Amader Bidhan Nagar

Bidhan Chandra Roy was the prime architect behind West Bengal's growth.

About Bidhan Nagar

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Bidhan Nagar is a planned township in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was planned and developed by the ex-West Bengal Chief Minister Bidhan Chandra Roy during the year 1958-1965 to accommodate the increasing population of Kolkata. It is located in the eastern part of Kolkata city and it is popularly known as Salt Lake City. Bidhan Nagar has a population of 1.5 lacs people as per statistics taken recently by the Government of India.

Being a planned city, Bidhan Nagar offers a lot to its residents. From top class hospitals, shopping malls to parks, playgrounds, Bidhan Nagar is certainly a paradise on earth. Bidhan Nagar is similar to Anna Nagar or Besant Nagar in Chennai. Salt Lake is an IT hub and many software companies have their corporate offices in Sector V.
About Bidhan Chandra Roy

Bidhan Chandra Roy was a respected physician and renowned freedom fighter. He also served as Chief Minister of West Bengal. Bidhan Chandra Roy was born on July 1,1882, at Bankipore in Patna, Bihar. His father Prakash Chandra was a Government servent. Bidhan was the youngest of five children and was greatly influenced by the simplicity, discipline of his parents. His parents inculcated in him the idea of service by taking care of people.

Bidhan completed his B.A. at Patna with Honors in Mathematics. He applied for admission in the Bengal Engineering College and the Calcutta Medical College. He was accepted in both institutions but opted to go to medical school. Bidhan left for Calcutta (presently Kolkata) in June 1901. During his college days, Bidhan came upon an inscription which read, "Whatever thy hands find to do, do it with thy might." Bidhan was deeply impressed by these words and they became a source of inspiration for him throughout his life thereby setting an example for the Indian way of living. Later in his life, Bidhan transformed a chaotic, less developed West Bengal into a more organized state in the Indian Union.

During the British era, due to partition of Bengal, Bengal was divided by the English rulers. Bidhan was still at college at that time. He didn't like the idea of dividing Bengal. Bidhan resisted the idea but he didn’t take part in any sort of resistance movement or agitations. He controlled his emotions and concentrated in his studies realizing that he could serve his nation better by qualifying in his profession.

Immediately after graduation, B.C. Roy joined the Provincial Health Service. He exhibited immense dedication and hard work. Bidhan was more interested in service than himself. He believed that a human life was more valuable than money.

As years passed, Bidhan wanted to improve his knowledge in the field of medicine. He was interested in furthering his education. Bidhan sailed to England aiming to do FRCS. He had only Rs.1200 in his hand when he travelled to England. The Dean rejected his application as he wasn’t interested in a student from Asia, but Bidhan applied continuously for more than 30 times and at last he was given admission. He completed MRCP and FRCS within two years and returned back to India.

Dr. Roy believed that Swaraj would be a distant dream if health isn’t taken care properly. He believed that physical fitness and mental freshness was more important than anything else in this world. Dr. Roy believed that the youth of India would determine the future of the nation. He felt that the youth must not take part in strikes and fasts but should study and commit themselves to work. Dr. Roy once quoted in a public meeting, "My young friends, you are soldiers in the battle of freedom-freedom from want, fear, ignorance, frustration and helplessness. By a dint of hard work for the country, rendered in a spirit of selfless service, may you march ahead with hope and courage...".

When Gandhiji was undergoing a fast in Parnakutivin, Poona in 1933 during the Quit India Movement, Dr. Roy called to take care of his health. Gandhiji refused to take medicine on the grounds that it was not made in India. Gandhiji asked Dr. Roy, "Why should I take your treatment? Do you treat four hundred million of my countrymen free?" Dr. Roy replied, "No Gandhiji, I could not treat all patients free. But I came... not to treat Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but to treat "him" who represents the four hundred million people of my country". Gandhiji accepted his medicine.

After Independence in 1947, Dr. Roy’s name was proposed by Congress for the post of Chief Minister. But Dr.Roy wasn’t interested and he was more interested in his profession than politics. However, upon the advice of Gandhiji he agreed to take up the post. It was a very crucial moment in the history of West Bengal. Due to creation of East Pakistan, Bengal was suffering from shortage of food, commodities, poverty and malnourishment. However, Dr.Roy was optimistic and he believed anything is achievable if dedicated hard work along with smart work could be done to address the situation. He then systematically and calmly began to work on the immense task in front of him.

Within three years law and order was returned to Bengal without compromising the dignity and status of his administration. He told the people in a public meeting, “We have the ability and if we have faith in our future and if we exert ourselves in determination, I am sure that no obstacles, however formidable or insurmountable can stop our progress. We all should work united, keeping our vision clear with a firm grasp and control over our problems”. India honoured Bidhan Chandra Roy with Bharat Ratna in 1961.

-Krishna Kumar.S
Tamilnadu, Chennai