Amiya Charan Banerjee (Bengali: অমিয় চরণ ব্যানার্জি) (b. 23 January 1891 — 31 May 1968) was a mathematician and educator popularly known as A.C.Banerjee or simply as Professor Banerjee. Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ...

Early life

Family background

His father Gyan Chandra Banerjee was a meritorious student of Presidency College and was a class mate of Narendranath Dutta (later Swami Vivekananda) when they studied law. He belonged to the zemindar family of Maheshtala in 24 Parganas district, now in West Bengal. While a student he was attracted to the Brahmo Samaj, after listening to some of the speeches of Keshub Chunder Sen. When he converted to Brahmo Samaj, his father tried to get him back to the house by force but when he failed to do so, he disinherited him. He joined the judicial service in Bihar and lived an independent life undeterred by what others thought and did. He married Mrinalini, daughter of the Brahmo leader Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee. Swami Vivekananda( स्वामी विवेकानंद )(Bengali: স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ Shami Bibekanondo) (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902), whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta (Bengali: নরেন্দ্রনাথ দত্ত Nôrendronath Dhat-tha), was one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga and a major figure in the history of Hinduism and... Keshub Chunder Sen Keshub Chandra Sen (Bengali: কেশব চন্দ্র সেন Keshob Chôndro Shen) (also spelt Keshab Chunder Sen) (1838-1884) was a Bengali intellectual and a noted religious reformer. ... Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee (Bengali: ) was a renowned Brahmo reformer. ...

Education

Amiya Charan Banerjee was born on 23rd January 1891 in his maternal grandfather’s house at Bhagalpur. As his father had a transferable job, he was educated mostly at Bhagalpur Zilla School. He stood first in the matriculation examination and joined Presidency College, Kolkata. He was all through a topper and on completing his post graduation in mathematics, won a Bihar Government scholarship to go to England. He became a Wrangler and foundation scholar from Clare College, Cambridge. At the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, a wrangler is a student who has completed the third year (called Part II) of the Mathematical Tripos with first-class honours. ... Full name Clare College Motto - Named after Elizabeth de Clare Previous names University Hall (1326), Clare Hall (1338), Clare College (1856) Established 1326 Sister College(s) Oriel College St Hughs College Master Prof. ...

Nilamani Senapati, a fellow student at Cambridge, and later his brother-in-law and chief secretary of Orissa, described him as being called ‘Father Banerjee’ at Cambridge for his most amiable nature.

Achievements

On his return to the country, he spent some time in Patna but as there was no suitable post vacant for him, he went to Allahabad and started his teaching career as a professor. Allahabad University was a great centre of learning, buzzing with scientists such as Meghnad Saha and Nil Ratan Dhar. Prof. Banerjee made notable contributions in the field of astro-physics and galactic dynamics. He was vice-chancellor of Allahabad University from 1953-55. He was examiner for doctoral thesis for several universities in India and abroad, and went abroad a number of times on lecture tours. Government of India had assigned to him a project for studying the observatories in Europe and America and for recommending improvements of Indian observatories. On retirement he helped to develop Sri Chaitanya College at Habra in West Bengal. He presided over the All India Brahmo Conference held in 1957. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Meghnad Saha (मेघनाथ साहा) (October 6, 1893 – February 16, 1956) was an Indian astrophysicist. ...

Prof. Banerjee was nominated president of the 56th session of the Indian Science Congress to be held at Mumbai in 1969 but he died prematurely on 31st May 1968. The road in front of his house in Allahabad was named after him.

Marriage and children

He had married Probha, daughter of Braja Kumar and Chanchala Niyogi of Hazaribagh in 1920. She was actively involved in social welfare activities, was a commissioner of Allahabad municipality and was a woman magistrate, who held court at home. Hazaribagh town is the divisional headquarters of South Chota Nagpur division and headquarters of Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand state, India. ...

His elder son Kalyan Banerjee died prematurely when he was deputy managing director of State Bank of India. His daughter, Arati, was married to N.R.Dutt, a successful business manager in the steel industry. Milon Banerjee, Attorney General of India, is his younger son. The Attorney General of India is the Indian governments chief legal advisor, and its primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. ...

Reference

• Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical dictionary) in Bengali edited by Subodh Chandra Sengupta and Anjali Bose