{{Short description|Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1950 to 1962}} {{Use Indian English|date=November 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Bidhan Chandra Roy | native_name = | native_name_lang = bn | image = Photograph of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, 2nd Chief Minister of West Bengal.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = | alt = Portrait of Bidhan Chandra Roy | order1 = 2nd | office1 = Premier of West Bengal | governor1 = Chakravarti Rajagopalachari<br /> Kailash Nath Katju | term_start1 = 23 January 1948 | term_end1 = 25 January 1950 | predecessor1 = Prafulla Chandra Ghosh | successor1 = ''Position abolished''<br /> (himself as Chief Minister of West Bengal) | order2 = 1st | office2 = Chief Minister of West Bengal | term_start2 = 26 January 1950 | term_end2 = 1 July 1962 | subterm2 = '''Cabinet''' | suboffice2 = | governor2 = Kailash Nath Katju<br /> Harendra Coomar Mookerjee<br /> Phani Bhusan Chakravartti ''(acting)''<br /> Padmaja Naidu | predecessor2 = ''Office established''<br /> (himself as Premier of West Bengal) | successor2 = Prafulla Chandra Sen | office3 = Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly | term4 = May 1962 – 1 July 1962 | constituency4 = Chowranghee | predecessor4 = Bijoy Singh Nahar | successor4 = Siddhartha Shankar Ray | term3 = 1952–1962 | constituency3 = Bowbazar | predecessor3 = ''Constituency established'' | successor3 = Bijoy Singh Nahar | office5 = 5th Mayor of Kolkata | term_start5 = 5 April 1931 | term_end5 = 9 April 1933 | predecessor5 = Subhas Chandra Bose | successor5 = Santosh Kumar Basu | office6 = Member of Bengal Legislative Council{{br}}for Barrackpore | term6 = 1925 {{nbnd}} 1929 | predecessor6 = Surendranath Banerjee | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1882|7|1}} | birth_place = Patna, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Bihar, India) | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1962|7|1|1882|7|1}} | death_place = Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), West Bengal, India | party = Indian National Congress | parents = | alma_mater = Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata<br/>St Bartholomew's Hospital | profession = {{hlist|Physician & Surgeon|Politician }} | awards = Bharat Ratna (1961) | signature = Signature of Bidhan Chandra Roy.svg | website = | footnotes = }}
'''Bidhan Chandra Roy''' (1 July 1882 – 1 July 1962) was an Indian physician and politician who served as Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1950 until his death in 1962. He played a key role in the founding of several institutions and cities like Salt Lake (now a part of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/back-to-the-beginning-on-the-50th-year-of-the-landfill-heres-the-story-of-how-salt-lake-came-into-being/cid/396434|work=The Telegraph|date=10 August 2012|title=Back to the beginning – On the 50th year of the landfill, here's the story of how Salt Lake came into being }}</ref> Kalyani, Durgapur and Ashoknagar Kalyangarh.
