L. P. Vidyarthi
Encyclopedia
Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi was one of the most renowned Indian anthropologists of the 20th century. He was the Head of the Department of Anthropology, Ranchi University
, Ranchi
, India
.
, located near Barh
in Patna
district of Bihar
, India, on 28 February 1931. After he had completed his initial schooling his family shifted to Gaya
in 1940, where his father was employed as an Assistant Lawyer in Mukhsudpur estate. He matriculated in 1946, achieving top merit in his school and a very high ranking in the State standings and hence was readily accepted at both Patna Arts College and Patna Science College of Patna University.
He was, at this juncture torn between studying Science and Humanities but soon he decided that Science education like engineering or medicine would be too expensive for his family and took up Geography as his honours subject. In 1950, Vidyarthi received a first class degree in Geography(M.A.).
At this point he heard about a Scholarship announced for the students undertaking Anthropology
and applied for it. When he was accepted for the course he came into a dilemma of whether to continue the field of Geography or to explore the new subject of Anthropology
. Acharya Narendra Deo, the then Vice-Chancellor of University of Lucknow
persuaded Vidyarthi to study Anthropology
and helped him to get admission to Lucknow University. He did his Phd from University of Chicago
.
Vidyarthi married Lakshmi Vidyarthi on 18 May 1952, as he had promised his deceased father that he would do so after completing his post-graduate degree . They had four children, two sons and two daughters, all of them well placed in their fields. His son Mr. Deepak Vidyarthi was given the Presidential Medal for his outstanding work as a Jail Supretendant.
, the Upanishads,the Smritis, the Puranas
and the Great Epics, if they are to acquire a sensitive insight into the social realities of India. He advocated for appreciation of traditional religion not to be swayed by those western scholars who proclaim only the negative influence of religion on development.
Vidyarthi declared the social scientists must not ignore the Indian Social thinkers like Sri Aurobindo
, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda
, Raja Ram Mohan Roy etc. who spoke in terms of "spiritual humanism, universal love and non-violence". He said of the tribal people:
In 1951 Vidyarthi learned of the Maler tribe which according to him was one of the few primitive tribes of great anthropological interest in India. When he got to know about the excessive primitiveness of the isolated Malers he decided to make them the object of his scientific investigation.
Vidyarthi explained how the ecological basis of forests and the slash-and-burn cultivation shaped the socio-economic life of the Maler tribe. He studied man in reltation with man. Lastly he presented the four types of Maler spirits, (Gossaiyan — the benevolent spirits, Jiwe Urrkya — the ancestors, Alchi — evil spirits and Chergani — spiritual power of a witch or witchcraft
) in a framework of sacred geography, sacred performances, and sacred specialists. Nature, Man and spirit interact of necessity. This was the basis of the famous concept of Nature-Man-Spirit Complex
proposed by Vidyarthi.
The another major concept that Vidyarthi brought into the Anthropological arena was that of a Sacred complex
. His work The Sacred Complex in Hindu Gaya is considered as one of the greatest contributions to the field of Anthropology
. Gaya is a sacred city of Hindu pilgrimage. He described Gaya in terms of "a sacred geography", a set of "sacred performances" and a group of "sacred specialists". These three concepts are the ones comprising the "Sacred Complex", which is essentially a 'great tradition' in character. This great tradition is the one which reflects Hinduism and unites the diverse people of India.
Vidyarthi's study of Hindu Gaya demonstrated that the sacred complex establishes and maintains continuity and compromise between the traditions of the Hindu Civilisation.
He was the President of IUAES
(1973–1978) and presided over the World Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences held in December 1978 at New Delhi
. This event marked the zenith of Indian anthropology.
Ranchi University
The Ranchi University is a university in Jharkhand state of India. It was established on 12th July 1960 as a teaching-cum-affiliating university, and its first vice chancellor was Sri Vishnudeo Narayan Singh...
, Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Childhood and beginnings
Vidyarthi was born in the small village of BariyarpurBariyarpur, Bara
Bariyarpur is a place situated in Munger, Bihar, India, its geographical coordinates are 25° 18' 0" North, 86° 35' 0" East and its original name is Bariārpur....
, located near Barh
Barh
Barh is a town and subdivision of Patna District of Bihar. It is located along the Ganges River, south-east of Patna.Barh railway station witnessed burning of many trains by a mob protesting the withdrawal of stoppage of trains there and many more causes....
in Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
district of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, India, on 28 February 1931. After he had completed his initial schooling his family shifted to Gaya
Gaya, India
Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...
in 1940, where his father was employed as an Assistant Lawyer in Mukhsudpur estate. He matriculated in 1946, achieving top merit in his school and a very high ranking in the State standings and hence was readily accepted at both Patna Arts College and Patna Science College of Patna University.
He was, at this juncture torn between studying Science and Humanities but soon he decided that Science education like engineering or medicine would be too expensive for his family and took up Geography as his honours subject. In 1950, Vidyarthi received a first class degree in Geography(M.A.).
