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Prafulla Chandra Ghosh | |
|---|---|
 Ghosh atWriters' Building in 1947 | |
| 1st Premier of West Bengal | |
| In office 15 August 1947 – 22 January 1948 | |
| Preceded by | office established (Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy asPrime Minister of Bengal) |
| Succeeded by | Bidhan Chandra Roy |
| 4th Chief Minister of West Bengal | |
| In office 21 November 1967 – 20 February 1968 | |
| Preceded by | Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | president's rule |
| Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1957–1962 | |
| Preceded by | Kumar Deba Prosad Garga |
| Succeeded by | Sushil Kumar Dhara |
| Constituency | Mahisadal |
| In office 1967–1968 | |
| Preceded by | Mahendranath Mahato |
| Succeeded by | Panchkari De |
| Constituency | Jhargram |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 December 1891 |
| Died | 18 December 1983(1983-12-18) (aged 91) Calcutta,West Bengal, India |
| Party | Independent (post-1967) |
| Other political affiliations | PSP (1950–1967) INC (pre-1950) |
| Relatives | Priyanka Yoshikawa (great-granddaughter) |
| Alma mater | University of Calcutta |
Prafulla Chandra Ghosh (24 December 1891 – 18 December 1983) was the firstPremier of West Bengal,India from 15 August 1947 to 14 August 1948. He also served as theChief Minister of West Bengal in the "Progressive Democratic Alliance Front" government from 21 November 1967 to 20 February 1968.[5]
Prafulla Chandra Ghosh was born on 24 December 1891 at a remote village, Malikanda, inDhaka district,British India (nowBangladesh) as a son of Purna Chandra Ghosh and Binodini Devi. Prafulla Ghosh was a brilliant student throughout his academic life and always stood first with scholarship. Prafulla had very rural upbringing and enjoyed cultural festivals such as Jatra, Kirtan, Padavali Gan, and also participated in agricultural activities.[6] He was awarded doctorate in 1920 in Chemistry byCalcutta University.[7]
Ghosh developed an interest in theSwadeshi Movement early on, but was most impressed and inspired by the ideas of armed revolution propagated by the DhakaAnushilan Samiti, which he joined in 1909. However, the methods of the Samiti for raising money through theft and then defending the same in Court eventually alienated him, and he finally quit in 1913 to focus on academia. During the same time, while working for the Damodar flood relief, he metSurendranath Banerjee and other moderate leaders. Yogendra Nath Saha introduced him to the non-violent principles ofMahatma Gandhi. At the beginning, Gandhian principles did not impress him but he was moved by Gandhi's speech at Dhaka in December 1920 and soon afterwards met with him in Calcutta. In January 1921, he resigned from his position at theCalcutta Mint and along with other members of the Anami Sangh joined the Freedom Struggle.[8] He donated his entire month salary, and lived off bare necessities. Till date he is revered for his honesty, selflessness and integrity- the motto of honesty before family- a principle he had passed on to his favourite Grandchild Saumya Ghosh. His only belonging remains with his only direct great granddaughter the photo of him with Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel, at 10 Ritchie Road.
His great-granddaughter isPriyanka Yoshikawa, who won the 2016Miss World Japan contest, and his only grandson was Saumya Ghosh, Supreme Court and Inner Temple Bar-at-Law.[9]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by (new post) | Chief Minister of West Bengal 15 August 1947 – 14 January 1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of West Bengal 2 November 1967 – 20 February 1968 | Succeeded by President's Rule |