Shivraj Singh Chouhan pays tribute to Acharya P.C. Ray on birth anniversary
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid tribute to Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray on his birth anniversary on 2 August 2026, honouring the chemist who founded India's first pharmaceutical company in 1901 and is celebrated as the father of Indian chemistry.
Key Takeaways
Shivraj Singh Chouhan posted a Hindi tribute to Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray on 2 August 2026 , Ray's birth anniversary.
Ray, born 2 August 1861 , is recognised as the father of Indian chemistry for advancing chemical education and research during the colonial era.
In 1901 , Ray founded Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works , India's first modern pharmaceutical company.
Chouhan invoked Ray's legacy as an enduring inspiration for Indian youth to lead 'purposeful lives' through science and national service.
Such tributes are part of a recurring pattern among Indian political leaders commemorating pre-independence scientists who combined scholarship with nation-building.
The man who built India's first modern pharmaceutical company from a colonial-era laboratory gets his due today. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday, 2 August 2026, paid homage to Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray — widely regarded as the father of Indian chemistry — on his birth anniversary.
Posting in Hindi, Chouhan wrote: 'भारत में रसायन विज्ञान के जनक, महान वैज्ञानिक आचार्य प्रफुल्ल चंद्र राय जी की जयंती पर कोटिश: नमन करता हूँ!' — 'I bow in countless salutations to the great scientist Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, the father of chemistry in India, on his birth anniversary.' He added that Ray's 'unparalleled efforts in serving the nation through science will forever inspire the youth to live purposeful lives.'
Who was Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray?
Born on 2 August 1861 in what is now Bangladesh, Ray spent a lifetime proving that scientific rigour and national service were not separate callings. A chemist trained in Edinburgh, he returned to India and in 1901 founded Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works — the country's first modern pharmaceutical company — at a time when India imported virtually every medicine it consumed. His research on mercurous nitrite compounds earned him an international reputation, yet he poured his royalties and energy back into building laboratories, training students, and agitating, quietly but firmly, for an India capable of standing on its own scientific feet.
His classroom at Presidency College, Calcutta, produced a generation of chemists who went on to anchor Indian science well into the twentieth century. Ray himself lived with legendary frugality, donating much of his personal wealth to education and famine relief. He died in 1944, having watched the independence movement crest, confident the nation he had helped equip would finish the work.
Why Indian leaders keep returning to Ray
Chouhan's tribute fits a well-established pattern: senior political figures across the spectrum mark the anniversaries of pre-independence scientists to underscore the idea that nation-building and knowledge-creation have always been intertwined in India. For a government that has placed self-reliance — Aatmanirbhar Bharat — at the centre of its economic messaging, Ray is a particularly resonant symbol: a scientist who refused to let colonial dependency define what India could make, discover, or teach.
The scientific community and science departments at both central and state levels occasionally use this date to announce commemorative programmes or fellowships in Ray's name. Whether any such announcement follows today remains to be seen — but the tribute itself keeps a foundational figure of Indian modernity in public view.
Point of View
Which draws a direct line from colonial-era self-reliance pioneers to contemporary industrial ambition. By framing Ray as a model for youth, the minister signals that scientific entrepreneurship and patriotism are complementary virtues the government wants the next generation to internalise. The choice of Ray — a figure who built institutions, not just theories — also reinforces a policy preference for applied science with economic outcomes. In a week when agriculture and rural development dominate the minister's portfolio, the pivot to a chemistry legend is a reminder that India's political class uses anniversary diplomacy to speak to multiple audiences at once.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray?
Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray (1861-1944) was an Indian chemist and educator known as the father of Indian chemistry. He founded Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works in 1901, India's first modern pharmaceutical company, and trained generations of scientists at Presidency College, Calcutta.
When is Prafulla Chandra Ray's birth anniversary?
Prafulla Chandra Ray was born on 2 August 1861. His birth anniversary is observed on 2 August each year.
Why did Shivraj Singh Chouhan pay tribute to Prafulla Chandra Ray?
Chouhan paid tribute on Ray's birth anniversary, honouring his contributions as the father of Indian chemistry and his role in founding India's first pharmaceutical company, citing him as an inspiration for youth to serve the nation through science.
What did Prafulla Chandra Ray contribute to Indian science?
Ray advanced chemical research and education in India, founded Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works in 1901, conducted internationally recognised research on mercurous nitrite compounds, and donated much of his wealth to education and famine relief.
What is Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works?
Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works, founded by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray in 1901 in Calcutta, is considered India's first modern pharmaceutical company, established at a time when India depended almost entirely on imported medicines.
