This year marked the centenary year of Dr Kali Kinkar Datta, eminent historian, who was born in Santhal Pargana, now in Jharkhand. Dr Datta will be known for his pioneering works and his evaluation of the Santhal ?Hul? as a major milestone in Indian History. But neither universities in Jharkhand nor the state government did anything to prolong his memory. Nor were attempts made to make his books available to students and scholars.

The following tribute has been written by Dr Asoka Kumar Sen, Chaibasa-based scholar and researcher who was the last research scholar guided by Dr Datta.

Born at Jhikarhati village in Pakur on May 5, 1905, his father Sadananda Datta was the headmaster of Pakur High School. He began his schooling from Jhikarhati Primary School.

After passing matriculation examination from Pakur Raj High School in 1921, he completed his graduation with Honours in History from Krishnanath College, Berhampur and Masters from Calcutta University in 1927, being placed in the first class at both the examinations.

He joined Patna University as a research scholar in 1928 and as a lecturer in Patna College in 1930. Alivardi and His Times earned him a Ph.D. degree in 1937 under great Dr S.C. Sarkar.

But before that he had been awarded the prestigious Premchand Roychand Scholarship by Calcutta University for his highly-acclaimed work Studies in the History of Bengal Subah 1740-70.

He became the head of the department of History, Patna College, in 1945 and seven years later, the head of the department of History, Patna University. He retired from Patna University service in 1960.

Dr Datta had earned great repute for his erudition, command over language, oratory, and enduring love for students and phenomenal memory. Like most of his illustrious contemporaries, he made an enviable blend of teaching and research that resulted in his authoring 50 books and several research papers.

Other than the ones named before he was the famous co-author of An Advanced History of India and Text Book of Modern Indian History as well as the author of A Social History of Modern India, Dawn of Renascent India, Shah Alam II, Kunwar Singh, Amar Singh, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Rajendra Prasad.

Though permanently located in Patna, Dr Datta cherished enduring attachment to his village and that part of Bihar, which later became Jharkhand. He published the Santhal Insurrection of 1855-57 in 1940, long before writing a counter nationalist narrative that was included in the agenda of Indian historians.