Vijoy S Sahay
Encyclopedia
Vijoy S Sahay is Professor and Head of the Department 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...

, University of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...

, Allahabad- 211 002, in 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...

. His early training in anthropology has been in Ranchi University
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, under the leadership of Late Professor L. P. Vidyarthi
L. P. Vidyarthi
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.- Childhood and beginnings :...

. After having secured First position in First Class in both, B.A. (Honors) and M. A. in Anthropology, Professor Sahay was awarded doctoral degree in Anthropology from Ranchi University, Ranchi in 1979 for his fascinating research work in the Nicobar
Nicobar Islands
The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean...

 Archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...

. His topic of research was The Nicobarese: A Study in 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...

. During the course of field work for his doctoral degree in 1974, he stayed for over three and a half months in one of the most inaccessible and inhospitable islands of the Nicobar group, the Island of Chowra that was then dreaded as the 'land of wizards
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...

'; and every Chowrian was then supposed to possess spiritual and supernatural powers. The Chowrians were great navigators. They organized long ceremonial voyages on their primitive type of canoes to maintain their traditional system of inter-island trade relationship, which in some ways resembled the 'kula' of the Trobriand Islands
Trobriand Islands
The Trobriand Islands are a 450 km² archipelago of coral atolls off the eastern coast of New Guinea. They are situated in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea. Most of the population of 12,000 indigenous inhabitants live on the main island of Kiriwina, which is also the location of the...

, as described by Malinowski (1922) in his book Argonauts of the Western Pacific
Argonauts of the Western Pacific
Argonauts of the Western Pacific is a 1922 ethnological work by Bronisław Malinowski. The book is about the Trobriand people who live on a small island chain called the Kiriwina Islands northeast of Papua New Guinea...

. The Car Nicobarese believed that a Chowrian could change the direction of the wind and the wave. Sahay's article entitled "Experiencing Anthropology in the Nicobar Archipelago", published in the Eastern Anthropologist, presents an exquisite account of his sojourn in Chowra. Simron Jit Singh in his book In the Sea of Influence: A World System Perspective of the Nicobar Islands, besides quoting him extensively writes (2003:144), "The first lucid, field-based account comes from the Indian anthropologist Vijoy S Sahay (1976, 1979), apparently the last witness to the system of inter-island trade as it existed then."

Early Life and Academic Career

Born on the Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in various forms, across India, Nepal and Bangladesh...

 Day of Dussehera on October 12 in a remote and sleepy village of Bishnugarh in the District of Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is famous as a health resort and for Hazaribagh National Park ....

 in the State of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

 in India, Sahay spent his early childhood in the District of Ranchi, presently the Capital city of Jharkhand. His school education was very chequered, because of his father’s transfer from one sub-divisional town of the district to another. Finally, Sahay matriculated from Gossener’s High School Ranchi, graduated from Ranchi College, and subsequently obtained Master’s and PhD degrees from the Ranchi University. He first joined the Department of Anthropology, Ranchi University, Ranchi, in 1973 as a Junior Research Fellow of the UGC
UGC
UGC is the second largest cinema operator in Europe with, as of August 2005, 49 sites and 553 screens across four countries:* France: 37 cinemas, 357 screens* Spain: 5 cinemas, 88 screens* Belgium: 3 cinemas, 43 screens* Italy: 4 cinemas, 66 screens...

. After obtaining his doctoral degree, he remained associated with the department till 1981 as a Research Associate
Research associate
The title of research associate is used to denote an academic research position at a university or similar institution. A research associate usually conducts research under the supervision of a principal investigator. In contrast to a research assistant or research officer, a research associate...

. Thereafter, he joined the Giridih College, Giridih, as Lecturer and Head of the Department of Anthropology. He was transferred in 1983 to K.O. College, Gumla, again as Head of the Department. He received merit promotion as a Reader in Anthropology in 1989. Finally, he joined the Department of Anthropology, Allahabad University
Allahabad University
Allahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...

, Allahabad, as a Reader in 1993. Dr. Sahay was promoted as a Professor in 2003. Author of six books and twenty-seven articles so far, Dr. Sahay is a widely traveled anthropologist in India and abroad. Besides participating in a number of national and international seminars and conferences, he was invited as a Visiting Fellow by the University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

, South Africa, in 2004. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the IBSS
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences
The International Bibliography of the Social Sciences is a bibliography for social science and interdisciplinary research. The database focuses on the social science disciplines of anthropology, economics, politics and sociology, and related interdisciplinary subjects, such as development...

 listed international research journal, The Oriental Anthropologist, published by MD Publications, 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...

. Professor Sahay is the Life President (Honorary) of the Oriental Institute of Cultural and Social Research, Allahabad. He has also been the member of several Research and Expert Committees constituted by the Ministry of Forest and Environment and Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, a branch of Government of India, looks after the affairs of the tribal communities in India. As of May 2008, the ministry is headed by Kantilal Bhuria, a Union Cabinet Minister...

, Govt. of India for the protection of environment and the Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

External links

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