imported>SdkbBot: /* Theology */removed erroneous space

2021-06-04T06:28:42Z

Theology: removed erroneous space

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Pramathalal Sen
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = 17 December 1866
| birth_place = [[Kolkata]]
| death_date = 30 June 1930
| death_place = [[Kolkata]]
| occupation = Philosopher
| spouse =
}}

'''Pramathalal Sen''' (popular as Naluda) was a philosopher of [[Keshub Chunder Sen]]’s New Dispensation, who along with [[Benoyendranath Sen]] and Mohit Chandra Sen, devoted himself to update the organisation and doctrine of the new religious congregation and improve relations with other [[Brahmo]] groups.<ref>[[David Kopf|Kopf, David]], ''The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind'', 1979, p. 84, Princeton University Press, {{ISBN|0-691-03125-8}}</ref>

==Early life==
The son of Nabin Chandra Sen and nephew of Keshub Chunder Sen, he passed the Entrance (school-leaving) examination from Albert School, Kolkata. He gave up further efforts at formal education and decided to work for the Brahmo Samaj.<ref name = "Bose309">Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, {{in lang|bn}}, pp. 309-10, {{ISBN|81-85626-65-0}}</ref> After the death of Keshub Chunder Sen in 1884, he spent some time with Sadhu Hiranand Advani in [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], [[Sindh|Sind]]. However, Advani’s untimely death brought all work there to a stop. On return to Kolkata, he assisted [[Protap Chunder Mozoomdar]] in his work.<ref name = "Bose309"/><ref>[[Sivanath Sastri|Sastri, Sivanath]], ''History of the Brahmo Samaj'', 1911-12/1993, p. 532, Sadharan Brahmo Samaj.</ref>

==Theology==
Brahmo [[theology]] was one of those persisting ideas among many well-intentioned Brahmo leaders that had never gained full acceptance amongst the congregation, nor was it ever institutionalised. [[Gour Govinda Ray]], the most outstanding intellectual luminary in Keshub’s circle of ascetics, candidly disavowed theology as greatly inferior to religious inspiration. However, there were people like [[Prasanna Kumar Roy]] who argued that no religion has ever been sustained without a systematic theology. Charles Dall, the American [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] missionary, who was member of Keshub’s Brahmo Samaj in the 1870s, also argued that a theological school was urgently needed to avert "emotionalism and mysticism among Brahmos."<ref>Kopf, David, p. 79</ref>

Pramathalal Sen was one of the earlier members of the Brahmo Samaj to proceed to [[Harris Manchester College, Oxford|Manchester College]] in England to study theology in 1897-99.<ref name = "Bose309"/> It is said that the Unitarians wanted to confer on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity but he politely refused to accept the same.<ref name = "Niranjan">Niyogi, Niranjan, ''Smritir Gourab Smritir Sourav'' (The scent of glorious memories), 1969, {{in lang|bn}}, pp. 192-199.</ref>

In 1905, he opted to be a missionary of the Brahmo Samaj. He was inducted by Gour Govinda Ray and presented by Braja Gopal Niyogi.<ref>Niyogi, Niranjan, ''Sadhan O Seva'' (Dedication and Service), 1963, {{in lang|bn}}, p. 287.</ref>

In 1910, Pramathalal Sen and T.L.Vaswani represented Brahmo Samaj in the World Conference of Religions at [[Berlin]].<ref name = "Bose309"/><ref name = "Niranjan"/> Just as the 1893 conference at [[Chicago]] had been organised by the Unitarians, this conference was also organised by the Unitarians.

==Other activities==
He was associated with [[Rabindranath Tagore]] and [[Brahmabandhab Upadhyay]] from a young age. In 1910, he was the first to publish English translations of Tagore’s poems in England.<ref name = "Bose309"/> He was secretary of the Victoria Institution at Kolkata from 1914 to 1930.<ref name = "Bose309"/> His missionary activities took him to different towns in India, at many of which he had a devoted following, who eagerly looked forward to the visits of Pramathalal, whom they called Sadhu.

==Personal traits==
He remained single and lived a simple life. In the students’ hostel he set up on Harrison Road (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) in 1902, a board was there, "Seek to be Unknown". That summed up his attitude towards life. Those who came in close contact with him, knew what a superb letter writer he was. In later life he suffered illness for some time and subsequently succumbed to it. When his end was approaching, everybody around sang, his favourite song,

:ebar dubilam, dubilam, pranaram sagare.<ref name = "Niranjan"/>
:: now I am sinking, sinking in the sea of eternity

==Works==
For many years he edited ''The Interpreter and the Young Man'', ''World and the New Dispensation'', and ''Navavidhan''.<ref name = "Bose309"/>

Four volumes of his letters have been published under the title ''Naludar Chithi'' (Naluda’s letters).<ref name = "Bose309"/> He published ''Keshub Chunder Sen – a Study''.<ref>Ghosh, Nirvarpriya, ''The Evolution of Navavidhan'', 1930, pp. 170-173.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sen, Pramathalal}}
[[Category:Bengali people]]
[[Category:Brahmos]]
[[Category:Writers from Kolkata]]
[[Category:1866 births]]
[[Category:1930 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian editors]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian translators]]
[[Category:Bengali-language writers]]
[[Category:19th-century translators]]

Pramathalal Sen - Revision history

imported>SdkbBot: /* Theology */removed erroneous space