8 INDIAN SCIENCE CRUISER Volume 33 No 2 March 2019

We Hear From Jharna Bhattacharyya Dr. Mahendra Lal Sarkar

Mahendralal Sarkar was born at Paik Para Village of higher learning in Kolkata, India. Established in Howrah District, near Calcutta (now known in 1876 by Mahendralal Sarkar, a private medical as Kolkata) in the Bengal Province of British practitioner, it focuses on fundamental research India. He lost his parents early in life. After in basic sciences. It is India’s oldest research his father’s death his mother had shifted to his institute. maternal uncles’ house earlier and subsequently Sarkar supported women’s education in he was brought up by his maternal uncles, Iswar nineteenth century, where higher education Chandra Ghosh & Mahesh Chandra Ghosh in among women was rare. their house at Nebutala in Calcutta. First he was He was a fellow of Calcutta University and an sent to a “Gurumasai” or tutor to learn Bengali and honorary Magistrate and Sheriff of subsequently to another tutor named Calcutta (1887). He was made a CIE Thakur Das Dey, to learn English. He in 1883 and honored with an honorary secured admission in Hare School as a doctorate degree by University of free student in 1840. In 1849 he passed Calcutta in 1898. the joined scholarship exam and joined Although educated in the Hindu College, where he studied up to traditional European system of 1854. At that time Hindu College did medicine, Mahendralal Sarkar turned not have facilities for teaching seience to homoeopathy. He was influenced and as he was bent up to studying by reading William Morgan’s the medicine, he transferred to Calcutta philosophy of homeopathy, and Medical College. by interaction with Rajendralal At Calcutta Medical College he Dutta, a leading homoeopathic was so esteemed by his professor that Dr. Mahendra Lal Sarkar practitioners of Calcutta. In a meeting in the second year he was invited by (1833-1904) of the Bengal Branch of the British them to deliver a series of lecture on Medical Association, he proclaimed optics to his fellow students, a task homoeopathy to be superior to the he performed honorably. He had a brilliant career “Western medicine” of the time. at that college, where besides winning several In the course of his careers he treated several scholarships he passed the final exam in 1860 notable persons of those days, including the author with the highest honours in medicine, surgery Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay the ascetic and midwifery. In 1863, he took the degree of M.D Ramkrishna, the Maharaj of Tripura and others. with special Success. nd Mahendralal Sakar started a campaign in 1867 Born : 2 November 1833 for a national science association that would be Died : 23 February 1904 (Aged 70) funded, run, & managed by the native Indians, Spouse : Rajkumari Sarkar. with the aim of turing out with a pool of scientists for national reconstruction. The Indian Association Jharna Bhattacharyya for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) is an institute ISEC