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PrafullaChandraRayWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

AcharyaSirPrafullaChandraRayCIE(Bengali:
2August186116June1944)[1]was
aBengalichemist,educatorandentrepreneur.[2]
TheRoyalSocietyofChemistryhonouredhislifeandworkwiththefirsteverChemicalLandmarkPlaqueoutside
Europe.HewasthefounderofBengalChemicals&Pharmaceuticals,India'sfirstpharmaceuticalcompany.Heis
theauthorofAHistoryofHinduChemistryfromtheEarliestTimestotheMiddleofSixteenthCentury(1902).
Contents[hide]
1 Earlylife
2 Career
2.1 Literaryworksandinterests
2.2 Socialservice
3 Recognition
4 Personallife
5 Legacy
6 Seealso
7 References
8 Externallinks

Earlylife

[ edit ]

RaywasborninRaruliKatipara,avillageintheKhulnaDistrictofpresentdayBangladesh.HisfatherHarish
ChandraRaywasalandproprietor.Uptotheageofnine,PrafullaChandrastudiedinaschoolinhisvillage.In
1870hisfamilymigratedtoCalcuttaandRayandhiselderbrotherwereadmittedtoHareSchool.in1874,while
Raywasinthefourthstandard,hesufferedfromasevereattackofdysentery,whichhamperedhishealth
throughouthislife.Duetotheseverityoftheattack,Rayhadtopostponehisstudiesforcoupleofyearsand
returntohisancestralhomeinthevillage.HoweverRayhimselfconsideredthisdisruptioninhisstudiesasa
blessingindisguiseasitallowedhimtoreadmuchmorewidelythanwhatwouldhavebeenpossiblewithinthe
constraintsofschoolcurricula.Amongstothers,hereadLethbridge's'SelectionsfromModernEnglishLiterature'
andGoldsmith'sVicarofWakefield.AfterrecoveringfromhisillnessRayreturnedtoCalcuttaandtookadmission
inAlbertSchool.
In1879hepassedtheEntranceExaminationandtookadmissionintotheMetropolitanInstitution(laterVidyasagar
College)whichwasestablishedbyPanditIshwarChandraVidyasagar.AtthattimetheMetropolitanInstitutionhad
noscienceclassesorlaboratoriesandRayattendedlecturesonphysicsandchemistryinthePresidency
Collegeasanexternalstudent.HerehewasspeciallyattractedbythechemistrycoursesofprofessorAlexander
Pedler.WhilestudyingforhisBAexamination,heappliedforandwasawardedin1882oneofthetwoGilchrist
PrizeScholarshipsafteranallIndiacompetitiveexamination.Withoutcompletingthecourseforhisdegree,
PrafullaChandraproceededtoBritainandenrolledintheBScprogrammeofEdinburghUniversitywherehe
studiedphysics,chemistryandbiologyamongstothersubjects.ButRaydidnotconfinehisstudiestoonlynatural
sciences.HealsodevelopedastronginterestinhistoryandreadbookslikeRousselet'sL'Indedes
Rajas,Lanoye'sL'Indecontemporaine,Revuedexdeuxmoneds.HealsoreadFawcett'sbookonpolitical
economyandEssaysonIndianFinance.[3]AfterobtaininghisBScdegreefromEdinburghUniversity,Ray
embarkedonhisdoctoralthesis(DSc)inthesameuniversityandcompletedhisdoctoratein1887.Hewas
awardedtheHopePrizewhichallowedhimtoworkonhisresearchforafurtherperiodofoneyearafter
completionofhisdoctorate.Histhesistitlewas"ConjugatedSulphatesoftheCoppermagnesiumGroup:AStudy
ofIsomorphousMixturesandMolecularCombinations".WhileastudenthewaselectedVicePresidentof
EdinburghUniversityChemicalSocietyin1888.[4]
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Career

PrafullaChandraRayWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

[ edit ]

PrafullaChandrareturnedtoIndiainthefirstweekofAugust1888and
subsequentlyjoinedPresidencyCollege,CalcuttaastemporaryAssistant
ProfessorofChemistryin1889.Raywhohadadoctorateinsciencefrom
EdinburghUniversityfeltdeeplyaggrievedwhenevenwithhisexcellent
educationalcredentialshewasnotabletosecureapositionwithinthe
Imperialservice(hisacademicpositionwaswithinthe'provincialservice')
andattributedthistothediscriminatoryattitudeoftherulinggovernment
towardsnativeintelligentsia.Hecomplainedtothetopofficialsofthe
governmentbutwithnoeffect.
In1896,hepublishedapaperonpreparationofanewstablechemical
compound:mercurousnitrite.[4]Thisworkmadewayforalargenumberof
investigativepapersonnitritesandhyponitritesofdifferentmetals,andon
nitritesofammoniaandorganicamines.HestartedanewIndianSchoolof
Chemistryin1924.
PrafullaChandraretiredfromthePresidencyCollegein1916,andjoined
theCalcuttaUniversityCollegeofScience(alsoknownasRajabazar

BustofPrafullaChandraRaywhich
isplacedinthegardenofBirla
Industrial&TechnologicalMuseum.