In India, the National Doctors' Day is celebrated in his memory every year on 1 July. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour in 1961.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/national-doctors-day-all-you-need-to-know-about-dr-bidhan-chandra-roy-10851091.html|work=Firstpost|date=1 July 2022|accessdate=1 July 2022|title=National Doctors' Day: All you need to know about Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy}}</ref>
==Early life and education== thumb|180px|left|Bidhan Chandra Roy in 1911 Bidhan Chandra Roy was born on 1 July 1882 to a Bengali Kayastha family in Bankipore in Patna, where his father, Prakash Chandra Roy coming from a wealthy family of Satkhira, Khulna district, Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh), was serving as an excise inspector. His mother, Aghorkamini Devi, was religious and a devoted social worker.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://evirtualguru.com/biography-of-bharat-ratna-dr-bidhan-chandra-roy-complete-biography-for-class-10-class-12-and-graduation-and-other-classes/|title=Biography of Bharat Ratna "Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy" complete biography for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.|date=1 February 2018|work=eVirtualGuru|access-date=1 September 2018}}</ref> Roy was the youngest of five siblings, with 2 sisters (Susharbashini and Sarojini) and 2 brothers(Subodh and Sadhan). His parents were ardent Brahmo Samajists.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/bitstream/1/20290/1/2851.pdf|title=Dr. B. C. Roy|last=Thomas|first=K.P.|publisher=Atulya Ghosh, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee|year=1955|location=Calcutta|access-date=1 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902011916/http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/bitstream/1/20290/1/2851.pdf|archive-date=2 September 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Prakash Chandra was a descendant of the family of Maharaja Pradapaditya, the rebel Hindu king of Jessore, but did not inherit much wealth from his ancestors. He earned a moderate salary for most part of Roy's childhood, but he and Aghorkamini supported the education and upbringing of both their own children and a number of other poor children, mostly orphans.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |author=Nandalal Bhattacharya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0OeXw4AYVusC&pg=PA16 |title=''Karmajogi Bidhanchandra (Life of Bidhan Chandra Roy)'' |publisher=Grantha-tirtha |year=2004 |page=15 & 16 |language=Bengali}}</ref>
Roy left Patna in June 1901 to study at the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata. While at medical school, he came upon an inscription which read, "Whatever thy hands findeth to do, do it with thy might."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/remembering-dr-bidhan-chandra-roy-1021823-2017-07-01|title=Remembering Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy: Facts about the doctor who dedicated his life to the profession of medicine|website=India Today|date=1 July 2017}}</ref> These words became a lifelong source of inspiration for him.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/bidhan-chandra-roy.html|title=Bidhan Chandra Roy Biography – Bidhan Chandra Roy Childhood, Life, Profile, Timeline|website=www.iloveindia.com|access-date=25 August 2018|archive-date=25 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425031928/http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/bidhan-chandra-roy.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Intending to enroll at St Bartholomew's Hospital to complete further studies in medicine, Roy left for Britain in February 1909 with {{INR}}1,200. The then dean of St. Bartholomew's Hospital was reluctant to accept an Asian student and rejected his application.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://greatrulers.com/books/dr-bidhan-chandra-roy--biography-and-life-history|title=Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy -Biography and Life History {{!}} Great Rulers|website=greatrulers.com|access-date=27 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828001729/https://greatrulers.com/books/dr-bidhan-chandra-roy--biography-and-life-history|archive-date=28 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Roy submitted several additional applications until the dean, after 30 admission requests, admitted him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/culture/when-indias-national-doctor-was-denied-service-by-an-american-restaurant|title=When India's 'National Doctor' Was Denied Service By an American Restaurant|website=The Wire|access-date=28 August 2018}}</ref>
==Career== right|200px|thumb|Roy in 1943 Upon returning to India, Roy joined the '''Provincial Health Service'''. In addition to a private practice, he served as a nurse when necessary. He taught at the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and later at the Campbell Medical School (now NRS Medical College) and the Carmichael Medical College<ref name=":0" /> (now R. G. Kar Medical College). He served as the first president of '''Cardiological Society of India''' from 1948 to 1950.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Past President – CSI |url=https://csi.org.in/presidents?page=1 |access-date=28 November 2022 |website=csi.org.in}}</ref>
Roy believed that swaraj (the call to action for India's freedom) would remain a dream unless the people were healthy and strong in mind and body. He made contributions to the organisation of medical education. He played an important role in the establishment of the Jadavpur T.B. Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan, Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital, Victoria Institution (College), and Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital. In 1926, the Chittaranjan Seva Sadan for women and children was opened by Roy.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thoughtoftheday98.com/2021/07/dr-bidhan-chandra-roy-biography.html|title=''Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy Biography: डॉ. बिधान चंद्र राय जीवन परिचय''|language=Hindi|author=Sumit Kumar|publisher=Sumit-Kumar|year=2021}}</ref>
Roy was also Mahatma Gandhi's personal doctor and friend.
