Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858-1937) and Prafulla Chandra Ray (1861-1944) were pioneers in the field of scientific research in India in modern times. They differed in their method of work. While the former confined himself mostly to botanical investigations that took the world by surprise by bringing to light the mysteries of plant life, the latter besides being a chemist of international repute threw himself head and soul into the National Movement that was going on in the country then. A strict disciplinarian of austere habits, Prafulla Chandra nevertheless succeeded in gaining the love and admiration of his countrymen, not just those of his profession, but of the entire community. Though responsible for building up an Indian school of chemistry under his guidance, he knew that he could not rest on his academic laurels alone. The country was passing through a critical period of its history and unless people from all walks of life joined hands, it would not be possible to overthrow British Rule. Inspired by the example of Mahatama Gandhi, he took upon himself the responsibility of spreading the message of Charka (handloom) and Khadi. Realising example to be better than precept, he led his students in person to areas affected by natural calamities like drought and flood, which, in the absence of preventive measures by the state, unfortunately affected people’s lives every now and then. Bengalis particularly had to be relieved of the idea that salaried jobs were the only means of sustenance and so Prafulla Chandra carried on a lifelong campaign to encourage them to turn to trade and industry. To prove that India did not lag behind any country in the world so far as science was concerned, he wrote a closely researched book, History of Hindu Chemistry. It was published in two volumes at the beginning of the last century (Vol. I, 1902; Vol. II, 1909). This book by itself is enough to ensure his place in history. But, he also wrote an account of British rule in India in 1885, which has been largely overlooked. This we are now about to place before our readers.
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