Bidhan Chandra Roy | |
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ডাঃ বিধানচন্দ্র রায় | |
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| 2nd Premier of West Bengal | |
| In office 23 January 1948 – 25 January 1950 | |
| Governor | Chakravarti Rajagopalachari Kailash Nath Katju |
| Preceded by | Prafulla Chandra Ghosh |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished (himself asChief Minister of West Bengal) |
| 1st Chief Minister of West Bengal | |
| In office 26 January 1950 – 1 July 1962 | |
| Governor | Kailash Nath Katju Harendra Coomar Mookerjee Phani Bhusan Chakravartti(acting) Padmaja Naidu |
| Preceded by | Office established (himself asPremier of West Bengal) |
| Succeeded by | Prafulla Chandra Sen |
| Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1952–1962 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Bijoy Singh Nahar |
| Constituency | Bowbazar |
| In office May 1962 – 1 July 1962 | |
| Preceded by | Bijoy Singh Nahar |
| Succeeded by | Siddhartha Shankar Ray |
| Constituency | Chowranghee |
| 5th Mayor of Kolkata | |
| In office 5 April 1931 – 9 April 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Subhas Chandra Bose |
| Succeeded by | Santosh Kumar Basu |
| Member ofBengal Legislative Council forBarrackpore | |
| In office 1925 – 1929 | |
| Preceded by | Surendranath Banerjee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1882-07-01)1 July 1882 |
| Died | 1 July 1962(1962-07-01) (aged 80) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Residence(s) | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Alma mater | Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata St Bartholomew's Hospital |
| Profession |
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| Awards | Bharat Ratna (1961) |
| Signature |  |
Bidhan Chandra Roy (1 July 1882 – 1 July 1962) was an Indianphysician and politician who served asChief Minister of West Bengal from 1950 until his death in 1962. He played a key role in the founding of several institutions and cities likeSalt Lake (now a part ofBidhannagar Municipal Corporation)[1],Kalyani,Durgapur andAshoknagar Kalyangarh.
In India, theNational Doctors' Day is celebrated in his memory every year on 1 July. He was awarded theBharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour in 1961.[2]
Bidhan Chandra Roy was born on 1 July 1882 to aBengali Kayastha family inBankipore inPatna, where his father, Prakash Chandra Roy coming from a wealthy family ofSatkhira,Khulna district,Bengal Presidency (now inBangladesh), was serving as an excise inspector. His mother, Aghorkamini Devi, was religious and a devoted social worker.[3] Roy was the youngest of five siblings, with 2 sisters (Susharbashini and Sarojini) and 2 brothers(Subodh and Sadhan). His parents were ardentBrahmo Samajists.[4]
Prakash Chandra was a descendant of the family ofMaharaja Pradapaditya, the rebel Hindu king ofJessore, but did not inherit much wealth from hisancestors. He earned a moderate salary for most part of Roy's childhood, but he and Aghorkamini supported the education and upbringing of both their own children and a number of other poor children, mostly orphans.[5]
Roy left Patna in June 1901 to study at theMedical College and Hospital, Kolkata. While at medical school, he came upon an inscription which read, "Whatever thy hands findeth to do, do it with thy might."[6] These words became a lifelong source of inspiration for him.[7]
Intending to enroll atSt Bartholomew's Hospital to complete further studies in medicine, Roy left for Britain in February 1909 with₹1,200. The then dean of St. Bartholomew's Hospital was reluctant to accept an Asian student and rejected his application.[8] Roy submitted several additional applications until the dean, after 30 admission requests, admitted him.[9]
Upon returning to India, Roy joined theProvincial Health Service. In addition to a private practice, he served as a nurse when necessary. He taught at theMedical College and Hospital, Kolkata and later at theCampbell Medical School (nowNRS Medical College) and theCarmichael Medical College[7] (nowR. G. Kar Medical College). He served as the first president ofCardiological Society of India from 1948 to 1950.[10]
Roy believed thatswaraj (the call to action for India's freedom) would remain a dream unless the people were healthy and strong in mind and body. He made contributions to the organisation of medical education. He played an important role in the establishment of the Jadavpur T.B. Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan,Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital,Victoria Institution (college), andChittaranjan Cancer Hospital. In 1926, the Chittaranjan Seva Sadan for women and children was opened by Roy.[11]
Roy was alsoMahatma Gandhi's personal doctor and friend.
