Surendra Kumar DattaMBE (1878–1942), also spelt asSurendra Kumar Dutta orS. K. Dutta, was the president of theAll India Conference of Indian Christians and thus theIndianChristian delegate to theSecond Round Table Conference inLondon, as well as a prominentYMCA leader, and a member ofCentral Legislative Assembly – also calledImperial Legislative Assembly beforeIndian independence – a lower house of abicameralparliament synonymous to the currentLok Sabha afterIndian independence.[1][2][3]
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He was born inLahore,colonial India, in1878, and got educated inLahore. He didMedicine fromUniversity of Edinburgh,Edinburgh. He married Rena Carswell, a ScottishIrish woman and secretary in theWorld Student Christian Federation(WSCF) inGeneva. He served as the lecturer teachinghistory andbiology between 1909 and 1914 inForman Christian College, Lahore. He served as principal between1932 and 1942, and later became the president of the same college.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
He succeededK. T. Paul as general secretary ofYoung Men's Christian Association(YMCA) and eventually became president of the Indian YMCA. He worked as national secretary of the YMCAs ofIndia,Burma, andCeylon(presentSri Lanka) from 1919 to1927. He along withK.T. Paul andV.S. Azariah were the prominent YMCA leaders, though,YMCA didn't directly involve in politics as it was run by the financial support of foreign donors beside an evangelistic agency, formed under the initiatives ofmissionaries; however, under the leadership of K.T. Paul and S.K. Datta, they made the YMCA known and respected not only in India but also inEurope andNorth America. He served as president of the All India Conference of Indian Christians in1925, 1933, and 1934. After a lengthy service with YMCA, S.K. Datta was also associated with WSCF along with his wife Rena Datta.[1][2][3][7][8][9] In June 1918, he was appointed a member of theOrder of the British Empire (MBE) for services in the YMCA during the First World War.[10]
He served as a nominated[appointed] member of Central Legislative Assembly to represent Indian Christian community, before Indian independence and Indian partition, from 1924 to 1926, and gave an address at theInternational Missionary Council meeting held atLake Mohonk in 1921 andJerusalem in 1928. As an Indian Christian delegate, he attendedSecond Round Table Conference held in London between September and December 1931—K.T. Paul and S.K. Dutta, though not followers ofGandhi and represented Indian christian community, they indeed made efforts to bring reconciliation among the opposing leaders who took part in the conference, includingGandhi,Sarojini Naidu,Madan Mohan Malaviya,Muhammad Iqbal,Ghanshyam Das Birla,Mirza Ismail, and more.[1][2][3][9][11][12]
As an editor of YMCA's periodicalThe Young Men of India, he edited many articles likeIndia and racial relationships and promoted national consciousness among the Indian Christians during the national movement. By 1930, prominentIndian christian(Protestant) leaders like V.S. Azaraih, K.T. Paul, V. Chakkarai(V. Chakka Rai), and S.K. Dutta have come to conclusions that Indian christians would best integrate themselves into national life if they didn't cast themselves as a separatepolitical entity. They also realized that a separateChristian electorate would further alienate them fromnational culture and amount to a form ofcompulsory segregation. In1930, All Indian Christian Council proclaimed that "the place of a minority in a nation is its value to the whole nation and not merely to itself." [sic] In Second Round Table conference, both K.T. Paul and S.K. Datta representing Protestants took a determined stand against turning Indian Christians into a Communal political entity byBritain—imposing on them Communal representation, Communal electorate, and other Communal safeguards.[9][13][14]
A biography of S.K. Datta with nameS.K. Datta and his people was published by Margarita Barns.[3]
S.K. Datta served as the president of theAll India Conference of Indian Christians, which stood for the interests of the Christian community ofcolonial India.[15] He represented Indian Christians in theSecond Round Table Conference, agreeing withMahatma Gandhi in his views on minorities and Depressed Classes.[15] Surendra Kumar Datta served as the principal of Forman Christian College in Lahore from 1932 to 1942. During his tenure, he emphasized the integration of liberal arts education with Christian values, aiming to elevate the college's standing as a premier institution in colonial India. His leadership contributed to the development of graduates who significantly impacted Indian society.[16] On November 2, 1932, Dr. Datta was inducted as the first Indian principal of Forman Christian College by the President of the Board of Directors. This appointment marked a significant shift toward greater Indian leadership in institutions that were previously dominated by foreign missionaries.[17]
He was a devout Christian and critic ofHinduism, who believed that theIndian religions do indeed search for the truth, yet argued that they didn't provide moral andspiritual support for reform and renewal. He denounced Hinduism philosophy and its doctrines, especiallyKarma andTransmigration in weakening the demand for moral responsibility and social reform; according to him, only the basic teachings ofChristianity could give hope to the people of India—the righteousness of God, the moral order of the created universe, the redeeming love of God manifest inJesus Christ. He further emphasized a two-fold contribution of Christianity to India through the work of educational institutions, and through the visible Indian church, which he believed to be influential far beyond its minority status.[1]
He was cynical about Indian church for lack of spiritual depth, absence of a distinctive Indian Christian theology, and dependence on foreign leadership and money. He was even critical about the caste system operating within the Indian churches.[1][5][18]
Surendra Kumar Datta was born in 1878. He was lecturer in history and biology 1909-1914, and Principal 1932-1942 at [Forman Christian College].
Surendra Kumar Datta (1878-1942), lecturer in history and biology 1909-14, and Principal 1932-42, Forman Christian College;
The tall ponderous and stately figure of Principal S.K. Datta and his equally well-build Irish wife, were almost omnipresent on the college premises
The brilliant achievements of this body are associated especially with the names of Mr. K. T. Paul and Dr. S. K. Datta, men who have made the Y.M.C.A. known and respected not only in India but also in Europe and North America.
The editor of the Young Men of India since 1919 has been Dr. S. K. Datta, author of The Desire of India
Datta, S. K. 1924, 'India and racial relationships', Young Men of India, vol. 35, no. 8, August.
K.T.Paul and S.K.Datta of the Indian YMCA who represented Protestants at the Round Table Conference in London, took a determined stand against turning Indian Christians into a communal political entity by Britain imposing on them communal representation, communal electorate and other communal safeguards.
In his presidential address to the All India Conference of Indian Christians (AICIC) in 1932 S. K. Datta pointed out that whereas two Christians, of whom he was one, had been invited to the second Round Table Conference, the Christians were the only community to be excluded from the third Round Table Conference.
Main Author:Datta, Surendra Kumar.
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