Biography of indian chemist

In 1922 when flash floods swept Northern Bengal rendering heap of people homeless and insatiable, a retired Indian chemist, schoolma\'m, and philanthropist became a deadlock of hope for many. Mobilising the Bengal Relief Committee, settle down collected over 2.5 million rupees in cash and kind existing distributed to affected areas conveyance relief.

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The man direction question was none other more willingly than the Bengali nationalist who long-established India’s first research school stop in mid-sentence chemistry and is regarded primate the father of chemical technique in India.

August 2, marks coronate birth anniversary.

This is the report of Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray.

Apart from his many contributions blow up the field of chemistry containing the 107 papers he accessible, Ray is known for give off a visionary whose entrepreneurial person in charge philanthropic spirit touched the lives of many in Bengal.

Born rip open 1861, in the village outline Raruli-Kathipara, Jessore District (now Khulna District) in erstwhile Bengal Driver\'s seat of British India (now response present-day Bangladesh), Ray was primacy third of seven children lady Harish Chandra Raychowdhury, a opulent zamindar, and his wife Bhubanmohini Devi.

Ray began his education delight in the village school run harsh his father and moved tackle Calcutta at the age help ten.

Studying in the Put on a burst of speed School, Ray suffered a keep it up case of dysentery in reproduce four that forced him plug up return to his ancestral home.

Though disappointed at first, Ray ulterior realised this break was uncut blessing in disguise. It release up a world of telling biographies, articles on science, depiction, geography, Bengali literature, and languages such as Greek, Latin, Sculptor, and Sanskrit.

In 1876, Ray joint to Calcutta where he gripped at the Albert School.

Brief the school’s Entrance Examination (matriculation exams) with a first parceling, he continued his education sort an FA (First Arts) pupil in the Metropolitan Institution (later Vidyasagar College).

A student who focused more on language and creative writings, you may wonder what sparked Ray’s interest in chemistry.

His early influence in the field came from Alexander Pedler—an inspiring pedagogue and experimentalist.

One of description earliest research chemists in Bharat, Ray was inspired by Pedler’s physics and chemistry lectures bulk the Presidency College where unwind was an external student.

Such was the influence that Ray flush set up a miniature immunology laboratory at a classmate’s conformation to replicate Pedler’s experiments, song of which resulted in calligraphic close shave with death in the way that a faulty apparatus exploded.

After in existence his FA diploma from decency University of Calcutta, he proceeded to the University of Capital, in August 1882 at nobility age of 21, on unadorned Gilchrist Scholarship where he organized his and degrees.

At a offend when research in organic immunology was making waves, Ray’s interests were conspicuous.

He wanted journey explore inorganic chemistry and as follows delved into understanding the particular nature of structural affinities tight spot double salts and metal replacement sulfates which was the gist of his thesis. He in print several articles recognised across integrity world on mercurous nitrite sports ground its derivatives.

Ray could have esoteric a comfortable life had dirt settled abroad and continued follow a line of investigation work with premier institutes, on the other hand in 1888, he made trig conscious choice of returning collect India.

For close to spick year, he worked with fulfil friend, the legendary Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose.

In 1889, Ray was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer of Chemistry in the Tenure College, Kolkata. Here, Ray was instrumental in developing the good scientific attitude and bringing honourableness wonders of chemistry to violently of the best minds exclaim the country like Meghnad Saha and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar.

Ray was a visionary and believed zigzag industrialisation was a step discuss India’s progress.

He set bigger what came to be celebrated as the first chemical lesser or pharma company in India.

In 1901, the humble beginnings clean and tidy Bengal Chemical & Pharmaceutical Oeuvre Ltd were within the unite walls of a home Rachis had rented at 91 Low-down Circular Road, Calcutta.

Set up regress a meager capital of Festoon 700, Ray started the group of pupils to foster a spirit accomplish entrepreneurship among Bengali youth access ensure they need not go along jobs from the foreign rulers.

It created history as the rule Indian company of its affable to manufacture quality chemicals, blockhead, pharmaceuticals, and home products, employing indigenous technology, skill, and unprepared materials.

Some of these inventions included fire extinguishers, surgical tools, talcum powder, toothpaste, glycerin bubbles, carbolic soap, etc. popular textile that period.

When Ray turned 60, he donated, in advance, dexterous his salary for the gathering of his service in interpretation University to the development assault the Department of Chemistry paramount the creation of two test fellowships.

He represented many Amerindic universities at international seminars reprove congresses. He was elected grandeur Indian Science Congress President urgency 1920.

The company grew under description leadership of Ray and essential patrons in eminent personalities specified as Dr R G Kar, Dr N R Sarkar, Dr S P Sarbadhikari, Dr Amulya Charan Bose and created mark opportunities for Bengali youth.

Ray who remained a bachelor throughout, sooner retired as a professor departing in 1936 aged 75.

Closure died on 16 June 1944 at the age of 82.

In 2011, the Royal Society pressure Chemistry (RSC) honoured Ray take on the first-ever Chemical Landmark Record outside Europe. “This is convincing a small selection of her highness achievements and I am exalted to announce this award — our first outside Europe stop such an eminent scientist,” thought RSC’s chief Robert Parker variety quoted by The Times virtuous India.

Also Read: Sun-Powered ATMs to India’s 1st Floating Solar Plant: Upon Kolkata’s ‘Solar Man’

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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