In order to commemorate the priceless contributions to the Indian iron and steel industry and, in particular, to Tata Steel, the company today paid floral tribute to the legendary Pramatha Nath Bose (P N Bose). This tribute marked the 154th birth anniversary of the man whose very own research for iron ore deposits led the Founder, J N Tata, to put up an industrial base in Sakchi, now a part of the steel city of Jamshedpur.

On this occasion, the Managing Director, Mr B Muthuraman; Executive Director, India and South East Asia, Mr H M Nerurkar and President, Tata Workers’ Union, Mr Raghunath Pandey garlanded the bust of P N Bose near Armoury Ground and paid their homage. Also present on the occasion were other senior officials, employees as well as union representatives.

Recalling Mr Bose’s contributions, Mr. B Muthuraman said, “It is befitting that today we honour the great man on his birth anniversary. Tata’s name is synonymous with economic revolution in modern India but very few know about P N Bose. Without his painstaking research and the historical letter recommending J N Tata to put up industrial base in ‘Sakchi’, Tata Steel would not have seen the light of the day.”

Born on May 12, 1855 in a remote village of Gaipur, in 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, Geologist Late P. N. Bose graduated in Science from London University and passed out from the Royal School of Mines the following year in 1878. During his years as geologist, he discovered iron ore mines in Dhulli and Rajhara in Madhya Pradesh. The most outstanding achievement of his life was the discovery of iron ore deposits in the hills of Gorumahisani in the state of Mayurbhanj. Following the discovery, Late P N Bose wrote a letter to Mr J N Tata on February 24, 1904 which led to the establishment of Tata Iron and Steel Company at Sakchi.

Bose has several firsts to his credit. He was the first Indian graduate in science from a British University; first to discover petroleum in Assam; first to set up a soap factory in India and also the first to introduce micro sections as an aid to petrological work. He was also the first Indian to hold a graded position in the Geological Survey of India where he served with distinction. As a man of science, he had constantly taken up the cause of technical education in the country. His efforts also catalysed the foundation of the Bengal Technical Institute which is better known as the Jadavpur University today of which Bose was the first honourary principal.