Robert Antoine

Robert Antoine (1914 in Belgium – 1981) was a Belgian Jesuit priest, missionary in India. Professor of Comparative Literature at the Jadavpur University, he was a Sanskritist and musician. He was co-founder, with Pierre Fallon, of Shanti Bhavan, a dialogue centre at Calcutta.

Antoine entered the Society of Jesus in 1932, was sent to Calcutta in 1939, dedicated himself to the study of Sanskrit, and became the first Jesuit to obtain a Master's Degree from the University of Calcutta in Sanskrit philology. Besides this, he held a Licentiate in Philosophy, a Licentiate in Theology, a B.A. Classics.

Antoine arrived in India in 1939 and became an Indian citizen in 1950. His untimely death from liver cancer occurred in 1981. During the 42 years he spent in India, mainly in Calcutta, he contributed much to the Bengali culture, the diffusion of Sanskrit and the life of the Church in Bengal. In the words of Felix Raj, “he was an eminent priest, a scholar, an accomplished teacher, a gifted musician and singer and a dear friend.” From 1956, he was lecturer in the Department of Comparative Literature of the Jadavpur University. He also taught at St. Xavier's College, Calcutta. An admiring student described him as follows: “With his kurta, pyjamas, slippered feet and suntanned complexion… he was virtually the established guru of the Bengali Hindu youth of the Jadavpur University, and the much-esteemed guide, philosopher and friend of many orthodox and influential Bengali Hindu families.” He radiated among them from Shanti Bhavan. This he had founded with Pierre Fallon in 1951 as a centre of inter-faith, inter-cultural dialogue and their home amidst a population of middle-class intelligentsia. For many years, their periodical, Darśan Cakra, attracted keen professors of philosophy and other intellectuals. But Shanti Bhavan was above all a centre of friendly conversations, music, songs, bhajans and Eucharistic liturgy. From there Antoine produced his ten books (Sanskrit manual, Bengali hymn book, translations, Indological essays, ecumenical dialogue, etc.) and as many articles.

...
Wikipedia