Kolkata, Mar 22 (PTI) Eminent academician Sunanda Sanyal died at a private hospital here on Tuesday.
He was 84 and is survived by a son.
Sanyal, who was suffering from old age-related ailments, was admitted to the hospital in Salt Lake area on February 26.
“He was diagnosed with sepsis and multiple-organ failure. Our medical team extended all efforts for his treatment but he died around 1.30 PM,” a spokesperson of the hospital said.
His last rites were performed at Nimtala crematorium.
Born into an illustrious family in Pabna in present-day Bangladesh on February 1, 1934, Sanyal had done his schooling from there and completed his higher studies at Kolkata, Hyderabad and Leeds University.
Sanyal did his graduation and post-graduation in English from Calcutta University. He got his DTE degree from Hyderabad’s English and Foreign Languages University in the early 1970s and then started teaching in Ramakrishna Mission Vidya Mandir, Belur Math. He was also a part-time English lecturer in Calcutta and Burdwan universities.
He will be best remembered for his severe opposition to the then Left Front government’s decision not to teach English in primary classes in West Bengal.
As a member of the State Education Commission, he had given his note of dissent over the government’s English language policy.
He had launched a one-man crusade against the decision which eventually forced various pressure groups to take up the cause and made the government yield. PTI SCH ACD ACD
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.