Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy was a many faceted personality: an educationist, an entrepreneur and a visionary. His contributions to the realm of Indian science are too well-known, and need not be recounted. A legendary teacher and his commitment to his students acquired a proverbial status. As the first Palit Professor in Chemistry of the Calcutta University, he provided our University with one of the finest turning points in the enrichment of teaching-learning process in science, especially of Chemistry. He led an austere life-style, and provided financial help from his own income to both enrich the University's research facilities, and support the needy students.
At the same time, the Acharya identified himself with the maturing mainstream nationalist politics of the day - both with mainstream nationalism that had developed under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, as well as with the parallel strand of revolutionary nationalism. This political self of the Acharya has not been adequately explored. Shri Anil Bhattacharya deserves to be complimented for seeking to fill this gap by presenting us with a documentation of Prafulla Chandra Ray's nationalist ideas and involvement with nationalist politics. This exercise captured in fourteen chapters -- is primarily based on police records.
The Acharya was deeply involved with the Khadi movement and the Sodepur Ashram, he addressed rallies in support of Gandhiji's boycott programme; he made it a point to be present on occasions of the expression of solidarity with revolutionary road to freedom. He had also connections with both Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose. The Acharya also remained vocal against racial discriminations in Indian Education Service which he had joined. The Police records, collated by Bhattacharya, clearly testify to continuous police surveillance of the activities of the Acharya.
Shri Anil Bhattacharya has already edited six volumes of the writings of Prafulla Chandra Ray, five of which had been published by the University of Calcutta. I do hope that the present volume will serve as a source material for scholars interested in unfolding the Acharya's political world. This book should enrich our understanding of the life-experience of Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy from a holistic perspective.
"The world knows Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray as a great chemist but the fact that he could wield his brain as powerfully as he could handle a test tube would be a revelation... to readers and he tackled any advance situation so far freedom of our country from all types of bondages are concerned.
P. C. Ray was a nationalist to the core, from the day of admission into albert School and then into Metropolitan Institution. His prize essay on India before and after Mutiny' was political in nature and full of diatribes against the British. From the year 1912 he devoted himself in the struggle for the flood sticken area and from 1921 along with his students and freedom fighters served the affected people and forces the Government to declare the area "flood stricken Convinced by the idea of Mahatma Gandhi for Khaddar, Ray realised while worked in the Relief Operation 'the Supreme need (of waving Khaddar) as Secondary occupations for the teeming millions of India during the non-cooperations'
"I am Swadeshi, he said, 'the Swadeshi is my religion and it has been my life-long aim to manufacture those articles which I have to import from foreign lands. Political consideration does not sway one. His homage to Kanailal who sacrificed his life for the country, will never be forgotten. "The Swaraj of India must be our one and all compelling goal, and every thing else must be kept in its place, he wrote in an essay on Swaraj.
In this book 'P. C. Ray: A Revolutionary Nationalist in Police and other Records the Police and other IB records are collected from the Archives of the Government of West Bengal, Calcutta. I acknowledge the kind permission of the Government of West Bengal to visit the archives and help from the staff of the archives and the officials. Almost two years had been spent for collection of the relevant documents. The other revolutionary references of P. C. Ray are also collected from different sources. I am indebted to the authorities of the libraries eg the National Library, Kolkata, Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Kolkata, Mahajati Sadan, R.K.M. Institute of Culture, Golpark, Bengal Chemical Library, Sri Chaitnaya Library, Kolkata, and others, for permitting me to collect the relevant documents/materials. Personal collection from well wishers, friends are also acknowledged.
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