In 1925, Roy ran for elections from the Barrackpore constituency as an independent candidate for the Bengal Legislative Council and defeated the "Grand Old Man of Bengal", Surendranath Banerjee. Though an independent, he voted with the Swaraj Party (the Parliamentary wing of the Congress party in the 1920s). As early as 1925, Roy tabled a resolution recommending a study of the causes of pollution in Hooghly and suggested measures to prevent pollution in the future.<ref name=":3" />
Roy was elected to the All India Congress Committee in 1928. Roy conducted Civil Disobedience in Bengal in 1929 and prompted Pandit Motilal Nehru to nominate him as a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in 1930. The CWC was declared an unlawful assembly and Roy along with other members of the committee were arrested on 26 August 1930 and detained at Alipore Central Jail.
During the Dandi March in 1931, many members of the Calcutta Corporation were imprisoned. Congress requested Roy to remain out of prison and discharge the duties of the Corporation. He served as the Alderman of the Corporation from 1930 to 1931 and as the Mayor of Calcutta from 1931 to 1933. Under him, the Corporation expanded schemes for free education, free medical aid, improved roads and lighting, and water supply. He set up a framework for dispensing grant-in-aid to hospitals and charitable dispensaries.<ref name=":3" />
In 1942, Rangoon fell to the Japanese bombing and caused an exodus from Calcutta fearing a Japanese invasion. Roy, then serving as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta, acquired air-raid shelters for schools and college students to have their classes in, and provided relief for students, teachers and employees alike.
==Chief Minister of West Bengal== The Congress Party proposed Roy's name for Premier of West Bengal. Although Roy sought to continue with his profession, he accepted the position and took office on 23 January 1948 upon Gandhi's advice. Bengal at the time had been torn by communal violence, shortage of food, unemployment and a large flow of refugees in the wake of the creation of East Pakistan. In an address to the people of West Bengal, Roy said:<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=30 June 2016 |title=Bengal's physician chief minister – The Statesman |work=The Statesman |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/bengal-s-physician-chief-minister-151414.html |access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref>
{{blockquote|We have the ability and if, with faith in our future, we exert ourselves with determination, nothing, I am sure, no obstacles, however formidable or insurmountable they may appear at present, can stop our progress... (if we) all work unitedly, keeping our vision clear and with a firm grasp of our problems.}}
On 26 January 1950, Roy took oath as the first Chief Minister of West Bengal in Independent India. Under his leadership, the Congress party won the legislative assembly elections in West Bengal in 1952 and 1957.
The 22-member Sarkar Committee, headed by industrialist Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, recommended the formation of technical institutions for higher education in India. Roy successfully petitioned then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to setup the first institute in West Bengal, on the grounds that the state had the highest concentration of industries at that time. The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur was thus established in May 1950, with Roy serving as the first chairman of the board of Governors.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 October 2024 |title=About IIT Kharagpur |url=https://www.iitkgp.ac.in/about-iitkgp-history |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=IIT Kharagpur}}</ref>
He was credited for the development of cities like Bidhannagar, Kalyani, and Durgapur, which were crucial for the growth of West Bengal's economy at a time when it was ravaged by the ill consequences of partition.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
==Death== Bidhan Chandra Roy died on 1 July 1962, coincidentally on his 80th birthday. His house was later converted into a nursing home named after his mother, Aghorkamini Devi. He had also constituted a trust for his properties at Patna to carry out social service, with eminent nationalist Ganga Sharan Singh (Sinha) being its first trustee.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Correspondence and Select Documents: 1934–1937|last=Choudhary|first=Valmiki|publisher=Allied Publishers|year=1984|isbn=978-81-7023-002-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/drrajendraprasad0000pras/page/133 133]|url=https://archive.org/details/drrajendraprasad0000pras/page/133}}</ref>
==Legacy== [[File:Dr._Bidhan_Chandra_Roy_statue.jpg|thumb|150px|Bidhan Chandra Roy statue in Salt Lake City]] [[File:Bidhan Chandra Roy 1982 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|150px|A commemorative post stamp of Dr. Roy, published by India Post.]] [[File:Statue of Dr. B. C. Roy.jpg|thumb|150px|Statue of Dr. B. C. Roy in Howrah city]] [[File:Bust of Bidhan Chandra Roy in Kolkata.jpg|thumb|150px|Bust of Roy at Bidhan Shishu Udyan in Ultadanga]] The Indian Government honoured Roy with the Bharat Ratna on 4 February 1961.
