Pratap Chandra Chunder was a union minister of India, educationist and author. He served in Morarji Desai Ministry

Morarji Desai Ministry

Morarji Desai was sworn in as Prime Minister of India on 24 March 1977. Here is the list of ministers in his ministry with portfolios.- Cabinet ministers :*Morarji Desai-Prime Minister*Charan Singh-Deputy Prime Minister of India-Home...

 from 1977 to 1980 as a cabinet minister with education and social welfare portfolios.

Family and education

Chunder was the son of Nirmal Chandra Chunder, a prominent member of the Indian National Congress in the pre-independence era and a member of the Big Five of the Bengal Congress. He completed his BA (Hons.) in History at Presidency College, Calcutta, ranking first class first, and his LLB at the University of Calcutta

University of Calcutta

The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...

. He was awarded a D. Phil. in Arts from the same university.

Political and Legal career

From an early age he joined the INC and became a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly

West Bengal Legislative Assembly

The West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is housed in the B.B.D. Bagh area of Kolkata —the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people...

 from 1962-68. He was the Finance and Judicial Minister of West Bengal in 1968. From 1977 to 1979 he was the Education and Social Welfare Minister of India.

Chunder was an attorney-at-law in the Calcutta High Court

Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862 under the High Courts Act, 1861. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court...

 and an advocate of the Supreme Court of India

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...

. He was member of Senate and the faculty of law of the Calcutta University between 1961 and 1968.

He was also the Founder-Chairman of West Bengal Heritage Commission. From 2000 to 2005 Chunder was a member of the executive council of the Rabindra Bharati University

Rabindra Bharati University

Rabindra Bharati University is a university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore...

. He was the President of the Presidency College Alumni Association from 1989-90 to 1993-94 and again from 1998-99.

Pratap Chandra Chunder died on January 1, 2008, aged 88.

Publications

Chunder authored many historical novels and dramas. They are:

• Bubhuksha
• Smrtira Alinde
• Job Charnocker Bibi
• Glimpses of Indian Culture: Ancient and Modern
• Kautilya on Love and Morals

External links

• http://www.bagchee.com/books.php?id=19422
• http://www.bookfinder.com/author/pratap-chandra-chunder/
• http://education.nic.in/ministerlistpage.asp
• http://www.headlinesindia.com/more/index.jsp?news_code=67251