ScienceCollege)asitsfirst"PalitProfessorofChemistry",achairnamed
afterTaraknathPalit.Herealsohegotadedicatedteamandhestartedworkingoncompoundsof
gold,platinum,iridiumetc.withmercaptylradicalsandorganicsulphides.Anumberofpaperswerepublishedon
thisworkintheJournaloftheIndianChemicalSociety.
In1936,attheageof75,heretiredfromactiveserviceandbecameProfessorEmeritus.Longbeforethat,onthe
completionofhis60thyearin1921,hemadeafreegiftofhisentiresalarytotheCalcuttaUniversityfromthat
dateonward,tobespentforthefurtheranceofchemicalresearch,andthedevelopmentoftheDepartmentof
ChemistryintheUniversityCollegeofScience.
Hehadwritten107papersinallbranchesofChemistryby1920.[4]

Literaryworksandinterests

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HecontributedarticlesinBengalitomanymonthlymagazines,particularlyonscientifictopics.Hepublishedthe
firstvolumeofhisautobiographyLifeandExperienceofaBengaliChemistin1932,anddedicatedittotheyouth
ofIndia.Thesecondvolumeofthisworkwasissuedin1935.
In1902,hepublishedthefirstvolumeofAHistoryofHinduChemistryfromtheEarliestTimestotheMiddleof
SixteenthCentury.[5]Thesecondvolumewaspublishedin1909.[6]Theworkwasresultofmanyyears'search
throughancientSanskritmanuscriptsandthroughworksoforientalists.

Socialservice

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In1923,NorthernBengalsufferedafloodwhichmademillionsofpeoplehomelessandhungry.PrafullaChandra
organisedBengalReliefCommittee,whichcollectednearly2.5millionrupeesincashandkindanddistributeditin
theaffectedareainanorganisedmanner.
HedonatedmoneyregularlytowardswelfareofSadharanBrahmoSamaj,BrahmoGirls'SchoolandIndian
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ChemicalSociety.[7]In1922,hedonatedmoneytoestablishNagarjunaPrizetobeawardedforthebestworkin
chemistry.[7]In1937,anotheraward,namedafterAshutoshMukherjee,tobeawardedforthebestworkin
zoologyorbotany,wasestablishedfromhisdonation.[7]

Recognition

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HeearnedhisD.ScatEdinburghUniversityin1887.In1908theUniversityofCalcuttaawardedhimanhonorary
DoctorofPhilosophydegree.[8]HereceivedanhonoraryD.Sc.degreefromDurhamUniversityin1912,and
anotherfromDaccaUniversity(nowDhakaUniversity)in1936.HewasmadeaCompanionoftheOrderofthe
IndianEmpirein1911.HewasanhonoraryfellowoftheChemicalSocietyandDeutscheAkademie,Munich.He
wasawardedaknighthoodin1917.[9]Hewaspresidentofthe1920sessionoftheIndianScienceCongress.
TheRoyalSocietyofChemistry(RSC)honouredhislifeandworkwiththefirsteverChemicalLandmarkPlaque
outsideEurope.

Personallife

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Heremainedabachelorthroughouthislifewhotookactiveparticipationinpolitics.Hisfamily,inparticular,his
fatherHarishChandraRay,wasstronglyassociatedwithBrahmoSamaj.[7]PrafullaChandradevelopeddirect
connectionswiththeSamajashegrewupheusedtoattendSundayeveningsermonsofKeshubChandra
SenandwasdeeplyinfluencedbySen'sSulabhaSamachar.[7]LaterhewascloselyassociatedwithSadharan
BrahmoSamajandoccupiedvariousadministrativepostsduringhislifetimeandfinallyelectedasthePresident
andTrusteeofSadharanBrahmoSamaj.Hewaselectedsolelyonthebasisofhispotential,andnotbecauseof
hisfather'sinfluenceintheBramhoSamaj.

Legacy

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Tagore,whenpresidingoverhisseventiethbirthdaycelebration,said:
ItisstatedintheUpanishadsthatTheOnesaid,'Ishall
beMany'.ThebeginningofCreationisamovetowards
selfimmolation.PrafullaChandrahasbecomemanyin
hispupilsandmadehisheartaliveintheheartsofmany.
Andthatwouldnothavebeenatallpossiblehadhenot
unreservedlymadeagiftofhimself.Thegloryofthis
powerinPrafullaChandraasteacherwillneverbeworn
outbydecrepitude.Itwillextendfurtherintimethrough
theevergrowingintelligenceofyouthfulheartsby

AnexhibitiononPrafullaChandraRay,
washeldattheScienceCity,Kolkataonhis
150thbirthanniversary(2August2011).

steadyperseverancetheywillwinnewtreasuresof
knowledge.
ThissummarisestheeffectandinfluencethatPrafullaChandrahadonhisfollowersandcountrymen.
AcharyaPrafullaChandraCollege,PrafullaChandraCollege,AcharyaPrafullaChandraHighSchoolForBoys,
andAcharyaPrafullaChandraRayPolytechnicinKolkatacommemoratehisname,asdoestheGovernmentP.C.
CollegeinBagerhat,Khulnadivision,Bangladesh.
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Seealso

PrafullaChandraRayWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

[ edit ]

GovernmentP.C.College,Bagerhat
AcharyaPrafullaChandraCollege
PrafullaChandraCollege
GilchristEducationalTrust

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