Prafulla Chandra Sen
Encyclopedia
Prafulla Chandra Sen was a Bengali
India
n politician and freedom fighter. He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal during the period 1961–1967.
district, in undivided Bengal
in 1897. Due to his father's transferable service, he spent his childhood in Bihar
province in eastern India. He passed his matriculation examination from the R. Mitra Institute in Deoghar
in Bihar. After that, he studied science at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta and graduated from that institution. After that, he joined an accountants' firm and was preparing to leave for England
to be apprenticed as an Articled Clerk, when he came across Mahatma Gandhi
's soul-stirring speech at the Calcutta session of the Congress Party in 1920.
Sen was extremely influenced by Gandhi's speech and after that, he abandoned all plans of studying abroad and rallied to the Mahatma's nationwide call for a mass Non-cooperation movement
against the British. Later, almost immediately, in 1923, Sen shifted to the remote area of Arambagh in the Hooghly
district, which became his laboratory for Gandhian experiments in Swadeshi and Satyagraha
.
Party, and led the freedom struggle against the British. He was a die-hard nationalist and was committed to Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of grass-root democracy and a self-reliant rural economy. So pervasive was Gandhi's influence on Sen, that in the 1920s, he shifted his area of social and political activity to Arambagh, an under-developed and malaria
-infested area of West Bengal and worked ceaselessly for its upliftment. For his efforts, Sen earned the sobriquet Gandhi of Arambagh. he was thought to have been encouraged by the then president of the union board and the noted academic (headmaster of Arambagh Boys' high school) Nagendranath Chatterjee whom interestingly he defeated in a poll,but they never lost mutual admiration and it is reported that sen offered a pranam to chatterjee every time they met long after he was a national figure.
Sen threw himself into the freedom struggle and spent over 10 years in various jails between 1930 and 1942 for anti-British activities. During that time period, the Congress Party office at Serampore
was his home and he earned virtually nothing, simply possessing one home-spun dhoti
(sarong) and kurta
. In the partial exercise of democracy permitted by the British in the 1940s, Sen was elected to the Bengal Assembly from Arambagh in 1944 and was deputy leader of the Opposition.
into the West Bengal Cabinet as Minister for Food. This was a portfolio he held until 1967. He also functioned as Roy's deputy and was acknowledged as his political heir.
After Dr. Roy's death in 1961, Sen became West Bengal's third Chief Minister. Three years later, his regime faced a drastic food shortage in the state following countrywide drought. At a Food Ministers' conference in Delhi, Sen advocated introducing the politically unsound measure of food rationing in urban areas. Within months, he had introduced food-grain rationing in the state, a system which has continued with minor modifications to this date.
To build food stocks, he imposed a heavy levy on rice mills. In the process he alienated the business community. Shortages of essentials led to anti-Congress Party strikes. This was followed by violence and police excesses which further isolated Sen's government. In 1967, the Congress lost the West Bengal election to the Marxists with Sen losing his Arambagh seat in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
as well.
After this setback, Sen, although re-elected to the West Bengal Assembly, never recovered high political office. In the 1980s he fruitlessly espoused the cause of party-less democracy and although he had left the Congress (I), having little sympathy for its leaders, came around to publicly supporting the party at public forums.
was split in the 1960s by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
, its more powerful faction took the name of its benefactor and was called the Congress(I), whilst the other less powerful faction, and the one that Sen joined was called the Congress(O). By the 1980s the latter had virtually disappeared. Although disillusioned with the state of the Congress(I) Party later, he remained an optimist to the end. One of his last acts a fortnight before he died was to participate, sitting in a wheelchair, in a Congress(I) sponsored march in Calcutta, to protest against the state's Communist Party of India (Marxist)
-led government.
He died in Calcutta on September 25, 1990.
According to The Independent
dated September 28, 1990, Sen was
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician and freedom fighter. He was the Chief Minister of West Bengal during the period 1961–1967.
Background
He was born in Senhati village in KhulnaKhulna
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in Khulna District. It is the divisional headquarters of Khulna Division and a major industrial and commercial center. It has a seaport named Mongla on its outskirts, 38 km from Khulna...
district, in undivided Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
in 1897. Due to his father's transferable service, he spent his childhood in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
province in eastern India. He passed his matriculation examination from the R. Mitra Institute in Deoghar
Deoghar
Deoghar is the headquarters city of Deoghar District in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, India. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre, having in Baidyanath Temple one of the twelve Shiva Jyothirlingams in India and also one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India.-Origin of...
in Bihar. After that, he studied science at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta and graduated from that institution. After that, he joined an accountants' firm and was preparing to leave for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to be apprenticed as an Articled Clerk, when he came across Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
's soul-stirring speech at the Calcutta session of the Congress Party in 1920.
