Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha (1909-1969), an outstanding educationalist, artists, humanist who was an institution by himself is a cultural icon of Assam. His poetry, his songs, articles he composed and wrote have themes like tribute to mother nature, voice for the weaker sections of the society, workers revolt at the tea industry, revolutionary ideas, India’s freedom struggle etc. As an advocate of people's cultural movement, he drew heavily from different genres of classical and folk cultural traditions. Bishnu Rabha's masterpiece "Bano Kobang" is one of the first ethnographic account of different communities of Assam. The other important works of Kalaguru are “Mising Coneng”, “Sonpahi”, “Axomiya Kristir Samuh Abhash”, “Atit Axom” etc. These works of Kalaguru contributed immensely in the growth and development of Assamese language. Many of Kalaguru's plays are staged in theatres locally, nationally, and even internationally.

His body of songs is called Bishnu Rabha Sangeet today. These songs were developed as a genre by him. His main motto of acting was to educate the masses. Bishnu Rabha was awarded the title "Kalaguru" by Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan at Varanasi for his mesmerizing "Tandava" dance of Lord Shiva. The Kalaguru was a painter par excellence. He painted the most sublime portraits of Srimanta Shankardeva, which are considered iconic till this day. An excellent orator, his eloquent speeches and lectures touched upon the hearts of the masses.

Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha Professor Chair

This Chair is to commemorate and recognize the distinction of Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha, an outstanding educationalist, artist, humanist who was an institution by himself. The Chair will be hosted at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Chair is expected to demonstrate excellence in research, teaching, and professional contributions in language, philosophy, art history, politics, etc., and bring external recognition to the Institute.

Chair Professor

The Chair Professorship at IIT Guwahati is given to distinguished faculty members for their contributions to academics, research and development as well as for contribution to the society. Such faculty members shall play a significant role in R&D activities on society-relevant problems and facilitate deeper interaction between the industry, society and the Institute.

Objectives/Purpose of the Chair

The purpose of the Chair is to promote collaboration with academic and research institutions in India and abroad to undertake research and innovation in all fields of HSS, preferably focused on the North Eastern Region.

The faculty appointed as Professor Chair will receive per annum emolument apart from infrastructural assistance.

The target amount to establish the endowed chair is 1,00,00,000/- (Rupees One Crore). IIT Guwahati shall invest the funds provided in accordance with its rules/regulations. The interest from this corpus shall be utilized every year to meet the salary and other expenses related to the Chair.