N. G. Majumdar

Nani Gopal Majumdar
Born
Nani Gopal

1 December 1897
Jessore, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died11 November 1938(1938-11-11) (aged 40)
Johi, Sind, British India
Alma materUniversity of Calcutta
SpouseSnehlata Majumdar
Scientific career
FieldsArchaeology

Nani Gopal Majumdar (1 December 1897 – 11 November 1938) was an Indian archaeologist who is credited with having discovered 62 Indus Valley Civilization sites in Sindh including Chanhudaro.[1]

Early life and education

Majumdar was born on 1 December 1897 to Baradaprasanna Majumdar and his wife Sarojini in the town of Jessore.[1] Majumdar passed his M. A. from the University of Calcutta in 1920, winning a gold medal.[1] He won a doctorate from the Calcutta University in 1923 for his thesis on "Vajra".[1] The same year he joined the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and participated in the excavations at Mohenjodaro.[2]

Archaeology work

On 22 April 1929, Majumdar was appointed Superintendent of the Central Circle and served till 9 May 1929 when he was transferred to the Head Office in Calcutta as Assistant Superintendent.[1]

Explorations in Sindh

Majumdar first explored Sind in 1927.[2] During his explorations, he discovered that the Lower Indus Valley was inhabited as early as the Early Indus period.[2] Aided by a small grant, in 1927-28, Majumdar excavated the Indus Valley site of Jhukar near Mohenjodaro. In March 1930, Majumdar excavated two new sites of Tharo Hill and Chanhudaro.[2]

In October 1930, Majumdar left Dokri near Mohenjodaro and headed southwest along the Kirthar Mountains.[2] By the time he returned in March 1931, Majumdar had discovered more than 32 prehistoric sites. Majumdar wrote a detailed report of his explorations and excavations in his book Exploration in Sind (1934).[2][3]

On 1 October 1938, Majumdar was once again deputed to Sindh for six months to explore the region for Indus Valley sites.[2][1] Majumdar travelled over 200 miles on foot and discovered half a dozen sites of the Chalcolithic period.[1]

Death

On the morning of 11 November 1938, while offering puja at a small Hindu shrine close to his camp near the archaeological site of Rohelji Kund, on bank of Gaaj river, Johi, Dadu District,[1] Majumdar was shot dead by bandits.[2][1] A plaque marks the spot where he was killed.[3]

Personal life

Majumdar married Snehlata Mukherjee.[1] The couple had two daughters and a son, Tapas Majumdar (1929-2010).[1] Tapas, who was nine when Nani Gopal died, later graduated from the Presidency College, Calcutta where he served as a professor of economics.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "N. G. Majumdar remembered". Dawn. 31 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Flam, Louis. "The Sindh Archaeological Project: Explorations in the Lower Indus Basin and Western Sindh". Connections and Complexity: New Approaches to the Archaeology of South Asia. pp. 91–92.
  3. ^ a b "Tribute paid to archaeologist N G Majumdar". Dawn. 16 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Obituary:Tapas Majumdar (1929-2010)". The Telegraph. 19 October 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015.