title: Prafulla Chandra Ghosh
text: Prafulla Chandra Ghosh (24 December 1891 – 18 December 1983) was the first Premier of West Bengal, India from 15 August 1947 to 14 August 1948. He also served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal in the "Progressive Democratic Alliance Front" government from 2 November 1967 to 20 February 1968.
  
  Early life
  Prafulla Chandra Ghosh was born in a Gowala Family on 24 December 1891 at a remote village, Malikanda, in Dhaka district, British India (now Bangladesh) as son of Purna Chandra Ghosh and Binodini Devi. Both his parents were religious devout and simple persons. Prafulla Ghosh was a brilliant student throughout his academic life and always stood first with scholarship. Prafulla had very rural upbringing and enjoyed cultural festivals such as Jatra, Kirtan, Padavali Gan, and also participated in agricultural activities.
  
  Prafulla first attended Jagannath College and then moved to Dhaka where he graduated with B. A. (First Class First) and B. Sc (Chemistry) in 1913. In 1916, he obtained his M. A. and M. Sc (Chemistry) as first class first in both. Immediately, he joined research in Chemistry at Dhaka University. In 1919, he joined Presidency College, Calcutta as Demonstrator. In Jan 1920, he started work at Calcutta Mint as ASA master and he was the first Indian to be employed in that position. He was awarded doctorate in 1920 in Chemistry by Calcutta University.
  
  Political life
  Ghosh developed an interest in the Swadeshi Movement early on, but was most impressed and inspired by the ideas of armed revolution propagated by the Dhaka Anushilan Samiti, which he joined in 1909. However, the methods of the Samiti for raising money through theft and then defending the same in Court eventually alienated him, and he finally quit in 1913 to focus on academia. During the same time, while working for the Damodar flood relief, he met Surendranath Banerjee and other moderate leaders. Yogendra Nath Saha introduced him to the non-violent principles of Mahatma Gandhi. At the beginning, Gandhian principles did not impress him but he was moved by Gandhi's speech at Dhaka in December 1920 and soon afterwards met with him in Calcutta. In January 1921, he resigned from his position at the Calcutta Mint and along with other members of the Anami Sangh joined the Freedom Struggle.
  
  Family
  His great-granddaughter is Priyanka Yoshikawa, who won the 2016 Miss World Japan contest.
  
  Bibliography
   The theory of profits
   India as known to ancient and mediaeval Europe
   Mahatma Gandhi, as I saw him
   West today
   Jībana-smr̥tira bhūmikā
   Mahātmā Gāndhī
   Prācīna Bhāratīẏa sabhyatāra itihāsa
  
  References
  
  1891 births
  1983 deaths
  Bengali Hindus
  Politicians from Kolkata
  University of Calcutta alumni
  Chief Ministers of West Bengal
  Academic staff of the University of Calcutta
  Chief ministers from Indian National Congress
  Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal
  20th-century Indian politicians
  People from Dhaka District
  Politicians from Dhaka Division
  Pogose School alumni