ঔপনিবেশিক যুগে বাঙালির নদী গবেষণার ইতিহাস
Volume-XIV, Issue-III, April 2026
Volume-XIV, Issue-III, April 2026 | ||
Received: 24.04.2026 | Accepted: 27.04.2026 | |||
Published Online: 30.04.2026 | Page No: | |||
DOI: 10.64031/pratidhwanitheecho.vol.14.issue.03W. | ||||
ঔপনিবেশিক যুগে বাঙালির নদী গবেষণার ইতিহাস মহ: আজাহারউদ্দিন, সহকারী শিক্ষক, পার্বতীপুর জুনিয়র বেসিক বিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত আসানুর খাতুন, গবেষক, বিদ্যাসাগর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত হাবিবা সুলতানা, স্বাধীন গবেষক, মুর্শিদাবাদ, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত | |
History of Bengali River Research in the Colonial Period Md Azaharuddin, Assistant Teacher, Parbatipur Junior Basic School, West Bengal, India Asanur Khatun, Research Scholar, Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, India Habiba Sultana, Independent Research Scholar, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India | |
Bengal is a land woven from countless rivers. It is difficult to conceive of Bengal without its waterways; indeed, as the distinguished Bengali historian Nihar Ranjan Ray once observed, "The history of Bengal's rivers is, in essence, the history of Bengal itself." These myriad rivers—both large and small—constitute the very life force of Bengal; they are the forces that have shaped the land. These rivers have aptly been characterized as Bengal’s "natural wealth." During the colonial era, Major Rennell conducted the first "systematic survey" of Bengal’s River systems. The maps he drafted serve as authoritative historical records, enabling us to trace the original courses of Bengal’s various rivers. Among the pioneering Bengali researchers of river systems, the name of Radhakamal Mukerjee stands out prominently; he highlighted the river-centric nature of Bengal’s economy. He meticulously analyzed how Bengal’s political epicenter shifted—anchored as it was to its river systems—moving from the western regions of Maldah and Gaur eastward to Calcutta. Subsequently, another Bengali scholar, Satish Chandra Majumdar, undertook a geo-morphological and epistemological analysis of Bengal’s rivers, offering a logical, objective, and scientifically grounded examination of the subject. Furthermore, the renowned Bengali scientist Meghnad Saha made significant contributions through his work on flood management and river dam planning. In essence, this paper attempts to explore and examine the scientific research conducted on Bengal’s rivers during the colonial era by these four distinguished Bengalis. | |
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