By
Satyaki Paul
The date July 1, 2021 marks the National Doctor’s Day which is held every year to commemorate the birth and death anniversary of Dr.Bidhan Chandra Roy (1882-1962). He was a renowned physician, educationist, and social worker who served three-times as Chief Minister of West Bengal after gaining independence from British Raj.
He was the son of Prakash Chandra Roy and Aghorkamini Devi, and was born on 1 July 1882 at Bankipur in Patna. At young age he exhibited hisbrilliance as he passed Entrance examination from Patna Collegiate School in 1897 and FA examination from Patna College in 1899. In 1901, after his graduation with Honours in Mathematics Roy joined Calcutta Medical College. He obtained MSS degree from the University of Calcutta in 1906 and MRCP and FRCS from England in 1911. After his return from England, he gained a lot of popularity amongst the Bengali masses due to his adept skills as a physician.
At that he was greatly inspired by DeshbandhuChittaranjanDas. So, he entered Bengal politics in the early 1920s. In the elections of 1923, he defeated SurendranthBanerjea in Barrackpur Municipal constituency as an independent contender. Later, he joined Swarajya Party in 1925 and, on the death of C.R. Das, he became a trustee of the Trust created in memory of the Desbandhu. Since then, he gradually engaged himself in national politics. In due course, he was severely inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. He designated him as his second Guru (Master).
In 1929, he was nominated as a member of AICC and,later he part took in its 44th Lahore session. In the Lahore Congress of 1929, the presiding president Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the notion of Purna Swaraj (complete independence) and the young firebrands of AICC—Subhas Bose (Netaji), Sarat Bose and B.C. Roy—supported Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1930, he took part in the August session of AICC in Delhi and was imprisoned together with others, as the British Raj declared the session illegal. Being requested by the jail authority, he, while a prisoner, took over the charge of the Alipore Jail Hospital and helped the prisoners. In the 1930s, Dr.Roy involved himself in Calcutta corporation politics and was twice elected Mayor in 1931 and 1932.
In the early 1930s, after being relieved from the jail. He was functioning as the member of the Provincial Anti-Untouchability Forum in Bengal. Further, with consent from Gandhiji he was also trying to revive Swarjya Party with aid from Dr. Ansari. Later, due to disagreement with Sarat Bose, he resigned from the post of President of Bengal provincial congress, and for some time he kept himself away from politics of the then Congress party. Nonetheless, through the mediation of Gandhiji, he re-joined Congress as a member of working committee. In due course, he served as the President of Indian Medical Council (IMC). He was chosen a Fellow of Calcutta University. After the outbreak of the World War-II (1939-1945), when the AICC changed its policy regarding the boycott of legislative councils, Dr.Roy resigned from the working committee. He returned to Bengal and was re-elected as member in Calcutta Corporation.
During the Second World War-II, the British Raj required the assistance of Roy to form the Army Medical Core and after receiving Gandhiji’s consent, he took the job in 1942. In the same year, he became the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Calcutta University. In 1943, when Gandhiji started his fast for Quit India Movement, Dr.Roy happily took the charge of looking after the physical condition of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1944, Dr.Roy was awarded with an accolade titled the honorary “Doctor of Science” degree by Calcutta University.In 1946, on the appeal of the Congress Working Committee Roy led the medical-mission to Malaya (island of Singapore) for the aid and assistance of the dejected Indians. Later, he also overextended his helping hands to the ill-fated sufferers of Calcutta riot (also known as the Great Calcutta Killings).
After gaining independence from British Raj, Dr. Roy was nominated as the governor of United Province (currently Uttar Pradesh), but he resigned due health problems. In 1948, after the breakup of Prafulla Ghosh Ministry in West Bengal, Dr.Roy was elected as the leader of the Provincial Congress and had to take the charge of the Government of West Bengal. In 1952, he became the Chief Minister for the second time. After the election of 1957, Roy became the Chief Minister for the third time. This was a time of utter chaos with the region torn by communal violence and the influx of refugees across a divided Bengal. During his chief ministership, the state of West Bengal finally saw peace within 3-years. During his 14-year tenure as chief minister of the state, he also found time for his medical practice and attended to patients in need.
On July 1, 1962 he passed away, and it was same day as his birthdate. Nonetheless, even after his death heleft behind a legacy of deep respect for the spirit of public service, which he fulfilled both as a doctor and as a chief minister.
The author works as a Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, and the co-author of the book Anthropology For All (2021).