Jnanendranath Gupta

Jnanendranath Gupta (1869–1946; also known as J. N. Gupta) was a distinguished officer of the Indian Civil Service during the British Indian period, as well as a social reformer and administrator. Inspired by the ideals of the Bengal Renaissance, he served with integrity, humanity, and efficiency in various districts of eastern Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) and western Bengal. His administrative contributions in Noakhali, Rangpur, and Dhaka were particularly notable. While serving in Rangpur, he established Carmichael College in 1916.

Life and education Jnanendranath Gupta was born in 1869 in Bengal during the British colonial period. His father, Ghanshyam Das Gupta, served as a district judge. Due to his father’s frequent transfers, he spent his childhood in different regions of Bengal and Bihar.

He passed the matriculation examination from Shyampukur School in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He later enrolled at Metropolitan College, where Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was serving as the principal, and developed a close and affectionate relationship with him. He obtained his bachelor’s degree with honors in English literature, philosophy, and history, and later earned a master’s degree from Presidency College. the first higher education institution in North Bengal, which is now a historic and architectural landmark.

In 1918, when Satyendra Prasanna Sinha departed for England to serve in the British War Cabinet, he invited Jnanendra Nath Gupta to accompany him as his secretary, an offer that Gupta readily accepted. Later, in 1921, Gupta represented India at the League of Nations' Labour Branch in Geneva alongside his longtime friend Sir Atul Chatterjee. Upon his return to Bengal, Sir Surendranath Banerjee, then Minister of Local Self-Government, persuaded him to take on the role of Chairman of the Corporation, reflecting the high regard in which he was held for his administrative ability and public service. Life and work of Romesh Chunder Dutt, C.I.E. 1911 Rangpur Today: a study in local problems of a Bengal district, Jñānendra-Nātha Gupta, 1918 The Foundations of National Progress: A Scheme of Constructive Work for an Indian Province, with an Introduction by the Rt. Hon'ble Baron Sinha of Raipur, Elm Press, 1927, Cornell University