Bidan Chandra Roy was an eminent social worker, political leader and philanthropist. He was a doctor by profession. His followed the motto ‘Whatever thy hands findeth to do, do it with thy might’. He firmly believed that good health will contribute to the prosperity of the nation.
BC Roy was born on July 1, 1882, at Bankipore in Patna, Bihar. He did his BA from the Patna College with Honors in Mathematics. He studied medicine from the Calcutta Medical College. Dr Roy did his MRCP and FRCS in England at St Bartholomew's College, in 1911. He taught at various medical institutions as the Calcutta Medical College, the Campbell Medical School and finally at the Carmichael Medical College. Several medical facilities like the Jadavpur TB Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan, RG Khar Medical College, Kamala Nehru Hospital, Victoria Institution, and Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital are the results of his initiatives.
Dr Roy entered politics in 1925, when he was elected to the Bengal Legislative Council. He was selected to the All India Congress Committee in 1928. He was nominated as a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in 1930. He served as the Alderman of the Calcutta Corporation from 1930-31 and Mayor of Calcutta (now Kolkata)in 1933, vastly improving the effeciency of the Corporation and the overall administration of the City.
BC Roy was appointed Chief Minister of Bengal on January 23, 1948. His tenure as the Chief Minister saw the restoration of law and order in the State in a short period of 3 years. He was honored with the ‘Bharat Ratna,’ the highest civilian award given by the Indian Government, on February 4, 1961. BC Roy died on July 1, 1962.
