EduardoVasey1 at 21:24, 16 April 2026

2026-04-16T21:24:50Z

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{{Short description|Indian civil servant (1869–1946)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_suffix = [[Indian Civil Service|ICS]]
| image = Jnanendra Nath Gupta, Calcutta, 1895.jpg
| birth_date = {{birth year|1869}}
| birth_place = [[Bengal Presidency]], British India
| death_date = {{death year|1946}}
| death_place = Bengal Presidency, British India
| alma_mater = {{UBL| Presidency College | [[University of Oxford]] }}
| occupation = administrator
| known_for = Founder of [[Carmichael College]]
| spouse = {{Marriage|Sarala Devi|1894}}
| relatives = [[Romesh Chunder Dutt]] (father in law)
}}
'''Jnanendranath Gupta''' (1869–1946; also known as '''J. N. Gupta''') was a distinguished officer of the [[Indian Civil Service]] during the British Indian period, as well as a social reformer and administrator. Inspired by the ideals of the [[Bengal Renaissance]], he served with integrity, humanity, and efficiency in various districts of eastern Bengal (present-day [[Bangladesh]]) and western Bengal. His administrative contributions in [[Noakhali District|Noakhali]], [[Rangpur, Bangladesh|Rangpur]], and [[Dhaka]] were particularly notable. While serving in Rangpur, he established [[Carmichael College]] in 1916.<ref>{{Cite web |title=বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় হয়েও, বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় হতে পারেনি কারমাইকেল কলেজ |url=https://www.deshrupantor.com/552519/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%9F%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%93-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=দেশ রূপান্তর |language=bn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=শতবর্ষে রংপুর কারমাইকেল কলেজ |url=https://www.kalerkantho.com/print-edition/shuvosongho/2016/05/29/363493 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=www.kalerkantho.com}}</ref>

==Life and education==
Jnanendranath Gupta was born in 1869 in Bengal during the [[British colonial period]]. His father, Ghanshyam Das Gupta, served as a district judge. Due to his father’s frequent transfers, he spent his childhood in different regions of Bengal and [[Bihar]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Echoes from Old Bengal {{!}} The Daily Star |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/echoes-old-bengal-1430665 |access-date=2026-03-19 |website=www.thedailystar.net |language=en}}</ref>

He passed the [[matriculation examination]] from Shyampukur School in Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]). He later enrolled at Metropolitan College, where [[Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar]] was serving as the principal, and developed a close and affectionate relationship with him. He obtained his bachelor’s degree with honors in English literature, philosophy, and history, and later earned a master’s degree from [[Presidency College Calcutta|Presidency College]].<ref name=":0" />
[[File:J_N_Gupta_with_his_wife_Sarala,_Calcutta,_1895.jpg|thumb|J N Gupta with his wife Sarala, Calcutta, 1895]]
In 1894, he married Sarala Devi, who was the daughter of the renowned economist and ICS officer [[Romesh Chunder Dutt]].<ref name=":0" />

==Career==
In his youth, Jnanendranath Gupta stayed in Dakshineswar with Promothanath Kar (Paltu) and had the opportunity to be in the company of eminent personalities such as [[Ramakrishna]], [[Swami Vivekananda]], and [[Keshub Chandra Sen]]. During this period, he edited the Bengali monthly magazine Sahitya, to which leading writers of the time, including [[Rabindranath Tagore]], regularly contributed.<ref name=":0" />

In 1891, he traveled to [[England]] with [[Chittaranjan Das]] and appeared in the ICS examination held in London in 1892, where he secured second place among Indian candidates. In 1893, he studied at [[University of Oxford]].
[[File:Deputy_Magistrate_J_N_Gupta_with_his_wife_and_children,_Noakhali,_1908.png|thumb|Deputy Magistrate J N Gupta with his wife and children, Noakhali, 1908]]
[[File:Commissioner's_House_lived_in_by_JN_Gupta_Dhaka_1919.png|thumb|Commissioner's House lived in by JN Gupta Dhaka 1919]]
He served in important administrative positions across several districts, including [[Odisha|Orissa]], [[Malda district|Malda]], [[Bankura]], [[Burdwan]], [[Noakhali District|Noakhali]], [[Rangpur, Bangladesh|Rangpur]], and [[Dhaka]]:

* [[Noakhali District|Noakhali]] (1908): Served as District Magistrate
* [[Rangpur, Bangladesh|Rangpur]] (1914–1918): Served as Collector
* [[Dhaka]] (1919): Served as Commissioner

While posted in [[Rangpur, Bangladesh|Rangpur]], he established [[Carmichael College]] in 1916,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Founders {{!}} Carmichael College, Rangpur |url=https://ccr.gov.bd/founders/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250615045408/https://ccr.gov.bd/founders/ |archive-date=2025-06-15 |access-date=2026-03-19 |website=ccr.gov.bd |language=en-US |url-status=dead }}</ref> the first higher education institution in North Bengal, which is now a historic and architectural landmark.

In 1918, he worked with [[Satyendra Prasanna Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha|Satyendra Prasanna Sinha]] in the British War Cabinet. In 1921, he went to [[Geneva]] as a representative of the labour section of the [[League of Nations]].<ref name=":0" />

==Works==

* DISTRICT GAZETTEERS OF BENGAL AND ASSAM : BOGRA, 1910 <ref>{{Cite book |last=Gupta |first=Jnanendra Nath |url=https://books.google.com.bd/books?id=Y25OAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Jnanendra+Nath+Gupta%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Bogra |date=1910 |publisher=Pioneer Press |language=en}}</ref>
* Rangpur Today: a study in local problems of a Bengal district, Jñānendra-Nātha Gupta, 1918 <ref>{{Cite book |last=Gupta |first=Jnanendra Nath |url=https://books.google.com.bd/books?id=dRXJczULj7gC&redir_esc=y |title=Rangpur To-day: A Study in Local Problems of a Bengal District |date=1918 |publisher=S.B. Chakraverty |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Incarnate Word |url=https://incarnateword.in/documents/alphabet-g/30-jnanendra-nath-gupta-1918 |access-date=2026-03-20 |website=incarnateword.in}}</ref>
* The Foundations of National Progress: A Scheme of Constructive Work for an Indian Province, with an Introduction by the Rt. Hon'ble Baron Sinha of Raipur, Elm Press, 1927, Cornell University <ref>{{Cite book |last=Gupta |first=Jnanendra Nath |url=https://books.google.com.bd/books/about/The_Foundations_of_National_Progress.html?id=LqgvAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y |title=The Foundations of National Progress: A Scheme of Constructive Work for an Indian Province, with an Introduction by the Rt. Hon'ble Baron Sinha of Raipur |date=1927 |publisher=Elm Press |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Carmichael College]]
[[Category:1869 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:Indian Civil Service (British India) officers]]
[[Category:Presidency University, Kolkata alumni]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford]]
[[Category:University and college founders]]
[[Category:Founders of Bangladeshi schools and colleges]]

Jnanendranath Gupta - Revision history

EduardoVasey1 at 21:24, 16 April 2026