In 1925, Roy ran for elections from theBarrackpore constituency as an independent candidate for theBengal Legislative Council and defeated the "Grand Old Man of Bengal",Surendranath Banerjee. Though an independent, he voted with theSwaraj Party (the Parliamentary wing of theCongress party in the 1920s). As early as 1925, Roy tabled a resolution recommending a study of the causes of pollution inHooghly and suggested measures to prevent pollution in the future.[6]
Roy was elected to theAll India Congress Committee in 1928. Roy conductedCivil Disobedience in Bengal in 1929 and promptedPandit Motilal Nehru to nominate him as a member of theCongress Working Committee (CWC) in 1930. The CWC was declared an unlawful assembly and Roy along with other members of the committee were arrested on 26 August 1930 and detained atAlipore Central Jail.
During theDandi March in 1931, many members of theCalcutta Corporation were imprisoned. Congress requested Roy to remain out of prison and discharge the duties of the Corporation. He served as theAlderman of the Corporation from 1930 to 1931 and as theMayor of Calcutta from 1931 to 1933. Under him, the Corporation expanded schemes for free education, free medical aid, improved roads and lighting, and water supply. He set up a framework for dispensing grant-in-aid to hospitals and charitabledispensaries.[6]
In 1942,Rangoon fell to the Japanese bombing and caused an exodus from Calcutta fearing a Japanese invasion. Roy, then serving as theVice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Calcutta, acquired air-raid shelters for schools and college students to have their classes in, and provided relief for students, teachers and employees alike.
The Congress Party proposed Roy's name for Premier of West Bengal. Although Roy sought to continue with his profession, he accepted the position and took office on 23 January 1948 upon Gandhi's advice. Bengal at the time had been torn bycommunal violence, shortage of food, unemployment and a large flow ofrefugees in the wake of the creation ofEast Pakistan. In an address to the people of West Bengal, Roy said:[12]
We have the ability and if, with faith in our future, we exert ourselves with determination, nothing, I am sure, no obstacles, however formidable or insurmountable they may appear at present, can stop our progress... (if we) all work unitedly, keeping our vision clear and with a firm grasp of our problems.
On 26 January 1950, Roy took oath as the first Chief Minister of West Bengal inIndependent India. Under his leadership, the Congress party won the legislative assembly elections in West Bengal in1952 and1957.
The 22-member Sarkar Committee, headed by industrialistNalini Ranjan Sarkar, recommended the formation of technical institutions for higher education in India. Roy successfully petitioned then Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru to setup the first institute in West Bengal, on the grounds that the state had the highest concentration of industries at that time. The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur was thus established in May 1950, with Roy serving as the first Chairman of the Board of Governors.[13]
He was credited for the development of cities likeBidhannagar,Kalyani, andDurgapur, which were crucial for the growth ofWest Bengal's economy at a time when it was ravaged by the ill consequences ofpartition.[6][14]
Bidhan Chandra Roy died on 1 July 1962, coincidentally on his 80th birthday. His house was later converted into a nursing home named after his mother, Aghorkamini Devi. He had also constituted a trust for his properties atPatna to carry out social service, with eminent nationalistGanga Sharan Singh (Sinha) being its first trustee.[15]
The Indian Government honoured Roy with theBharat Ratna on 4 February 1961.
TheB.C. Roy National Award was instituted in 1962[16] in his memory and has been awarded annually since 1976. The award recognises excellent contributions in the areas of medicine, politics, science, philosophy, literature and arts. The Dr. B. C. Roy Memorial Library and Reading Room for Children in the Children's Book Trust, New Delhi, was opened in 1967. Today, his private papers are part of the Archives at theNehru Memorial Museum & Library, atTeen Murti House, Delhi.[17][18]
India celebrates National Doctors' Day on 1 July every year to honour his birthday and deathday.[14]
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| Preceded by | Chief Minister of West Bengal 1948–1962 | Succeeded by |
Members of theWest Bengal Legislative Assembly fromMedinipur division | ||
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Members of theWest Bengal Legislative Assembly fromPresidency division | ||
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