Nisith Ranjan Ray (born 1910–1994)^[1] was an Indian historian, social activist and the founder of the Society for Preservation, Calcutta, an organisation working for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Kolkata.^[2]

Born in Mymensingh District of the present-day Bangladesh in 1910, Ray taught History at Calcutta University before joining the Victoria Memorial Hall in 1971 as its secretary and curator.^[2][3] He was one of the founder members of the Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi, the apex body for Bengali language in West Bengal and the director of the Institute of Historical Studies, Kolkata.^[2] He was the author of several books on history,^[4] including Bengal: Yesterday and Today,^[5] Calcutta: the Profile of a City,^[6] India and Her People: Bengal,^[7] A History of India^[8] and Concise history of the Indian National Congress, 1885-1947^[9]

The Government of India awarded him its fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, in 1992.^[10] A year of celebrations for the centenary of his birth was opened in November 2009 by the historians P. T. Nair and Amalendu De.^[3]

Selected bibliography

• Ray Nisith; Roy Ranjit (1998). Bengal: Yesterday and Today. Papyrus Publishing House. p. 132. ISBN 978-8171750092.
• Nisith Ranjan Ray (1986). Calcutta: the Profile of a City. K. P. Bagchi & Co. ASIN B016TVSWQM.
• Nisith R. Ray (1979). India and Her People: Bengal. Sangam Books. p. 118. ISBN 978-0861311101.
• Narendra Krishna Sinha; Nisith Ranjan Ray (1973). A history of India. Orient Longman. p. 613.
• Nisith Ranjan Ray; Ravindrer Kumar; Manmath Nath Das (1985). Concise history of the Indian National Congress, 1885-1947. Vikas Publishing House. p. 322. ISBN 9780706930207.