Ansuma Basumatary at 19:15, 28 January 2026

2026-01-28T19:15:39Z

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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Atulya Ghosh
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1904|8|28|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Jejur]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1986|4|18|1904|8|28|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| occupation = Political leader
| spouse = Bibhabati Devi
}}

'''Atulya Ghosh''' (28 August 1904 – 18 April 1986) was a Bengali Indian politician.<ref name= "Bose8">Bose, Anjali (editor), 1996/2004, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol II, {{in lang|bn}}, pp8-9, {{ISBN|81-86806-99-7}}</ref> He has been described as "a wise, scholarly and honest leader who was a superb political organizer. "<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnist&file_name=KARLEKAR73.txt&writer=KARLEKAR&validit=yes
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927033901/http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnist&file_name=KARLEKAR73.txt&writer=KARLEKAR&validit=yes
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 2007-09-27
| title = Election sans commotion
| access-date = 2007-02-22
| last = Karlekar
| first = Hiranmay
| work = Columnists
| publisher = The Pioneer 22 February 2007
}}</ref>

==Formative years==
He was born in a [[Kayastha]] Family on 28 August 1904. The family hailed from [[Jejur]] in [[Hooghly district]]. In the early 1920s, he quit studies to become a Congress ''[[khadi]]'' (hand spun cloth became a symbol of self-reliance) worker.<ref name="Sengupta">{{cite news|url=http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2004-08-15&usrsess=1344163791769&clid=4&id=79542 |title=A much maligned man |access-date=2007-02-21 |last=Sengupta |first=Sukharanjan |work=Tribute to Atulya Ghosh, the forgotten freedom fighter |publisher=The Statesman 15 August 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929123809/http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2004-08-15&usrsess=1344163791769&clid=4&id=79542 |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref>

He was a member first of the Calcutta and then Hooghly district [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] committees. During this period he also came in contact with Bhupendranath Dutta (brother of Narendranath Dutta, better known as Swami Vivekananda). According to his own admission in his autobiography ( Kashtokalpito) he was fully converted to the Gandhian mode of struggle by Vijay Modak, a well known philanthropist and Congress organizer of the Hooghly district. According to him, he started out on his political career as a "grassroots" worker with one of his first duties being carrying ladders and putting up political posters (Kashtokalpito). In 1930, he was arrested as a suspect in the murder case of a policeman in Midnapore but was released because of lack of evidence. He had to go underground for some time as during this period the British government of India used various acts to justify physical repression or elimination of political activists not necessarily involved in armed movements. (autobiography - Kashtokalpito). He spent two years hiding out with the family of a fisherman sharing their life (Kashtokalpito). During the Quit India movement of 1942 he was arrested and lost one eye in jail, as a result of police action on detainees inside the jail on protest strike when a baton was inserted into one eye. During the same period he contracted spinal tuberculosis and had to be hospitalized. He suffered from mis-advertent administration of drugs while in jail, but reportedly officially forgave the British surgeon in charge when the latter apologized (autobiography - Kashtokalpito). On his release he was diagnosed with severe malnutrition and was instructed to maintain a minimal body weight by the reputed physician and Congress leader and the second Chief minister of West Bengal of independent India, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (autobiography-Kashtakalpito). He became editor of the weekly Janasevak in 1945. It was converted to a daily in 1949.<ref name= "Bose8"/>

For some time he worked in the Hooghly bank, founded by the Congress leader Dhirendra Nath Mukherji. In 1947, he organized a Congress Seva Dal camp at Howrah station to assist elderly AICC members.<ref name= "Sengupta"/>

==At the helm==
In 1948, he became general secretary of the West Bengal state Congress committee, assuming charge as its president two years later. He joined the Congress Working Committee in 1950.<ref name= "Bose8"/> In 1952 he was elected to the Lok Sabha from [[Burdwan (Lok Sabha constituency)|Bardhaman]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok01/state/01lswb.htm | title =Members of First Lok Sabha
| access-date = 2007-02-21 | last = | first = | work =State-wise list | publisher = Parliament of India}}</ref> and in 1957 <ref>{{cite web | url = http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok02/state/02lswb.htm | title =Members of Second Lok Sabha
| access-date = 2007-02-21 | last = | first = | work =State-wise list | publisher = Parliament of India}}</ref> and 1962 <ref>{{cite web | url = http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok03/state/03lswb.htm | title =Members of Third Lok Sabha
| access-date = 2007-02-21 | work =State-wise list | publisher = Parliament of India| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070128105627/http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok03/state/03lswb.htm| archive-date= 28 January 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> from [[Asansol (Lok Sabha constituency)|Asansol]]. In 1967, he lost from the [[Bankura (Lok Sabha constituency)]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99jul26/edit.htm
| title = Editorial page | access-date = 2007-02-21 | last = Bhattacharya | first = Shubhabrata
| work = Amoeba called the Janata Dal | publisher = The Tribune 26 July 1999 }}</ref>

He also served as the treasurer of the AICC (All India Congress Committee) for some time. He lent his support for the selection of [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] as prime minister after [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]]’s death and then of [[Indira Gandhi]]. When the Congress old guard fell off with Indira Gandhi, he was with them as part of what was called the ‘syndicate’ and then formed [[Indian National Congress (Organisation)]].<ref name= "Bose8"/>

== Retirement days ==
In 1971, he retired from politics and led an active life spending much of his time founding and organizing the B.C.Roy Memorial Committee under whose auspices land was acquired in eastern Kolkata to form a children's garden and activity centre named the Bidhan Shishu Udyan. Although detached from active politics, he maintained friendly relations with many of his former political colleagues, such as Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, who visited the Udyan when he was the President of India. Although he used to be heavily criticized by the communists and socialists in his active days, it was the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] leader [[Benoy Choudhury]], who often met him in his retirement days.<ref name= "Sengupta"/>

== Works ==
* ''Patrabali''
* ''Kastakalpito''
* ''Sampradayik Samasya''
* ''Nairajyabadir Dristite Gandhiji''<ref name= "Bose8"/>
* ''Ahimsa and Gandhi''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ghosh|first=Atulya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_7QQAQAAIAAJ|title=Ahimsa and Gandhi|date=1954|publisher=Congress Bhawan|language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{First to Tenth Lok Sabha, West Bengal}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghosh, Atulya}}
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Politicians from Hooghly district]]
[[Category:India MPs 1952–1957]]
[[Category:India MPs 1957–1962]]
[[Category:India MPs 1962–1967]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from West Bengal]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress (Organisation) politicians]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal]]
[[Category:People from Asansol]]

Atulya Ghosh - Revision history

Ansuma Basumatary at 19:15, 28 January 2026