2025-12-04 Thu

Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray is regarded as one of the most distinguished scientists and industrialists of the Indian subcontinent. Recognized as the ‘Father of Chemical Science in India', he established India’s first pharmaceutical company, Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, in 1901. Born in the village of Raruli-Kathipara, located in the Jessore district (now Khulna District) —formerly part of the #Bengal Presidency in British India, now part of Bangladesh- hailed from an affluent family of landlords. After receiving his initial education in Raruli and Calcutta (Kolkata), he won the Gilchrist #Scholarship offered by the #University of Edinburgh, where he pursued further studies in Britain. Upon returning to India, P.C. Ray became a teacher and researcher, dedicated to spreading knowledge about chemistry. He joined Presidency College, Calcutta, as an Assistant Professor and taught notable students such as S.N. Bose, Meghnad Saha, and Jnan Chandra Ghosh.

P.C. Ray was an exceptionally gifted scholar, known for discovering several groundbreaking chemical compounds, including mercurous nitrite, which earned him international recognition in inorganic chemistry. He published more than 150 research papers in prestigious scientific journals, such as the Journal of the Chemical Society of London, and authored many books on chemical sciences. In 1903, he wrote his notable work, ‘The History of Hindu Chemistry,’ which documented the contributions of Hindu scientists in fields like steel manufacturing, distillation, and the study of salts and mercury sulfides from ancient times.

P.C. Ray was also a staunch nationalist who witnessed the decline of the Indian Economy due to the Colonialism. He had a tremendously sympathetic mind toward the revolutionaries who fought for the emancipation of native people. His efforts to provide shelter and Food to nationalists at his factory attracted the attention of the British administration, which referred to him as a ‘Revolutionary in the garb of a Scientist’ in their records.

He eventually retired as a professor Emeritus in 1936 and died on 16 June 1944 at the age of 82. In 2011, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) honored Prafulla Chandra Ray with the distinction of being the first recipient of the Chemical Landmark Plaque awarded outside of Europe. Additionally, on 02 August 1961, India post commemorated his #birth centenary by issuing a stamp in his honor.