Prafulla Chandra Roy: Bengali Scientist Become great Industrialist During Swadeshi Movement

Swadeshi Movement: 

The Swadeshi  movement, part of the Indian independence movement, was an economic strategy aimed at removing the British Empire from power and improving economic conditions in India by following the principles of swadeshi (self-sufficiency), which had some success. Strategies of the Swadeshi movement involved boycotting British products and the revival of domestic products and production processes.

The Swadeshi Movement started with the partition of Bengal by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, 1905 and continued up to 1908. It was the most successful of the pre-Gandhian movements. Its chief architects were Aurobindo Ghosh, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai. Swadeshi, as a strategy, was a key focus of Mahatma Gandhi, who described it as the soul of Swaraj (self rule). However, there is no corroborative evidence to support the idea that Swadeshi was successful at punishing the British.

Swadeshi -NonCooperation Movement 

Gandiji`s Hand-loom-Spinning (Charkha) was became a Icon of the Swadeshi-Movement (Self -Sustained Economy and Industry within India)

                                            

Swadeshi Industry during the British Rule In India:

Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals:

Bengali Scientist Prafulla Chandra Roy also became successful Industrialist of India

Prafulla Chandra Roy:

Nationwide call for Swadeshi movement involved boycotting British products and use only domestic products that were only manufactured in India, produce fertile ground for Indian Industry. During that period Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy (Noted Bengali Scientist In Chemistry, Writer, Industrialist) took a rented house at 91 Upper Circular Road, Calcutta and started a business named Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BCPL) with a meager capital of Rs 700.00 (Seven Hundreds only).

Since inception of the Company he was very much quality conscious and produced various products of British Pharmacopoeia standard. Eminent Doctors with nationalistic feeling like Dr R G Kar, Dr N R Sarkar, Dr S P Sarbadhikari, Dr Amulya Charan Bose, etc. came forward and patronized the products. The reputation of the Company grew rapidly, and Acharya P C Ray added funds to the Company to increase the scale of production. Soon this business was converted into a Limited Company and on 12 April 1901 the name of the Company became Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Ltd. (BCPW), retaining the same premises at 91 Upper Circular Road, Calcutta.

for production of quality Drugs & Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals with indigenous technology to cater for the needs of millions of common people, foster growth of Indian Industries, compete with imported goods and to become self-sufficient. Incidentally, it may be noted here that some of the products, namely Fire Extinguisher, Surgical & Hospital Instruments, Talcum Powder, Tooth Paste, Glycerin Soap, Carbolic Soap, etc. , which were very popular during that period, were discarded subsequently, considering that products were not remunerative based on prevailing market scenario.

From humble beginning with one Factory in Maniktala (Kolkata) in 1905, three more Factories were established – one in Panihati (North 24 Pargana, West Bengal) in 1920, one in Mumbai in 1938 and one in Kanpur in 1949 with its Registered Office at 6 Ganesh Chunder Avenue, Kolkata – 700 013. Besides, the Company is having 9 (Nine) Sales Outlets and 2 (two) C & F Agencies spread all over India.

Now This company also manufactured such household Indian products as "Hospitol", "naphthalene balls", and "Pheneol". The company is headquartered in Kolkata and reported aggregated revenues of 6,199 lakh (US$124 million) in fiscal 2006.