Glimpses of the Past: An Album on the 125th Birth Anniversary of Prof PC Mohalonbis
Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, the doyen of Indian Statistics is known for his pioneering contributions to D2-Statistic and Large Scale Sample Surveys. He was born in a well established family in Calcutta on 29th June 1893 and completed his schooling from Brahmo Boys’ School. In 1912, he graduated with honours in Physics from Presidency College, Calcutta and completed Tripos in Mathematics and Physics from King’s College, Cambridge in the year 1915. Professor Mahalanobis started his early career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, Presidency College, Calcutta. During the 1920s, Professor Mahalanobis set up a Statistical Laboratory in the same department. On 17 December 1931, the Indian Statistical Institute was founded by him as a learned society and housed in the Statistical Laboratory. The Institute was registered on 28 April 1932, as a non-profit distributing learned society under the Societies Registration Act (XXI of 1860) and is now registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act XXVI of 1961 amended in 1964.In the year 1959, the Institute become the ‘Institute of National Importance’ by an Act of Parliament of India. Under his dynamic leadership, the institute initiated and promoted the interaction of statistics with other natural and social sciences. He was instrumental in setting up the National Sample Survey, Central Statistical Organization and introducing Statistical Quality Control System in India. Professor Mahalanobis contributed in a big way to economic planning of India. He was the main architect of India’s Second Five Year Plan (1956-61). He had a long and close association with Rabindranath Tagore and was a great lover of art and literature. Professor Mahalanobis received several awards and honours from various academic societies all over the world. Professor Mahalanobis collaborated with various eminent scientist of different countries for scientific research. The era from the nineteen twenties to till his death in 1972 is considered to be the golden period in the history of statistics in India, marked by an intense development of statistics as a key technology, and its application for the welfare of mankind. In order to tribute Professor Mahalanobis on his 125th Birth Anniversary, the Library Documentation and Information Science Division has brought out the current album with a selective collection of rare photos, which will highlight the glimpses of the life and works of Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. Hope the reader will find the journey of Professor Mahalanobis a fascinating one !! 29th June 2018 Dr. Kishor Chandra Satpathy Chief Librarian ISI, Kolkata
