Krishna Chandra Das (

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: কৃষ্ণচন্দ্র দাশ; 1869–1934), also known as K.C. Das, was a Bengali

confectioner Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewh ...

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

, and

businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...

who modernised traditional

Bengali sweets Bengali cuisine is the culinary style of Bengal, that comprises Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, and Assam's Karimganj district. The cuisine has been shaped by the region's diverse history and climate. It is known for its varied ...

. Born in 1869 in

Bagbazar Bagbazar (also spelt Baghbazar) is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighb ...

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, Das was the only son of the Bengali confectioner and inventor

Nobin Chandra Das Nobin Chandra Das (1845–1925) was a Bengali confectioner, popularly referred as the " Columbus of Rossogolla". Early life and career Nobin Chandra was born in 1845. In 1864, driven by poverty and with little provision to complete his ed ...

. He is credited with creating " ''Rasmalai (रस मलाई)''" and inventing canned "''

Rasgulla Rasgulla (literally "syrup filled ball") is a syrupy dessert popular in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of South Asia. It is made from ball-shaped dumplings of chhena dough, cooked in light sugar syrup. This is done until the syrup perm ...

(रसगुल्ला)''". These were popularized by his family company, K.C. Das Private Limited, founded by his son,

Sarada Charan Das Sarada Charan Das (15 May 1906 – 6 September 1992) was an Indian Bengali polymath, scientist, confectioner, entrepreneur and businessman. He was the youngest son and successor of Krishna Chandra Das (K.C. Das) and the grandson of the Bengali ...

Early life and career

Das was born into a family of confectioners on both sides—his father was Nobin Chandra Das and his mother was Khridmoni Devi. His great-grandfather Bholanath Dey, better known as "Bhola Moira," was a professional confectioner and a poet-minstrel.

Later life and family

Das was married to Swetangini Devi, with whom he had five sons and one daughter. In 1930, he opened his first shop "Krishna Chandra Das Confectioner," in partnership with his youngest son

Contributions and legacy

Das is widely credited with inventing '

Ras Malai Ras malai, also known as rasamalei, or roshmalai, is a dessert that originated in the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent. The dessert is called ''roshmalai'' in Bengali, ''ras malai'' in Hindi, and ''rasa malei'' in Odia. It is popular in In ...

' (also known as ''Rossomalai'') and pioneering the concept of canned '

Rosogolla Rasgulla (literally "syrup filled ball") is a syrupy dessert popular in the eastern part of South Asia. It is made from ball-shaped dumplings of chhena dough, cooked in light sugar syrup. This is done until the syrup permeates the dumplings ...

' (Rasgulla), though he is often mistakenly credited with inventing ''Rasgulla'' itself. It was actually created by his father Nobin Chandra Das. To market the Rasmalai, Das opened a new confectionery shop in

Jorasanko Jorasanko is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. It is so called because of the two (''jora'') wooden or bamboo bridges (''sanko'') that spanned a small stream at this point. History Apart from the distin ...

in 1930 with his youngest son Sarada Charan Das. From this location, he promoted canned Rasgulla, which was reportedly the first canned dessert manufactured in India. Krishna Chandra Das died in 1934, entrusting the company's operations to his son Sarada Charan Das. Today, K.C. Das Private Limited is known for its products such as Rasgulla and Rasmalai.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Das, K.C. 1869 births 1934 deaths Culture of Bengal Businesspeople from Kolkata Indian confectionery Bengali Hindus Businesspeople from British India

Early life and career

Later life and family

Contributions and legacy

See also

References