The Accidental Anthropologist of India
Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Roy (1871-1942) was regarded as the Father of Indian Ethnography and the First Indian Anthropologist, undoubtedly a forgotten citizen of India. As a child, his father Purna Chandra Roy came to Bengal from Khulna (now in Bangladesh). The young Sarat passed his Matriculation Exam from City Collegiate School and graduated in English (Hons.) from General Assembly Institute (now Scottish Church College), followed by a Masters from the University of Calcutta. To continue further, he studied Law and obtained a Bachelor of Law (BL) degree from Ripon College (now Surendranath College). Sri Roy started practicing Law in Calcutta but shortly after, he was advised to move to Ranchi (now capital of Jharkhand) due to health issues. In Ranchi, he rose to great heights and earned a good reputation in the Judicial Commissioner’s Court. Besides pursuing Law, he also turned into the oppressed tribes of the society. Gradually, he started documenting the social and cultural ...