SWATANTRATA KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV

VIJNANA BHARATI VIGYAN PRASAR

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ACHARYA PRAFULLA CHANDRA RAY

Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray was a great researcher, teacher, industrialist and a patriot. Discovered the compound Mercurous Nitrite. Established India’s first pharmaceutical industry with in-house research lab, Bengal Chemicals, established Indian Chemical Society, started The Journal of Indian Chemical Society.

During the independence struggle, eager crowds used to wait for him to speak. In 1924, during the peak of the Non-cooperation Movement, he delivered the famous inspiring quote, “Science can afford to wait but Swaraj cannot…”

Prafulla Chandra Ray was a visionary ahead of his times, who understood the importance of amalgamation of ancient and modern science. His book, A History

of Hindu Chemistry is a critically acclaimed treatise on Rasashastra and Ayurveda. The book strongly attracted the attention of western scientist towards Indian alchemy and led to the globalization of the fundamentals of Rasashastra.

FOUNDER OF THE INDIAN SCHOOL OF MODERN CHEMISTRY

Born: 2 August 1861, Jessore District (now in the Khulna District, Khulna Division, Bangladesh)

Died: 16 June 1944, Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (now India)

Alma mater: University of Calcutta (B.A.), University of Edinburgh (B.Sc., D.Sc.)

Awards: 1902: Fellow of the Chemical Society (FCS)

1912: Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE)

1919: Knight Bachelor

1935: Foundation Fellow of the National Institute of Sciences of India (FNI)

1943: Fellow of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (FIAS)

Notable students Satyendranath Bose

Meghnad Saha

Jnanendra Nath Mukherjee

Jnan Chandra Ghosh