People Of Kolkata

Rabindranath Tagore : Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate poet, writer, philosopher was the ambassador of Indian culture to the rest of the world. He is probably the most prominent figure in the cultural world of Indian subcontinent and the first Asian man to be awarded with Nobel prize. Even though he is mainly known as a poet, his multifaceted talent showered upon different branches of art, such as, novels, short stories, dramas, articles, essays, painting etc. And his songs, popularly known as Rabindrasangeet, have an eternal appeal and is permanently placed in the heart of the Bengalis. He was a social reformer, patriot and above all, a great humanitarian and philosopher. India and Bangladesh - the national anthems of these two countries are his composition.

Raja Rammohan Roy : Raja Rammohan Roy has come to be called the ‘Maker of Modern India’. Without giving up what was good and noble in the past, he laid the foundations for a great future. He put an end to the horrible custom of burning the living wife with the dead husband. He was a great scholar and an independent thinker. He advocated the study of English, Science, Western Medicine and Technology. He spent his money on a college to promote these studies.

Iswarchandra Vidyasagar : Real name Iswarchandra Bandyopadhyaya. The title  "Vidyasagar" which means 'ocean of knowledge',  was given to him as an honor of excellence. But his contribution to the Bengali society is far more than a scholar. Vidyasagar picked up the social reform work where Rammohan left it. And he not only tried to reform the social rules and regulations, he was one of the people who gave the language of Bengali a modern incarnation. 

Swami Vivekananda : The valiant monk who proclaimed in America the greatness of Hinduism and of Indian culture at a time when the West regarded India as a land of barbarians. The beloved disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He was the living embodiment of sacrifice and dedicated his life to the country and yearned for the progress of the poor, the helpless and the downtrodden. He was the great thinker and mighty man of action whose ringing words galvanized the slumbering Indians. For ages to come he will be a source of inspiration.

Prafulla Chandra Roy : An Indian scientist who won fame in many countries. Eighty years ago he began the manufacture of medicines in India. A great teacher, he gave his salary to students interested in science. A great man and a true patriot. A Professor of Chemistry in the University. A pioneer in the field of pharmaceutical industry in India who started making chemicals at home -eighty years ago, to prevent foreign companies making excessive profits at the cost of Indian patients.  A scientist who won international acclaim. His dwelling - a simple room on the first floor of the college in which he was teaching; his household -students who could not afford to stay elsewhere. His salary - all a donation to the department of Chemistry. The income from this donation to be spent on the development of the department of Chemistry at the University College of Science and to give scholarships to needy students. And the total amount he donated in this way - two lakh rupees. Such was the Scientist-Professor Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose : Known as Netaji (leader), Mr. Bose was a fierce and popular leader in the political scene in pre-independence India . He was the president of the Indian National Congress in  1937 and 1939, and founded a nationalist  force called the Indian National Army. He was acclaimed as a semigod, akin to the many mythological heroes like Rama or Krishna, and continues as a legend in Indian mind.

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanbis : Prasantha Chandra Mahalanobis was born in Calcutta, India on June 29, 1893. As a young boy, Mahalanobis received his education at the Brahmo Boys School in Calcutta. He then went on to the presidency College in Calcutta where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in the field of physics. He then went to England, where he originally intended to study in London, but became so impressed with Cambridge that he decided to join Cambridge University. There he studied mathematics and physics. Because of World War I, his departure was delayed, leading to the meeting that began Mahalanobis' interest in statistics. Mahalanobis was looking around the library at King's College when he was approached by a fellow named Macaulay for his opinion on some volumes of Biometrika, edited by Karl Pearson. Mahalanobis' interest was peaked so much that he bought the entire set of Biometrika that was then published and brought them along with him to India. This was the beginning of a wonderful interest in statistics.