Professor Amitava Das is currently serving as the Director-in-Charge, Institute of Language Studies and Research (ILSR), Kolkata, Government of West Bengal, with effect from 22 May 2026. He is a distinguished scholar of the Bengali language, literature, and linguistic thought, with nearly three decades of academic service and significant contributions to the study of classical linguistic heritage, narratology, and cultural analysis. He also serves as Professor at the School of Linguistic Studies, ILSR, and the Department of Bengali, University of Burdwan.
Professor Das played a pivotal role in leading the Government of West Bengal's multi-volume claim paper, which was instrumental in securing the recognition of Bangla as one of India's eleven Classical Languages in 2024. His research spans major projects on linguistic shift among marginalized tribal communities, the textual archives of Suniti Kumar Chatterji, and Bengali narrative theory.
He has authored and edited several books, supervised extensive doctoral research, and delivered invited lectures at several national and international institutions, including Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Sahitya Akademi, CIIL, National Book Trust, and major Indian universities. His academic achievements are complemented by extensive experience in research administration, curriculum development, cultural institutions, and public outreach.