Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty (in Bangla কল্যাণ কুমার চক্রবর্তী, Hindi कल्याण कुमार चक्रवर्ती) (born 2 September 1947) is an Indian historian, art historian, writer, action anthropologist, academician and administrator, known for his intercultural and cross-disciplinary research and activism. A retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of the 1970 batch (retired 2007), he was appointed Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi, India’s federal fine arts academy, in 2013.
He has written books covering archaeology, rock art, art history, tribal issues, musicology, public policy, and the philosophy of religion and art
Chakravarty lived in various towns of West Bengal during his childhood and in various cities and towns of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh during his professional life, including Bhopal and Raipur. He has also lived in New Delhi, India in the later years of his administrative career. He has also lived in Boston, MA. He currently lives in Kolkata.[citation needed]
Vice-chancellor, National Museum Institute, New Delhi, 2004 to 2006.[11]
Publications
Books
Gwalior Fort: Art, Culture & History by Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty, Arnold-Heinemann on behalf of the Director, Archaeology and Museums, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, 1984, 107p. ISBN0391032232[12][13]
Walking With Siva: Cognitive Roots of Indian Art, Archaeology and Religion[14]
Traditional Water Management Systems of India, co-ed. with G.L. Badam (National Museum of Man, Bhopal and Aryan Books International, Delhi, 2005 and 2006 respectively).[19][20]
Text and Variations of The Mahabharata: Contextual, Regional and Performative Traditions (Samiksika Series No. 2) ed. by Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty, National Mission for Manuscripts, IGNCA and Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2009.[21]
भारतीय परिवार: मनुष्य के अस्तित्व के लिए वैकल्पिक सोच (The Indian Family: An Alternative Strategy for Human Survival)[28]
Bounteous Tree: Treasure of Indian Art and Culture (2 Volumes)[29][30]
Indigeneity: Culture and Representation by K.K. Chakravarty, G.N. Devy & Geoffrey V. Davis (Orient Blackswan, 2009)[31][32]
Voice and Memory: Indigenous Imagination and Expression by K.K. Chakravarty, G.N. Devy, Geoffery V. Davis (Orient Blackswan, 2011)[33]
Narrating Nomadism: Tales of Recovery and Resistance ed. by G.N. Devy, Geoffery V. Davis & K.K. Chakravarty (Routledge, 2013)[34]
Knowing Differently: The Challenge of the Indigenous ed. by G.N. Devy, Geoffery V. Davis & K.K. Chakravarty (Routledge, 2014)[35]
The Language Loss of the Indigenous ed. by G.N. Devy, Geoffery V. Davis & K.K. Chakravarty (Routledge, 2016).[36]
Performing Identities: Celebrating Indigeneity in The Arts, ed. by G.N. Devy, Geoffery V. Davis & K.K. Chakravarty (Routledge, London, 2015).[37][38]
Tattvabodha: Essays from the Lecture Series of the National Mission for Manuscripts Volume II ed. by Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty, National Mission for Manuscripts, IGNCA and Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 2008.[39]
Honours/Awards
Ford Foundation and Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, Harvard University (1991–92)[40]
Kahn Fellowship of the Asian Cultural Council, at Harvard University (1986–87) [40]
Mason Fellowship at J.F.K. School of Government, Harvard University (1984–85)[40][41]
Robbins prize in Indian Art Studies, Harvard University (1987) [40]