Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray: An epitome of scientific attitude and human values Soumitro Banerjee ∗ The year 2010-2011 marks the 150th birth anniversary of the pioneer of Indian science, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray. Through this essay, we pay homage to the legendary scientist and humanist. NDIA CAN perhaps boast of having the sues in their own life or in the life of the Ilargest number of trained scientists people. They may have earned name and among the developing countries. However, fame for their research, but they harbour it is also a reality that the majority of our unscientific and even superstitious beliefs students look upon science just as a ca- in their personal life; they practice science reer option. And it is also quite com- in their laboratories, but do not follow the mon that many scientists in our universi- scientific, logical method in tackling the di- ties and national laboratories—who may ex- verse problems that regularly confront the cel in expertise and knowledge in their re- individual and the society. The other com- search domains—betray an unscientific at- monly observed trait is that they are quite titude and lack of rationality about other is- aloof about the contemporary social issues; they do not think that they have any role ∗Dr. Banerjee is the General Secretary of the Break- through Science Society and a member of the Editorial to play in addressing the burning prob- Board of this journal. He is a member of the faculty of lems before the society; and they are careful the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, not to develop any link with socio-political Kolkata. 12 Breakthrough, Vol.15, No.1, May 2011 Cover Article movements. Historical background It is in this general context that remem- In the history of India, Renaissance ush- bering P. C. Ray (August 2, 1861–June 16, ered in from around mid-nineteenth cen- 1944) and learning from his life has be- tury with its mission against the age- come more relevant than ever. Acharya Pra- old feudal values, religious bigotry, blind fulla Chandra Ray’s life was the very an- faith, superstitions and a society torn tithesis of the attitudes we have just men- with casteism to establish rational scien- tioned. He was totally devoted to science tific thinking and humanist values. Raja and teaching of science, and did scientific Ram Mohan Ray lit the initial spark. It research of international standard. But at was carried forward and developed fur- the same time he envisioned making India ther through the untiring struggles of Iswar industrially self-sufficient using the knowl- Chandra Vidyasagar, who fought to intro- edge of science; he took initiative to build duce a scientific education system in the up industries such as the Bengal Chemi- country with emphasis on science, math- cal and Pharmaceutical Works; he led re- ematics, and logic. Following him, peo- lief work among people affected by natural ple like Rajendra Lal Mitra and Akshay Ku- calamities like floods and famines; he wrote mar Datta worked to spread scientific bent books for children; he was the President of of mind among the people. The Indian the Bengali Literary Society for many years; Association for the Cultivation of Science he was active in social reform movement, was founded by Dr. Mahendralal Sarkar and was a great critique of the caste sys- in 1876 for conducting scientific research. tem in the Hindu society; he took to so- This institution later presented the coun- cial service with a missionary zeal; and he try with many luminaries in science includ- did not keep himself aloof from the political ing the 1930 Nobel Laureate C. V. Raman. struggle of that time, and had close links Thus, just when the seed of a scientific with leaders like Deshabandhu Chitta Ran- culture that Vidyasagar sowed was germi- jan Das, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and nating, two great men of science—Jagadish Mahatma Gandhi. Essentially, Ray’s activi- Chandra Bose and Prafulla Chandra Ray— ties were not confined to his laboratory and started their journey in the Presidency Col- teaching; his activities covered all spheres lege of Calcutta. of human interest—educational reform, in- dustrial development, employment genera- The initial years tion and poverty alleviation, economic free- dom and political advancement of the coun- Prafulla Chandra was born on 2nd August, try. 1861, in the village Raruli of the Khulna District of the undivided Bengal (now in Even as a scientist, he was particularly Bangladesh) in a well-educated and cul- keep to build up a band of students, rather tured family. His father Harish Chandra young scientists, in body and mind to lead was a landlord of declining fortune who the advancement of science