Page:Essays and Discourses.djvu/21

vii by Dr. Ray many years before the Swadeshi awakening, however, is still as full of hope and promise as ever.

That "dark and dingy" room saw the birth of this new industry. There could be found in those days various utensils strewn about containing sulphuric acid here and nitric acid there, all in the process of distillation. The young workers were busy in making thousand and one things and in carrying out experiments.

Fortunately for Dr. Ray, he received the cooperation and assistance of a few able workers, who were ready to do their "bit" for the benefit of chemical industry in India. First came his old friend, Dr. Amulya Charan Bose. He was a sincere worker in this field. He assisted Dr. Ray with all his heart and never looked for gain. Actuated by the love of country, his aim was always free from gross personal motives. Another young worker, Satish Chandra Sinha, joined them soon after passing the M. A. examination. He was really a martyr in the cause of science, for shortly after he died of prussic acid poisoning. Another silent worker was Prof. Chandra Bhusan Bhaduri, who never advertised himself. It has been maintained that when the story of the development of the chemical industry in Bengal comes to be written, his name is sure to obtain a high rank as one of the early promoters and pioneers.

Thus the Company, originally started as a small private concern for the manufacture of medicines and other chemical preparations, has now rapidly increased its many-sided activities. Year after year the Company made large strides and now it stands as one of the most successful industries in India. "With the recent expansions which have already been taken in