Prafulla Chandra Roy

Prafulla Chandra Roy was born on 2 August 1861 in the village of Raruli-Katipara, then in Jessore District (subsequently in Khulna District), in the eastern region of the Bengal Presidency of British India (now in present-day Bangladesh).

He was an eminent Indian chemist, educationist, historian, industrialist, and philanthropist. He established the first modern Indian research school in chemistry (post-classical age) and is regarded as the Father of Indian Chemistry.

He is the author of A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century (1902).

He donated money regularly towards the welfare of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Brahmo Girls’ School, and the Indian Chemical Society. Nagarjuna Prize to be awarded for the best work in chemistry. In 1937, another award, named after Ashutosh Mukherjee, to be awarded for the best work in zoology or botany, was established from his donation.