About R.C. Das

R.C. Das (1887-1976) was a Bengali from near Dhaka (then Dacca) who tells his own story of becoming a disciple of Jesus in the items posted here. He became a leading figure in the 20th century Indian Christian movement, helping to found The Christian Society for the Study of Hinduism while working with the Benares United City Mission. Varanasi was his home from 1930 until his death.

Two major collections of Das’ writings have been produced by H.L. Richard; R.C. Das: Evangelical Prophet for Contextual Christianity (Delhi: ISPCK for CISRS, 1995 and 1998) and On the Pilgrim’s Way: Essays and Addressed on the Gospel of Christ in Hindu Contexts (Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2025).

Under Autobiographical is a paper Das wrote about his becoming a disciple of Jesus; alternative forms of this paper appear in the two books just mentioned. An obscure booklet about his work among Hindus, God’s Redemptive Acts & Creative Dealings Through One Who Found Life introduces the places Das lived and some of the Hindus he pointed to Jesus in those places. Finally, Das’ massive unpublished autobiography is here. It is a clear chronological account of his life up to 1930 when he moved to Varanasi, then is a collection of incidents about the people he met in places he visited over the remaining decades of his life. An index of names for this text is under preparation.

Four shorter writings of Das are also posted. His best know work, How to Present Christ to a Hindu, is here. Three shorter and much more obscure papers, less significant for understanding Das than the items in the two published books, are also here as they are largely unknown.