Prafulla Chandra Ghosh

On the day India became free, Bengal was cut in two. West Bengal needed a government that same day. Prafulla Chandra Ghosh took the job.

He was a chemist, not a career politician. His term as West Bengal’s first head of government was short. But it came at one of the hardest moments in the state’s history.

1Who was Prafulla Chandra Ghosh?

Ghosh was born on 24 December 1891 in Malikanda. This village lay in Dhaka district. Today it is in Bangladesh.

His parents were Purna Chandra Ghosh and Binodini Devi. He grew up in the countryside. He enjoyed village festivals like Jatra and Kirtan. He also joined in farm work.

His early life shaped his habits. Village life taught him patience and plain living. Later, those habits marked his public career.

He was a brilliant student who kept winning scholarships. In 1920 Calcutta University awarded him a doctorate in chemistry.

• Born 24 December 1891 at Malikanda, Dhaka district.
• Parents: Purna Chandra Ghosh and Binodini Devi.
• Doctorate in chemistry, Calcutta University, 1920.

2How did a chemist join the freedom struggle?

Ghosh was drawn to the Swadeshi mood early. The idea of armed revolution inspired him most. In 1909 he joined the Dhaka Anushilan Samiti.

The Samiti raised money through theft, and then defended it in court. He did not like this. He left in 1913 to focus on his studies.

Around then he joined Damodar flood relief work. There he met Surendranath Banerjee and other moderate leaders. A friend, Yogendra Nath Saha, introduced him to Gandhi’s non-violence.

At first Gandhi’s ideas did not move him. Then he heard Gandhi speak at Dhaka in December 1920. Soon after, he met Gandhi in Calcutta.

In January 1921 he resigned from his post at the Calcutta Mint. Along with others from the Anami Sangh, he joined the freedom struggle.

• Joined the Dhaka Anushilan Samiti in 1909; left in 1913.
• Worked on Damodar flood relief.
• Heard Gandhi speak at Dhaka, December 1920.
• Quit the Calcutta Mint in January 1921.
• Read about the Swadeshi Movement and Khudiram Bose.

3How did he become West Bengal’s first leader?

India became free on 15 August 1947. Bengal was divided between India and Pakistan. On that same day Ghosh became the first head of government of West Bengal.

At that time the title was Premier. The Constitution later changed it to Chief Minister. Many books simply call him the first Chief Minister.

Accounts say he had led relief work at Noakhali after the riots of October 1946. In 1947 his new government faced a flood of refugees.

His first term was short. Sources differ on the exact end date. Most place it in January 1948. Bidhan Chandra Roy then took over and served for many years.

• Took office on 15 August 1947, Independence Day.
• The title then was Premier.
• First task: refugees from the new border.
• First term ended early in 1948; the exact date is reported differently.
• Succeeded by Bidhan Chandra Roy.

4Why did he return in 1967?

Two decades later, Bengal politics had changed. The Congress no longer ruled alone. In 1967 several parties formed governments of their own.

Ghosh came back as Chief Minister on 21 November 1967. His government was called the Progressive Democratic Alliance Front. It lasted until 20 February 1968.

Why did it fall so fast? Coalitions of the time rested on thin majorities. Members switched sides often, and no ministry felt safe.

That was only about three months. After it, the state came under President’s Rule. The two terms show how unstable the period was.

• Second term: 21 November 1967 to 20 February 1968.
• Government name: Progressive Democratic Alliance Front.
• It lasted about three months.

5What else did he leave behind?

Ghosh was also a writer. His books included The Theory of Profits and India as Known to Ancient and Mediaeval Europe. He also wrote Mahatma Gandhi, as I Saw Him.

He died on 18 December 1983, aged 91. His grandson, Saumya Ghosh, became a lawyer. His great-granddaughter, Priyanka Yoshikawa, won Miss World Japan in 2016.

• Books: The Theory of Profits and Mahatma Gandhi, as I Saw Him.
• Died 18 December 1983, aged 91.
• Great-granddaughter won Miss World Japan, 2016.

6What are the exam traps?

Several names and dates cause mix-ups.

• He was West Bengal’s first head of government; Bidhan Chandra Roy followed him.
• Do not mix him with chemist Prafulla Chandra Ray or revolutionary Prafulla Chaki.
• His 1947 post was called Premier, not yet Chief Minister.
• Two terms, twenty years apart. See another new state’s first leader, Gopi Chand Bhargava of Punjab.