Bhabatosh Datta Biography 
Bhabatosh Datta was a writer and economist from Bihar. He was a renowned teacher too. In 1990, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, for his contributions towards the field of education. He worked as Professor of Economics at Presidency College, Kolkata for many years, apart from working in a few more colleges like Chittagong College. He wrote poetry as well as non-fiction work. He lived during the period, 21 February 1911 – 11 January 1997, and died aged 85. He was a member of Fourth Finance Commission of India formed in 1964.
Bhabatosh Datta was born in Patna, present-day Bihar on 21 February 1911. Hemendra Kishore Datta and Jogmaya Datta were his parents. His father was a professor of Chemistry at Bihar National College, Patna, while his mother was a homemaker. His education was completed at different schools of Bihar and present-day West Bengal. At his Dhaka school, he edited the school magazine. Buddhadeb Ghosh was his fellow student who also served as editor, and he went on to become a great writer. Datta completed his graduation and post-graduation in Economics from Presidency College, Kolkata.
After studies, he started his career as a lecturer. Initially he briefly worked at Chittagong College, and Burdwan Raj College. Then he taught at Surendranath College and Maulana Azad College before he moved to England to complete his doctoral studies. He completed his studies within in two years at London School of Economics. The Economics of Industrialization was his thesis work. Once he returned in 1952, he joined the Presidency College, Kolkata, where he taught till his retirement. He later became Emeritus Professor after his retirement. During his professional years he joined IMF as chief of South Asia division for a brief period, and then returned to Presidency College.
Published: October 16, 2018
Updated: October 16, 2018
