{{Short description|Bengali confectioner, entrepreneur, businessman and cultural icon}} {{for|the manufacturer|K. C. Das (chemist)}} {{primary sources|date=September 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = | name = Krishna Chandra Das | honorific_suffix = | image = Krishna_Chandra_Das_(K.C.Das).jpg | image_size = | alt = Painting of Krishna Chandra Das, noted Bengali entrepreneur and confectioner | caption = Portrait of Krishna Chandra Das | native_name = কৃষ্ণচন্দ্র দাশ | birth_date = 1869 | birth_place = Bagbazar, Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India | death_date = 1934 (aged 65) | death_place = Bagbazar, Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India | death_cause = | resting_place = | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = Businessman, confectioner, entrepreneur | years_active = 1900–1934 | employer = | predecessor = Nobin Chandra Das | known_for = Inventor of Canned Rossogolla, alleged inventor or rosso malai, head of K.C. Das Confectioner | successor = Sarada Charan Das | spouse = Shwetangini Devi | partner = | children = 6, including Sarada Charan Das | parents = | relatives = Bhola Moira | callsign = | awards = | module = | module2 = | module3 = | module4 = | module5 = | module6 = | signature = | signature_alt = | signature_size = | website = {{URL|kcdas.co.in}} | footnotes = }}
'''Krishna Chandra Das''', also known as '''K.C. Das''' (Bengali: কৃষ্ণচন্দ্র দাশ; 1869–1934), was a Bengali confectioner, entrepreneur, and businessman. He contributed to the modernization of traditional Bengali sweets.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iaslic1955.org/krishna_chandra_das.html|title=Krishna Chandra Das|website=iaslic1955.org|access-date=26 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcdas.co.in/|title=K.C. Das|website=kcdas.co.in|access-date=26 April 2016|archive-date=22 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422132106/http://www.kcdas.co.in/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Born in 1869, in Bagbazar, Kolkata, India, Das was the only son of the Bengali confectioner and inventor, Nobin Chandra Das.<ref>{{cite book |author=Bishwanath Ghosh |title=Longing, Belonging: An Outsider At Home In Calcutta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C4obBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT177 |date=29 October 2014 |publisher=Westland |isbn=978-93-84030-60-5 |page=177 }}</ref> He was credited with creating ''rasmalai'' ''(रस मलाई)''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Krondl|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gN6ySQnUnfwC&pg=PA71|title=Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert|date=2011|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=978-1-55652-954-2|language=en}}</ref> and initiating the concept of canned ''rasgulla (रसगुल्ला)''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiamart.com/kcdas-grandson-limited/|title=K.C. Das Grandson Private Limited – Manufacturer & Exporter of CANNED SWEETS & INDIAN SWEETS from Kolkata|website=indiamart.com|access-date=26 April 2016}}</ref> The sweets were later popularized by his family company, K.C. Das Private Limited, founded by his son, Sarada Charan Das.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/J5jK255x5F6wpRll00gVFP/Kolkata-Chromosome-Like-KC-for-rossogolla.html|title=Kolkata Chromosome: Like KC for 'rossogolla'|last=Ghosh|first=Bishwanath|date=15 November 2014|website=livemint.com/|access-date=26 April 2016}}</ref>
== Early life and career == Das was born into a family of confectioners; his father was Nobin Chandra Das,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sood |first=Aanandika |date=2012-11-23 |title=A sweet rush |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2012/Nov/23/a-sweet-rush-427483.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202124809/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2012/Nov/23/a-sweet-rush-427483.html |archive-date=2024-12-02 |access-date= |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> and his mother was Khridmoni Devi.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} His great-grandfather, Bholanath Dey, also known as "Bhola Moira," was a professional confectioner and a poet.<ref>Kavigan</ref>
== Later life and family == Das was married to Swetangini Devi, with whom he had five sons and a daughter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=K. C. Das - About Us |url=https://kcdasonline.com/pages/about-us |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250627194522/https://kcdasonline.com/pages/about-us |archive-date=2025-06-27 |access-date= |website=K.C. Das - A Legacy of Taste |language=en}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=November 2025}} In 1930, he opened his first shop, Krishna Chandra Das Confectioner''',''' in partnership with his youngest son Sarada Charan Das.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcdas.co.in/production.php|title=K.C. Das|website=kcdas.co.in|access-date=26 April 2016|archive-date=19 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419041635/http://www.kcdas.co.in/production.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Contributions and legacy == Das is credited with inventing ''ras malai'' and pioneering the concept of canned ''rasgulla'', though he is often mistakenly credited for reinventing the ''rasgulla'', which was allegedly created by his father, Nobin Chandra Das.<ref name=":0" />{{Primary source inline|date=November 2025}}
To market ''ras malai'', Das opened a new confectionery shop in Jorasanko in 1930, with his youngest son Sarada Charan Das. From that location, he promoted canned ''rasgulla'', reportedly the first canned dessert manufactured in India.<ref>{{Citation|last=Dhiman Das|title=K.C.Das Rossogolla/Rosogolla/Rasgulla Story|date=2011-12-03|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMCbYULUB8g|accessdate=2016-04-26}}</ref>
Krishna Chandra Das died in 1934, entrusting the company's operations to his son Sarada Charan Das.
== See also == *Bengali cuisine *K.C. Das Grandsons
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Das, K.C.}} Category:1869 births Category:1934 deaths Category:Culture of Bengal Category:Businesspeople from Kolkata Category:Indian confectionery Category:Bengali Hindus Category:Businesspeople from British India