The B.C. Roy National Award was instituted in 1962<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mciindia.org/CMS/awards/dr-b-c-roy-award|title=Dr. B.C. Roy Award {{!}} MCI India|website=www.mciindia.org|access-date=28 August 2018|archive-date=28 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828071416/https://www.mciindia.org/CMS/awards/dr-b-c-roy-award|url-status=dead}}</ref> in his memory and has been awarded annually since 1976. The award recognises excellent contributions in the areas of medicine, politics, science, philosophy, literature and arts. The Dr. B. C. Roy Memorial Library and Reading Room for Children in the Children's Book Trust, New Delhi, was opened in 1967. Today, his private papers are part of the Archives at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, at Teen Murti House, Delhi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/archives.html|title=Archives|last=NMML|website=www.nehrumemorial.nic.in|access-date=26 August 2018|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726224938/http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/archives.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyrounds.org/rounds/indias-iconic-doctor-dr-bidhan-chandra-roy|title=India's Iconic Doctor: Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy{{!}} DailyRounds|website=www.dailyrounds.org|access-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826214416/https://www.dailyrounds.org/rounds/indias-iconic-doctor-dr-bidhan-chandra-roy|archive-date=26 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
India celebrates National Doctors' Day on 1 July every year to honour his birthday and deathday.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Pakrasi |first=Susmita |date=30 June 2021 |title=National Doctors' Day on July |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/national-doctors-day-on-july-1-history-and-significance-101625011035886.html |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=The Hindustan Times}}</ref>
=== In Bollywood === In the superhit movie Bawarchi, Rajesh Khanna who played the role of protagonist Raghu, is talented traditional Indian cook who is surprisingly a philosopher, singer, composer, dance instructor and mathematician. In the movie, Raghu speaks to have attained these skills and traits through working with different Indian public figures including Bidhan Chandra Roy to name a few.
==See also== *B.C. Roy Trophy *Bidhannagar
==References== {{Reflist}} {{commons category|Bidhan Chandra Roy}} {{Wikiquote}} {{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | before=Prafulla Chandra Ghosh| title=Chief Minister of West Bengal| years=1948–1962| after=President's Rule }} {{s-end}} {{Indian National Congress}} {{Chief Ministers of West Bengal}} {{Indian independence movement}} {{Bharat Ratna}} {{University of Calcutta Vice chancellors}} {{West Bengal Legislative Assembly4}} {{West Bengal Legislative Assembly2}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Bidhan Chandra}} Category:1882 births Category:1962 deaths Category:Bengali Hindus Category:Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata alumni Category:University of Calcutta alumni Category:Academic staff of the University of Calcutta Category:Indian city founders Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Category:Brahmos Category:Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata Category:Chief ministers of West Bengal Category:20th-century Indian medical doctors Category:Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal Category:Indian independence activists from Bengal Category:Politicians from Kolkata Category:People from Patna district Category:Vice-chancellors of the University of Calcutta Category:Prisoners and detainees of British India Category:Mayors of Kolkata Category:Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Category:Scientists from Kolkata Category:West Bengal MLAs 1951–1957 Category:West Bengal MLAs 1957–1962 Category:West Bengal MLAs 1962–1967 Category:Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Category:20th-century mayors of places in India