Dušan Zbavitel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dušan Zbavitel
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| Born | 7 May 1925 |
| Died | 7 August 2012 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Alma mater | Charles University |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2006) Tagore Memorial Award (1987) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Indology |
| Institutions | Oriental Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences |
| Doctoral students | Hana Preinhaelterová |
Dušan Zbavitel (born May 7, 1925, died August 7, 2012) was a smart Czech scholar. He was an Indologist, which means he studied the history, languages, and cultures of India. He was especially famous for his deep knowledge of Bengali literature.
Contents
A Life of Learning
Dušan Zbavitel began his studies in 1945 at Charles University in Prague. He learned about India, especially its languages and cultures, from his teacher Professor Vincenc Lesný. He finished his main studies in 1948.
Later, in 1954, he earned a special degree for his work on Bengali literature. He then started working as a researcher at the Oriental Institute in Prague. This institute was part of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
In 1971, he had to stop working there for a while because of political changes in his country. After that, he worked as a translator on his own. In 1978, he started teaching Sanskrit and Bengali at the School of Languages in Prague. He kept writing and translating until the very end of his life. He translated books from Sanskrit, Pali, Bengali, English, and German.
His Amazing Books and Studies
Zbavitel was an expert in Bengali literature, and people all over the world admired his work. One of his most famous studies was about old folk songs from East Bengal. It was called Bengali Folk Ballads from Mymensingh and the Question of their Authenticity.
He also wrote a complete history of Bengali literature. This important book was published in 1976 as part of a big series called History of Indian Literature. Besides these books, Zbavitel wrote more than 100 articles for magazines. Many of these articles were about the famous writer Rabindranath Tagore. He also wrote about the start of modern Bengali plays and a special type of medieval Bengali folk literature called baromasi.
Zbavitel was so important in his field that he helped create a big dictionary of Asian literature. He even became the main editor for the part about South Asian literature, which came out in London in 1974.
He is known as the best Indologist from the Czech Republic. Even though there were political challenges in his country, he wrote many books. He wrote or helped write many specialized and popular books. He also started and edited many group projects that are still considered the best work in Czech Indology. Zbavitel left a lasting mark on Czech culture with his smart translations from Indian languages. He translated dozens of books and countless articles.
Teaching and Inspiring Others
Zbavitel taught many students who later became Indologists themselves. While he was a researcher at the Oriental Institute, he also taught Bengali at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University from 1950 to 1968.
He was not allowed to teach there after 1968 because of political reasons. But after the Communist government fell in 1989, he was able to return. In 1990, he rejoined the university. He taught about the history of Sanskrit and Bengali literature. He also taught about ancient Indian poetry and Hinduism. He led classes where students read advanced Sanskrit and Bengali texts. He even wrote textbooks and other learning materials.
Awards and Special Honors
Dušan Zbavitel received many awards in his home country and in India. These awards were for his research and his translations.
In 1977, he received the Tagore Memorial Award from the government of West Bengal in India. This was for his book History of Bengali Literature. He also got the title Lokaratna in 1981 for his work on folklore. In 1987, he received the Rabindratattvacharya award for his studies on Rabindranath Tagore.
In 2006, he received India's third highest award for civilians, called the Padma Bhushan. This award was for all his amazing achievements throughout his life. In the Czech Republic, he received the State Award for Translated Work in 2004.
To celebrate his 75th birthday, scholars from around the world who studied Bengal published a special edition of a journal called Archiv Orientální.
