Page:Essays and Discourses.djvu/20

vi A CAPTAIN OF INDUSTRY

The story of the foundation and growth of the Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works reads like a romance. It has proved to the world abroad that the Bengalees possess a marvellous brain, that in spite of unfavourable circumstances they can build up a vast industry only by the virtue of perseverance and tenacity. The Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works is a standing monument to the industry and intellectual capacity of Dr. Ray. He had to fight against enormous odds in laying deep the foundation of this business. "The Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works had its birth," observed its founder, "and early struggles in the dark and dingy rooms of a house in Upper Circular Road, and it started with the modest sum of Rs. 800." It was about twenty-six years ago that Dr. Ray launched this new industry. Though he was then a Professor of the Presidency College, his income only amounted to Rs. 250 a month. He had in those days to pay off some ancestral debts, besides his charity was never restricted to one or two students. With this meagre income, he worked wonders in the field of industry. Many young men complain of the lack of sufficient capital to carry on a business, but here is a concrete example of one of the greatest sons of Bengal who managed to establish a good business even without sufficient funds. One of the many causes which go to work out the failure of many an indigenous industry in India is the lack of purpose and firm determination. When the wave of Swadeshi enthusiasm passed over the country, there came to light many new industries, but how many of them are found now in a prosperous condition? How many have survived in the struggle for existence? Their number can be counted on one's finger's ends. The industry set up