in India. Today, spent much of his earnings on building up when we are witnessing an all-out degrada- a library in his home. He was a man of tion of human values, when the scientific taste, learning, and liberal views. He was community is obsessed with self-centred an accomplished violin player. He was pro- careerism, the need for remembering this ficient in Persian and English languages great scientist can be hardly overstated. and he had also workable knowledge of Breakthrough, Vol.15, No.1, May 2011 13 Cover Article Sanskrit and Arabic. Harish Chandra was this illness as a blessing in disguise. In closely associated with the cultural and in- his memoirs he later wrote, “Freed from the tellectual leaders of those days in Bengal. routine studies of dry school textbooks, I For his liberal views Harish Chandra was got the opportunity of studying as per my branded a mlechcha (foreign heretic) by his own will and interest.” He was already fellow villagers. Prafulla’s mother, Bhuban- acquainted with his father’s rich library, mohini Devi was also an accomplished lady which he now put to good use. of enlightened views. Prafulla was exposed After two years he came back to Calcutta, to this treasure from his childhood. Many and was admitted to the Albert School. He learned men and musicians visited their passed the Entrance Examination in 1879 home regularly. Harish Chandra started and started higher studies at the Metropoli- a school for girls and one for boys in his tan College (at present renamed as the village. Such an education-loving and cul- Vidyasagar College). The patriot Surendra tured family atmosphere influenced Pra- Nath Banerjee, who taught English in this fulla Chandra’s character greatly in its for- college, instilled in him a sense of national- mative years. ism. Prafulla Chandra started his education In those days, chemistry was included in in the school founded by his father. By the curriculum, but there was nobody to the time he reached the age of nine, his teach chemistry in his college. So Prafulla elder brother completed his school educa- Chadra had to attend chemistry classes in tion. Now he had to go for higher education the Presidency College which were taught which was possible only in a big city, and by Prof. Alexander Pedler. Pedler was a leg- their father was eager to get his sons ed- endary teacher, who could catch the imag- ucated in the best possible way. In 1870 ination of his students by his lucid exposi- Harish Chandra decided to shift to Cal- tion and conduction of experiments in the cutta and Prafulla was admitted in the Hare class. Prafulla got so much excited by this School. exposure that he built up a small labora- The teachers in the Hare School instilled tory in his home and started doing experi- a love for learning in this young boy. He ments. Though literature was his first love, loved literature (especially Shakespeare), through this influence Prafulla decided to history, geography, and biographies of great take up the study of chemistry. men. He read voraciously literature, history By the time he passed the F.A., his fa- and biography—whatever came his way, ther’s economic condition had deteriorated and the range of his interest was not lim- seriously. Seeing that his father will not be ited to school textbooks. He took to the able to support further studies, Prafulla ap- habit of studying long hours into the night. peared in the test for the Gilchrist schol- But the excessive strain that he subjected arship offered by the Edinburgh Univer- himself to took its toll on his digestive sys- sity. That year only two students from In- tem: He got afflicted with a virulent type dia passed the test: one was a Parsee stu- of dysentery, and was forced to discontinue dent called Bahadurji from Bombay, and his studies to return to his village in 1874. the other was Prafulla Chandra. It took a couple of years for him to re- He sailed to Britain in 1882, and took ad- cover, but he was forever left with a frail mission in the Edinburgh University. He body, chronic digestive disorder, and in- passed the B.Sc. examination in 1885, and somnia. It is interesting that Prafulla saw continued to do research. In 1887 he was 14 Breakthrough, Vol.15, No.1, May 2011 Cover Article awarded the D.Sc. degree for his thesis on “Conjugated Sulphates of Copper Magne- sium Group: A study of Isomorphous Mix- tures and Molecular Combinations.” Since this thesis was judged the best in that year, he got the “Hope Prize” which allowed him to carry on research for one more year. During his student years in Edinburgh, his depth of thought, sense of responsibil- ity, and cordial behaviour were so much ap- preciated by his fellow students and profes- sors that he was elected the Vice-President of the Chemical Society of the University.