Professor Rajat Kanta Ray, renowned historian and one of the most distinguished faculty members of Presidency University in Kolkata, passed away at the age of 79 on Wednesday, leaving behind a rich academic legacy that shaped generations of students.
Ray, who specialised in Modern Indian history, served as the head of the Department of History at Presidency University and remained one of its longest-serving professors. He joined the college in 1975 and retired in 2006, leaving behind an indelible mark on the institution.
He later went on to serve as the upacharya (vice-chancellor) of Visva-Bharati from 2006 to 2011.
Ray’s association with Presidency spanned over three decades, not only as a teacher but also as a thinker deeply committed to its intellectual tradition.
After completing his schooling from Ballygunge Government High School, he joined Presidency College for his undergraduate studies in history. He later pursued a PhD at Cambridge University.
“Training students to think critically has been the art of Presidency. Derozio is still our icon,” Ray had said during his Founder’s Day lecture in 2024. At the event, held at Derozio Hall, he was honoured with the Atul Chandra Gupta Distinguished Alumnus Award 2024, conferred by the university and its alumni association.
In that lecture, Ray had urged the institute to hold on to its Derozian roots.
The news of his death has prompted an outpouring of grief from the academic and alumni community.
“It’s a great loss for the academic fraternity and students all across the world,” said Debajyoti Konar, registrar of Presidency University, to My Kolkata. “The university, in collaboration with the Department of History, will plan a repository of his works or a memorial in the coming days. We are extremely sad at his demise.”
Bivas Chaudhuri, vice-president of the Presidency alumni association, said, “He was a living legend and one of our illustrious alumni, and one of the most iconic teachers Presidency has ever had. When Gopalkrishna Gandhi was the Bengal governor, he had gone to Presidency to attend a class by Rajat Kanta Ray. Unlikely for a governor, but such was Ray’s aura.”
Ray was the typical academic and could come across as aloof. He was not. One time a history student at Presidency found out his head of the department had paid for his bus ticket. They were on the same bus to college. Later in the day, when the same student bunked his class Ray struck a rare note of exasperation: "I paid for his ticket and he did not come to the class!"
He is remembered not only for his academic work but also for the intellectual inspiration he provided to his students.
Jishnu Dasgupta, a professor of history and a former student of Rajat Kanta Ray, remembered him as a teacher like no other.
“Could I just say that he was the greatest classroom teacher one could ever have,” Dasgupta said.
Reflecting on Ray’s intellectual influence across ideological spectrums, he added, “There are historians of all hues... from followers of Hindutva to Marxist feminists, to post-structuralists to liberals, each of whom considered Sir to be his guru. He was that broadminded.”
A formal condolence meeting is expected to be announced by the Presidency University Alumni Association soon.