Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, Statistician
Statistician

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis

Born 29 June 1893 · West Bengal — Died 28 June 1972

Developed the Mahalanobis distance, a key statistical measure used worldwide.

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis OBE, FNA, FASc, FRS was an Indian scientist and statistician. He is best remembered for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure, and for being one of the members of the first Planning Commission of free India. He made pioneering studies in anthropometry in India. He founded the Indian Statistical Institute, and contributed to the design of large-scale sample surveys.

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A detail that
surprised us

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Mahalanobis interacted with Srinivasa Ramanujan during Ramanujan's time at Cambridge, linking two great Indian minds in early 20th-century science.

The Story

1
In 1913, after missing his train, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis unexpectedly stayed at King's College, Cambridge, where he shifted from physics to statistics and met mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.
2
🌟 In 1927, Mahalanobis founded the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata, which became a hub for statistical research and introduced large-scale sample surveys in India.
3By 1944, his pioneering work in anthropometry used statistical methods to study human physical variations in India, laying foundations for health and social research.
4As a member of the first Planning Commission of independent India from 1950, he designed the Mahalanobis model, prioritizing heavy industries like steel and machinery for the Second Five-Year Plan in 1956.

🏅 Awards & Honours

1968
Padma Vibhushan
—
Fellow of the Royal Society

🔍 One thing most people don't know

“

In 1913, Mahalanobis missed his train to London and stayed at King's College, Cambridge, where he met Srinivasa Ramanujan and shifted his academic focus from physics to statistics.

🖼️

Through the Years

3 photographs from the archives
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis with Rani Mahalanobis and Leonard K. Elmhirst in Calcutta, 1924.
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis with Rani Mahalanobis and Leonard K. Elmhirst in Calcutta, 1924.
1924
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis with Niels Bohr at the Indian Statistical Institute in 1960.
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis with J. K. Galbraith and L. B. Johnson in New Delhi, 1961.

🗓️ A Life in Moments

🕊️
Birth
Born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis was born into a socially active Bengali Brahmin family at 210 Cornwallis Street, Calcutta.
1893
📚
Education
Graduated B.Sc. in Physics
Mahalanobis graduated with honours in physics from Presidency College, University of Calcutta.
1912
📚
Education
Joined King's College, Cambridge
After missing a train to London, Mahalanobis stayed at King's College and eventually joined it, meeting Srinivasa Ramanujan.
1913
⚡
Career
Founded Indian Statistical Institute
Mahalanobis established the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata, pioneering statistical research in India.
1931
📖
Publication
Introduced Mahalanobis Distance
He published the concept of Mahalanobis distance, a multivariate statistical measure.
1936
⚡
Career
Joined First Planning Commission
Mahalanobis became a member of independent India’s first Planning Commission, influencing economic policy.
1950
🌟
Other
Second Five-Year Plan launched
Mahalanobis’s planning model shaped India’s focus on heavy industries like steel and machinery during the Second Plan.
1956
🏅
Award
Awarded Padma Vibhushan
Mahalanobis received one of India’s highest civilian honors for his scientific and planning contributions.
1968
🕊️
Death
Passed away in Kolkata
Mahalanobis died one day before his 79th birthday, leaving a lasting legacy in statistics and planning.
1972
More moments to come...
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 05
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

The Mahalanobis distance, introduced in 1936, is still widely used in modern data science for measuring similarity between complex datasets.

02 / 05
🌍HISTORICAL IMPACT

Mahalanobis’s grandfather, Gurucharan, was a Brahmo Samaj leader who married a widow in 19th-century Bengal, defying social norms of the time.

03 / 05
🌍HISTORICAL IMPACT

In 1956, Mahalanobis’s economic model prioritized heavy industry like steel production over agriculture, influencing the direction of India’s Second Five-Year Plan.

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🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
B.U. Jhansi : Documentary Film on Father of Indian Statistics P.C. Mahalanobis by Dr. Anjali Saxena
·YouTube
More from this archive
B.U. Jhansi : Documentary Film on Father of Indian Statistics P.C. Mahalanobis by Dr. Anjali Saxena
01
B.U. Jhansi : Documentary Film on Father of Indian Statistics P.C. Mahalanobis by Dr. Anjali Saxena
YouTube
prasanta chandra mahalanobis // FATHER OF STATATICS
02
prasanta chandra mahalanobis // FATHER OF STATATICS
YouTube

🌱 What changed because of them

Mahalanobis founded the Indian Statistical Institute, which remains a premier institution for statistical research and education. His statistical model influenced India's Second Five-Year Plan, shaping the country's industrial focus and economic policies. The Mahalanobis distance remains a fundamental tool in statistics and data science worldwide.

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