Prafulla Chandra Roy

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P.C.Ray

Prafulla Chandra Ray (Bengali: প্রফু ল্ল চন্দ্র রায়) was a Bengali academician, a chemist and entrepreneur. He was

born on August 2, 1861 in the village Raruli-Katipara in Khulna District (now in Bangladesh) and died on June
16, 1944. He was the founder of Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, India's first pharmaceutical company.
He is the author of A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Sixteenth Century (1902).

Contents
 [hide]

1 Early life

2 Career

o 2.1 Entrepreneurship

o 2.2 Literary works

and interests

o 2.3 Social service

3 Recognition

4 Life

5 Legacy

6 See also

7 References

8 External links

[Edit]Early life

His father Harish Chandra Ray was a land proprietor. Up to age of nine, Prafulla Chandra studied in a school
in his village. Then his family migrated to Calcutta and there he studied in Hare School. While studying in Hare
School, he suffered from a severe attack of dysentery, which hampered his health throughout his life. Later, he
studied at Albert School, Calcutta.

In 1879 he passed the Entrance Examination of the Calcutta University and entered the Metropolitan Institution.
P. C. Ray developed his interest in science after reading the autobiography of Benjamin and his famous ‘kite
experiment’. At that time the Metropolitan Institution had no science classes or laboratories and Prafulla
Chandra attended lectures in physics and chemistryat the Presidency College, Calcutta. Here he was specially
attracted by the chemistry courses of professor Alexander Pedler. It was Pedler who first awakened his interest
in natural science. While taking the science course for the B.A. Degree, he was awarded in 1882 one of the two
Gilchrist Prize Scholarships after an all-India competitive examination. Without completing the course for his
degree, Prafulla Chandra proceeded to the United Kingdom for further study and entered the Edinburgh
University. In Chemistry, he was a pupil of Professor Alexander Crum Brown, F.R.S., noted for his
philosophical outlook and engaging personality. Alexander Smith and James Walker were his fellow students.
He obtained the B.Sc. degree in 1886, and the D.Sc. degree in 1887. He was awarded the Hope Prize. While
being a student of Edinburgh University, he was elected Vice-President of Edinburgh University Chemical
Society in 1888.[1]

[edit]Career

Prafulla Chandra returned to India in 1889 and joined Presidency College, Calcutta as Assistant Professor of
Chemistry. Though at that time, the Chemistry department of Presidency College did not boast of any well-
equipped world standard laboratory, but a lot of original chemical experimentation occurred there.

In 1896, he published a paper on preparation of a new stable chemical compound: Mercurous nitrite.[1] This

work made way for a large number of investigative papers on nitrites and hyponitrites of different metals, and
on nitrites of ammonia and organic amines. He started a new Indian School of Chemistry in 1924.

Prafulla Chandra retired from the Presidency College in 1916, and joined the Calcutta University College of
Science (now known as Rajabazar Science College) as its first Palit Professor of Chemistry, a chair named
after Tarak Nath Palit. Here also he got a dedicated team and he started working on compounds
of gold, platinum, iridium etc. with mercaptyl radicals and organic sulphides. A number of papers were
published on this work in the Journal of the Indian Chemical Society.

In 1936, at the age of 75, he retired from active service and became Professor Emeritus. Long before that, on
the completion of his 60th year in 1921, he made a free gift of his entire salary to the Calcutta University from
that date onward, to be spent for the furtherance of chemical research, and the development of the Department
of Chemistry in the University College of Science.

He had written 107 papers in all branches of Chemistry by 1920. [1]

[Edit]Entrepreneurship

He realized that advancement of Indian and its people can happen only by economic advancement through
development of new industries on scientific lines. He showed the way by investing his own money into
forming Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works in 1893. This company culminated into the pioneer of
chemical industry in India. In 1902, it became a limited company and grew up under his guidance.

[Edit]Literary works and interests

He contributed articles in Bengali to many monthly magazines, particularly on scientific topics. He published the
first volume of his autobiography Life and Experience of a Bengali Chemist in 1932, and dedicated it to the
youth of India. The second volume of this work was issued in 1935.

In 1902, he published the first volume of A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Sixteenth
Century. The second volume was published in 1908. The work was result of many years' search through
ancient Sanskrit manuscripts and through works of orientalists.

[edit]Social service
In 1923, Northern Bengal suffered a flood which made caused millions of people homeless and hungry. Prafulla
Chandra organized Bengal Relief Committee, which collected nearly 2.5 million rupees in cash and kind and
distributed it in the affected area in an organized manner.

He donated money regularly towards welfare of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Brahmo Girls' School and Indian
Chemical Society.[2] In 1922, he donated money to establish Nagarjuna Prize to be awarded for the best work in
chemistry.[2] In 1937, another award, named after Ashutosh Mukherjee, to be awarded for the best work in
zoology or botany, was established from his donation. [2]

[Edit]Recognition

He earned his Ph.D. at Calcutta University in 1908. He received an honorary D.Sc. degree from Durham
University in 1912, and another from Dacca University in 1936. He was made a Companion of the Order of the
Indian Empire in 1911. He was Honorary Fellow of the Chemical Society and Deutsche Akademie, Munich. He
was president of the 1920 session of the Indian Science Congress.

[Edit]Life

He remained a bachelor throughout his life who took active participation in politics.

His family, in particular, his father Harish Chandra Ray, was strongly associated with Brahmo Samaj.[3] Prafulla
Chandra developed direct connections with the Samaj as he grew up; he used to attend Sunday evening
sermons of Keshub Chandra Sen. and was deeply influenced by Sen's Sulabha Samachar.[3]

[edit]Legacy

Tagore, when presiding over his seventieth birthday celebration, said:

It is stated in the Upanishads that The One said, 'I shall be Many'. The beginning of Creation is a move towards
self-immolation. Prafulla Chandra has become many in his pupils and made his heart alive in the hearts of
many. And that would not have been at all possible had he not unreservedly made a gift of himself. The glory of
this power in Prafulla Chandra as teacher will never be worn out by decrepitude. It will extend further in time
through the ever-growing intelligence of youthful hearts ; by steady perseverance they will win new treasures of
knowledge.

This summarizes the effect and influence that Prafulla Chandra had on his followers and countrymen.

Acharya Prafulla Chandra College and Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Polytechnic, both in Kolkata, are named
after him. In Bangladesh, Bagerhat P.C College is a great educational institute. It is located in Bagerhat Shadar
in Horinkhana. There are H.S.C , Undergratute in Hons. and post graduate programs. P.C Roy (Profulla
Chandra) was the Founder of this college. There are one administrative Building, one commerce Building, one
Science Building, one Hons. building, a two storied laboratory buildin, a two storied Library, a post office, play
ground, mosque, three boy's hostel, one girls hostel and also transportation facilities.