about 28 million adherents, making up 2.3 percent of the population as of the 2011 Census of India, 2011 census. Christianity is the largest religion in parts of Nor ...

(

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

) leaders like V.S. Azaraih, K.T. Paul, V. Chakkarai(V. Chakka Rai), and S.K. Dutta have come to conclusions that Indian christians would best integrate themselves into national life if they didn't cast themselves as a separate

political entity A polity is a group of people with a collective identity, who are organized by some form of political institutionalized social relations, and have a capacity to mobilize resources. A polity can be any group of people organized for governance ...

. They also realized that a separate ''Christian electorate'' would further alienate them from

national culture National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

and amount to a form of ''compulsory segregation''. In

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

, All Indian Christian Council proclaimed that "the place of a minority in a nation is its value to the whole nation and not merely to itself." In Second Round Table conference, both K.T. Paul and S.K. Datta representing Protestants took a determined stand against turning Indian Christians into a Communal political entity by

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

—imposing on them Communal representation, Communal electorate, and other Communal safeguards. A biography of S.K. Datta with name ''S.K. Datta and his people'' was published by Margarita Barns.

President of the All India Conference of Indian Christians

S.K. Datta served as the president of the

, which stood for the interests of the Christian community of

. He represented Indian Christians in the Second Round Table Conference, agreeing with

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

in his views on minorities and Depressed Classes. Surendra Kumar Datta served as the principal of Forman Christian College in Lahore from 1932 to 1942. During his tenure, he emphasized the integration of liberal arts education with Christian values, aiming to elevate the college's standing as a premier institution in colonial India. His leadership contributed to the development of graduates who significantly impacted Indian society. On November 2, 1932, Dr. Datta was inducted as the first Indian principal of Forman Christian College by the President of the Board of Directors. This appointment marked a significant shift toward greater Indian leadership in institutions that were previously dominated by foreign missionaries.

Devout christian

Critic of Hinduism

He was a devout Christian and critic of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

, who believed that the

Indian religions Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification o ...

do indeed search for the truth, yet argued that they didn't provide moral and spiritual support for reform and renewal. He denounced Hinduism philosophy and its doctrines, especially

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

and Transmigration in weakening the demand for moral responsibility and social reform; according to him, only the basic teachings of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

could give hope to the people of India—the righteousness of God, the moral order of the created universe, the redeeming love of God manifest in

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. He further emphasized a two-fold contribution of Christianity to India through the work of educational institutions, and through the visible Indian church, which he believed to be influential far beyond its minority status.

Critic of Western Christianity

He was cynical about Indian church for lack of spiritual depth, absence of a distinctive Indian Christian theology, and dependence on foreign leadership and money. He was even critical about the caste system operating within the Indian churches.

Works

* ''The desire of India''. * ''The Christian Student and the Indian Church''.

References

External links

Papers of S K Datta, lecturer 1909-14 and Principal 1932-42, Forman Christian College

Christians in Secular India - Author: Abraham Vazhayil Thomas

Cultural and Religious Heritage of India: Christianity - Editors: Suresh K. Sharma, Usha Sharma

Points of Contact and the Christian use of Hindu concepts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Datta, Surendra Kumar 1878 births 1948 deaths Indian Christian theologians People from Lahore Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India Members of the Order of the British Empire YMCA leaders Academic staff of the Forman Christian College