1. The Background: Prof. Shiba Prasada Chatterjee known as the Father of Indian Geography
was born on 22nd February, 1903 at Calcutta. He had a brilliant academic
carrier. He obtained his master degree in Geology in 1926 from Banaras
Hundu
University. There
after, he proceeded to France
and England
for higher studies. He had the privilege of carrying out research in
Geography the guidance of the then celebrated French Geographer, E de Martonne on Le plateau de Meghalaya.
This pioneering study earned him D. Lit. Degree from de'l
University de Paris at Sorbonne, and eventually in 1936. On the other
hand he obtained Teachers ' Diploma from the University London later he
made a comparative study of the British and French Educational system and
his disseration on this subject earned him the
Ph. D. degree in Education from the same University. This was only the
beginning of his educational, scientific amid international activities
which expanded many folds in the years to come the geographic world
shocked to now the sad demise of Prof. Chatterjee
on 27th February, 1989.
2. Contribution to teaching of Geography: Chatterjee's primary concern from
the beginning of his career was teaching and research. He joined the Rangoon university
as Head of the Department of Geology and Geography in 1928. He served
that department till 1932 when he left for Europe
for higher studies. On his return to India,
Chatterjee joined the University
of Calcutta and with great
efforts was able to introduce Geography as a discipline in the Calcutta University, at first in the
Teachers training Department and subsequently at the honours
level in 1939 and 1941 respectively. He took charge of the Geography
department in the capacity of Prof. and Head. His attachment with thid department lasted lifelong and he remained there
as Emeritus Professor after his retirement in 1967.
Chatterjee's reputationas
a teacher went far and wide invitations came from Universities all over
the world. Assignment came on to him as Visiting Professor at the
Universities of Georgia (Athens) and
Austin (Texas) in the USA in 1963, at Mascow University
and at the Universities of Paris and Heidenberg
in 1963 and at the California
State University
during the period 1970-72.
3. Establishment of the Geographical Society
of India:
Chatterjee felt the necessity of establishing a
Geographical Society of all Indian Character. Calcutta
being premier center for the study and teaching in Geography in undevided India was considered as the
appropriate place to start the Geographical of India. Thus, the Calcutta
Geographical Society, now known as the geographical Society of India, was
established by his efforts in 1936, research journal of the soceity is known as Geographical Review of India
which is, perhaps the first of its kind in the country and has reputation
about its quality and regularly in publication.
The Other geographical and scientific Societies in the country and abroad
have drawn inspiration from him. Chatterjee
also encouraged young Geographers regularly by contributing in the
Observer, a magazine of the Student Geographical Association, Calcutta.
4. Creation of National Atlas & Thematic
Mapping Organisation: Chatterjee formulated for the
first time, a proposal for the compliation of
the National Atlas of India, containing maps of the various features of
the nation. The authorities in the Central Ministries were very impressed
and convinced about the essentiality of the project. It was at the
instance of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then
Prime Minister of India,
that the National Atlas Organisation was
established in 1956. S.P. Chatterjee was
appointed the first Honorary Director of the Organisation.
This organisation produced Bharat
Rashtriya Atlas ( in Hindia ) in 1957. This paved the way of preparing
Atlases including the formidable National Atlas of India in eight volumes
( in English). These Atlases have been highly
appreciated in India
and elsewhere and Chatterjee rightly earned the
famous Murchison Grant from the Royal Geographical Society. The name of
the Organisation in 1978 in order to widen the
scope of activities of the Organisation. Under
the direction of Chatterjee the activities of
the Organisation multiplied and its status
elevated to such a mapping organisation
employing perhaps the largest number of geographers under one roof in the
world. The Irrigation Commission of India in late Nineteen Sixties
approached Chatterjee to compile the first ever
Irrigation Atlas of India. The offered to collaborate by providing data
on various aspects of irrigation. The first collaborative venture in the
form of Irrigation Atlas of India was published in 1970 under the
guidance and direction of S.P. Chatterjee.
After his retirement from the Directorship of National Atlas Organisation in 1969, his association continued as
the Chairman of the advisory Board of the Organisation.
5. Contribution to International Geography
and Cartography: As a foremost geographer of the country Chatterjee had been attached with various
international events related to geography and cartography. He attended
the International Geographical Congress held at Washington, D.C.
in 1952, presiding over the section on Urban and Rural Settlements. He
also presided over the section of Geographical Cartography and
Photography in the International Geographical Congress held at Stockholm in 1960.
In the 20th International Geographical Congress held at London in 1964, he
acted as Chairman of the Section of Population Geography.