Sen was extremely influenced by Gandhi's speech and after that, he abandoned all plans of studying abroad and rallied to the Mahatma's nationwide call for a mass Non-cooperation movement
Non-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
against the British. Later, almost immediately, in 1923, Sen shifted to the remote area of Arambagh in the Hooghly
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
district, which became his laboratory for Gandhian experiments in Swadeshi and Satyagraha
Satyagraha
Satyagraha , loosely translated as "insistence on truth satya agraha soul force" or "truth force" is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mahatma...
.
During the Raj
Sen plunged headlong into the freedom struggle. He was one of the staunchest supporters of the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
Party, and led the freedom struggle against the British. He was a die-hard nationalist and was committed to Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of grass-root democracy and a self-reliant rural economy. So pervasive was Gandhi's influence on Sen, that in the 1920s, he shifted his area of social and political activity to Arambagh, an under-developed and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
-infested area of West Bengal and worked ceaselessly for its upliftment. For his efforts, Sen earned the sobriquet Gandhi of Arambagh. he was thought to have been encouraged by the then president of the union board and the noted academic (headmaster of Arambagh Boys' high school) Nagendranath Chatterjee whom interestingly he defeated in a poll,but they never lost mutual admiration and it is reported that sen offered a pranam to chatterjee every time they met long after he was a national figure.
Sen threw himself into the freedom struggle and spent over 10 years in various jails between 1930 and 1942 for anti-British activities. During that time period, the Congress Party office at Serampore
Serampore
Serampore is a city and a municipality in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is a pre-colonial town on the right bank of the Hoogli River...
was his home and he earned virtually nothing, simply possessing one home-spun dhoti
Dhoti
The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...
(sarong) and kurta
Kurta
A kurta is a traditional item of clothing worn in Afghanistan, Pakistan , Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It is a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer, and is worn by both men and women...
. In the partial exercise of democracy permitted by the British in the 1940s, Sen was elected to the Bengal Assembly from Arambagh in 1944 and was deputy leader of the Opposition.
After Independence
In 1948, he was inducted by the then Chief Minister Dr Bidhan Chandra RoyBidhan Chandra Roy
Bidhan Chandra Roy, M.R.C.P., F.R.C.S. was the second Chief Minister of West Bengal in India. He remained in his post for 14 years as a Indian National Congress candidate, from 1948 until his death in 1962. He was a highly respected physician and a renowned freedom fighter...
into the West Bengal Cabinet as Minister for Food. This was a portfolio he held until 1967. He also functioned as Roy's deputy and was acknowledged as his political heir.
After Dr. Roy's death in 1961, Sen became West Bengal's third Chief Minister. Three years later, his regime faced a drastic food shortage in the state following countrywide drought. At a Food Ministers' conference in Delhi, Sen advocated introducing the politically unsound measure of food rationing in urban areas. Within months, he had introduced food-grain rationing in the state, a system which has continued with minor modifications to this date.
To build food stocks, he imposed a heavy levy on rice mills. In the process he alienated the business community. Shortages of essentials led to anti-Congress Party strikes. This was followed by violence and police excesses which further isolated Sen's government. In 1967, the Congress lost the West Bengal election to the Marxists with Sen losing his Arambagh seat in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
West Bengal Legislative Assembly
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is housed in the B.B.D. Bagh area of Kolkata —the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people...
as well.
After this setback, Sen, although re-elected to the West Bengal Assembly, never recovered high political office. In the 1980s he fruitlessly espoused the cause of party-less democracy and although he had left the Congress (I), having little sympathy for its leaders, came around to publicly supporting the party at public forums.
His political legacy
He was strongly opposed to the Marxists. He helped to transform the Congress Party in Bengal from an anti-imperialist unit into one capable of winning elections and capable governance. When the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
was split in the 1960s by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, its more powerful faction took the name of its benefactor and was called the Congress(I), whilst the other less powerful faction, and the one that Sen joined was called the Congress(O). By the 1980s the latter had virtually disappeared. Although disillusioned with the state of the Congress(I) Party later, he remained an optimist to the end. One of his last acts a fortnight before he died was to participate, sitting in a wheelchair, in a Congress(I) sponsored march in Calcutta, to protest against the state's Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
-led government.
A tireless Gandhian
To his last, he remained a bachelor with an undemanding lifestyle. He passionately championed the upliftment of village industry including home-spun cloth or khadi. For most of his later life, Sen wore only khadi and a week before he died, sold khadi from a newly-opened shop to inaugurate its sale.He died in Calcutta on September 25, 1990.
According to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
dated September 28, 1990, Sen was
Reference
- Obituary in The Independent (London) dated September 28, 1990.