At this point he heard about a Scholarship announced for the students undertaking Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and applied for it. When he was accepted for the course he came into a dilemma of whether to continue the field of Geography or to explore the new subject of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. Acharya Narendra Deo, the then Vice-Chancellor of University of Lucknow
University of Lucknow
The University of Lucknow is a university in the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is affiliated to University Grants Commission; Association of Commonwealth Universities ; Association of Indian Universities ; Distance Education Council...
persuaded Vidyarthi to study Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and helped him to get admission to Lucknow University. He did his Phd from University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Vidyarthi married Lakshmi Vidyarthi on 18 May 1952, as he had promised his deceased father that he would do so after completing his post-graduate degree . They had four children, two sons and two daughters, all of them well placed in their fields. His son Mr. Deepak Vidyarthi was given the Presidential Medal for his outstanding work as a Jail Supretendant.
His works
Vidyarthi believed that social scientists in India must explore the scriptures, such as the VedasVedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
, the Upanishads,the Smritis, the Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
and the Great Epics, if they are to acquire a sensitive insight into the social realities of India. He advocated for appreciation of traditional religion not to be swayed by those western scholars who proclaim only the negative influence of religion on development.
Vidyarthi declared the social scientists must not ignore the Indian Social thinkers like Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
, Raja Ram Mohan Roy etc. who spoke in terms of "spiritual humanism, universal love and non-violence". He said of the tribal people:
.
It is for the Indian Anthropologists to take them seriously and not to be carried away by the voluminous writings of the Western Scholars who termed them to be 'animist', 'savages' and 'very different form the Hindus'.
In 1951 Vidyarthi learned of the Maler tribe which according to him was one of the few primitive tribes of great anthropological interest in India. When he got to know about the excessive primitiveness of the isolated Malers he decided to make them the object of his scientific investigation.
Vidyarthi explained how the ecological basis of forests and the slash-and-burn cultivation shaped the socio-economic life of the Maler tribe. He studied man in reltation with man. Lastly he presented the four types of Maler spirits, (Gossaiyan — the benevolent spirits, Jiwe Urrkya — the ancestors, Alchi — evil spirits and Chergani — spiritual power of a witch or witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
) in a framework of sacred geography, sacred performances, and sacred specialists. Nature, Man and spirit interact of necessity. This was the basis of the famous concept of Nature-Man-Spirit Complex
Nature-Man-Spirit Complex
The nature–man–spirit complex is a famous concept in cultural anthropology. It was propounded by L. P. Vidyarthi in his book The Maler: Nature-Man-Spirit Complex in a Hill Tribe, published in 1963. Vidyathi developed the concept as practical exigency of arranging the data in a way that will depict...
proposed by Vidyarthi.
The another major concept that Vidyarthi brought into the Anthropological arena was that of a Sacred complex
Sacred complex
The concept of Sacred Complex was proposed by L. P. Vidyarthi under the influence of Robert Redfield. The aspects of great and little tradition as put up by Redfield were applied to an Indian context. The crux of the concept was to identify the mechanism of cultural complexions in an ancient...
. His work The Sacred Complex in Hindu Gaya is considered as one of the greatest contributions to the field of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. Gaya is a sacred city of Hindu pilgrimage. He described Gaya in terms of "a sacred geography", a set of "sacred performances" and a group of "sacred specialists". These three concepts are the ones comprising the "Sacred Complex", which is essentially a 'great tradition' in character. This great tradition is the one which reflects Hinduism and unites the diverse people of India.
Vidyarthi's study of Hindu Gaya demonstrated that the sacred complex establishes and maintains continuity and compromise between the traditions of the Hindu Civilisation.
He was the President of IUAES
IUAES
The IUAES is the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, the largest world forum of anthropologists and ethnologists, with members from more than fifty countries. Every five years, in different parts of the world, the IUAES sponsors a major Congress , gathering researchers...
(1973–1978) and presided over the World Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences held in December 1978 at New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. This event marked the zenith of Indian anthropology.
His books
- The Sacred Complex in Hindu Gaya, 1961
- The Maler: The Nature-Man-Spirit Complex in a Hill Tribe, 1963
- Aspects of Social Anthropology in India (with B. N. Sahay and P. K. Dutta), 1980
- Art and Culture of North East India, 1986
- The Kharia, then and now: a comparative study of Hill, Dhelki, and Dudh Kharia of the central-eastern region of India, 1980
- Leadership in India, 1967
- The sacred complex of Kashi: a microcosm of Indian civilization (with Makhan Jha and Baidyanath Saraswati), 1979
- Applied Anthropology and Development in India, 1980
- Aspects of Religion in Indian society (with Dhirendra Nath Majumdar)
- Harijan today: Sociological, Economic, Political, Religious, and Cultural Analysis (with Narayan Mishra), 1977
- Conflict, Tension, and Cultural Trend in India, 1969
- Patterns of culture in South Asia, 1979
- Development of researches in Anthropology in India (with V.S. Upadhyaya)
- The Bio-Cultural Profiles of Tribal Bihar (with Ajit K. Singh), 1986
- Changing Dietary Patterns and Habits: A Socio-Cultural Study of Bihar (with Ramakant Prasad and Vijay S. Upadhyay), 1979
- The Tribal Culture of India, 2000
- Rural Development in South Asia, 1982
- Students unrest in Chotanagpur (1969–70), 1976