Chatterjee was elected as the Vice-President of
the International Goegraphical Union (IGU) at
its Congress in Stockholm in 1960 and in
the subsequent International Geographical Congress in London he was elected to Presidentship of the IGU for the term 1964-68. His
devotion to his duties as bend of an international body was exemplary. He
went over to almost every part of the world, meeting Geographers in
Seminars and conference. He succeeded in pursuing the Government in India to extend invitation to organise the International Goegraphical
Congress in India and
for the first time in Asia the Congress was held in New Delhi in 1968. Chatterjee
was accordingly appointed as the Chairman of the National Committee for
holding the Congress. This event undoubtedly brought great prestige to
Indian Geographers and helped them to develop colser
relations with the International Comnunity of
Geographers.
For his contribution, Chatterjee had been honoured by several Geographical Societies all over
the world, viz. The Association of Japanese Geographers, Tokyo,
American Geographical Society and the Chinese Association for the
Advancement of Science,
Taiwan.
6. Contribution to National Development and
Planning: At
the time of the partition of the country Chatterjee
prepared a map of Bengal, showing the
distribution of population according to religion. This map was inter published by the Survey of India. Chatterjee was the first Indian Geographer to carry
out complete land use Survey of a district of West Bengal (Howrah)
in 1950. He was appointed as a member in Damodar
Valley Diagnostic Survey, the Board of Land Use, Committee
on National Resources of the Government of West Bengal. Executive
Committees of India
Council of Social Science Research. The name "Maghalaya"
coined by him for the Garo, Khasi
and Jaintin Plateau has been adopted by the
Government of India to name the recently formed state in north eastern India
covering those plateaus.
7. Contribution to the Development of
Geography and Cartography: Prof. S.P. Chatterjee
has a variety of interests in thrust areas ranging for Geomorphology to
the evolution of human settlements. However, cartography had been his
basic field of interest. His unique work Bengal
in Maps was published soon after the partition of the country. During the
same time he contributed papers on a variety of subjects, viz, economic surve of
Europe, mineral and mineral products, geomorphology, glaciology, population
and regional pattern, floods and hydrology, teaching of geography,
geography and national planning, soils and the like. After the
establishment of National Atlas Organisation,
his contribution in producing National Atlas in India in
1957 has been hailed as a landmark in Geography and Cartography. He was
approached by the Government to write the chapter of physiography
of the country for the Gazetter in India.
His close association with Damodar Valley Corportion resulted into the preparation of Planning
Atlas of Damodar Valley Region in 1969. His
Presidential Address to the 21st International Geographical
Congress (New Delhi, 1968) in Toward Global Peace and Harmony: Approachment Between Developing and Developed
Countries has been considered as a valuable
contribution towards the understanding of problems of the world.
The 21st International Geographical Congress organized by Chatterjee at New
Delhi in 1968 was significant in many aspects.
It brought out a large number of publications covering various aspects of
geography of India
and the developing countries. The most impressive number and quality to
congress publications, again demonstrate the sincerity and imaginations
of a great Geographer. He was approached by the International Association
of Agricultural Economist based in Italy
to contributed a chapter of India for
their publication entitled world Atlas of Agriculture. He contributed the
chapter on "Himalayan Mountain Ranges" in the New Encyclopaedia Britanica.
He was entrusted to write the Progress of Geography on behalf of Indian
Science Congress Association. His explanatory notes in National Atlas
Plates have been used as a basis of research of all sorts. Besides, over
a hundred articles brought out by him in different journals, his works
are far too many to enumerate in this short sketch.
Of late, he engaged himself in writing text books on geography. His
latest venture was the comprehensive volume of Economic Geography of
Asia. Formal awards in recognition of the contributions made by Chatterjee in the field of learning were conferred on
him on many occasions. The most prestigious was the Murchison Grant by
the Royal Geographical Society, London in
1959 for publication of the first ever National Atlas of India in
1957. Earlier, during his student days in Paris he earned the Gaudy Medal of Societe de Geographic Commerciale
de Paris in 1937. He was a life patron of the Geographical Society of
India, Calcutta
and was made the first ever Indian National Cartographic Society in 1981.
The National Geographical Society of India, Varanasi
decorated him with the Jawahar Lal Nehru Medal in 1963. Considering his valuable
contribution to international Geography and raising the status of Indian
Geography, he was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1985, with this recognition,
role of Geographer in national planning has also been recognized.
8. Personality
:
Prof. S.P. Chatterjee was a model of
indomitable will and total dedication. Demand of extreme hard work, the
snarl of apparently insurmountable difficulties never seen to have
deterred him from pursuing a cause which he thought to be right and
proper. He was a perfect "Karmayogi"
or a person totally dedicated to noble work.
The success achieved in elevating the status of Geography in India from a
state of insignificance to that of honour and
importance bear testimony to the sustained efforts put in and the
magnificent obsession to the cause of geography that this great
geographer had cultivated in his life. His life was a perennial sources of inspiration of all of his innumerable
students and associates in fact any student of geography in India.
