Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee (or Rajen Mookerjee; 23 June 1854 – 15 May 1936) was a pioneering

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 ...

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 ...

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), (1976/1998), ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, , p 470,

Early life

Rajendra Nath Mookerjee was raised by his mother after his father died when he was six. He studied engineering for three years at present day

Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur ( abbr. IIEST Shibpur) is a public technological university located at Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, India. Founded in 1856, it is one of Institute of National Importance funded ...

then located at

Presidency College, Calcutta Presidency University, formerly Presidency College, is a public state university located in College Street, Kolkata. Established in 1817 as the ''Hindoo College'', it was later renamed ''Presidency College'' in 1855 and functioned as a leadi ...

. He started as a contractor and later earned fame as an engineer and businessman. Kaoratala Burning ghat in Kolkata 15

Achievements

Along with Sir Thomas Acquin Martin, he founded Martin & Co. and contributed to the success of Bengal Iron at

Kulti Kulti is a neighbourhood in Asansol. Asansol is located in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is governed by Asansol Municipal Corporation. Geography Kulti is located at latitude 23°43'60N and longitude 86°50' ...

. Undertaken Burn & Company , and Jessop after his company's huge success. Later he joined G.H.Fairhurst in founding the iron works of The Indian Iron and Steel Company at

Burnpur Burnpur is a captive township of SAIL, the area covered by IISCO Steel Plant and its surroundings in Asansol of Paschim Bardhaman district, in the heart of the mining-industrial belt in the western periphery of the state of West Bengal, India. ...

. Present Day's Garden Reach Ship Builders and Hooghly Dock are also his contributions. Among his achievements were the construction of Palta water works and the

Victoria Memorial The Victoria Memorial is a large marble monument in the Maidan in Central Kolkata (Calcutta), having its entrance on the Queen's Way. It was built between 1906 and 1921 by the British Raj. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria, the ...

and Howrah Bridge(Old) at Kolkata, Later His Company developed the Bridge in 1945 to a Cantilever Bridge which is now called as Rabindra Setu. He pioneered the laying down and operations of

Martin's Light Railways Martin's Light Railways (MLR) consisted of seven narrow-gauge railway lines in the states of West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India. The railways were built and owned by Martin & Co., which was a British company. Later, it was being ope ...

. He visited England for the first time in 1901 and later several times more in connection with his business. Beside Business he Also Founded Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) with inspiration of Prasanta Chandra Mohalanobis

Honours and awards

In 1908, Mookerjee was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...

(CIE). In 1911, he became

sheriff of Kolkata The Sheriff of Kolkata is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Kolkata (Calcutta). The Sheriff has an office and staff in Calcutta High Court but does not have executive powers. Mumbai (Bo ...

. Also in 1911, he was knighted with the KCIE. In 1922, Mookerjee was further honoured with the dignity of a Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(KCVO). In 1931, the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

honoured him with an honorary D.Sc. (Engineering). He presided over the 8th session of

Indian Science Congress Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Calcutta and it meets annually in the first week of January. It h ...

held at Kolkata in 1921.

Personal life

Mookerjee was married when he was still in his early teens to eleven-year-old Jadumati Devi, a girl of his own caste and similar background, in a match arranged by their families. They had three sons: #Jitendra Nath Mookerjee was his eldest son # Sir Biren Mookerjee, the second son #Mahendra Nath Mookerjee was his youngest son His grandsons, Ramen Mookerjee and Robin Mookerjee, took over the reins of Martin Burn & Co. after the death of his sons.

Monuments

A main thoroughfare in

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 ...

is named after him as Rajendra Nath Mukherjee Road abbreviated as R. N. Mukherjee Road, earlier known as Mission Row. A statue of Sir R.N. Mukherjee was situated in Victoria Memorial premises.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mookerjee, Rajen 1854 births 1936 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Presidency University, Kolkata alumni University of Calcutta alumni People from North 24 Parganas district Businesspeople in steel 20th-century Indian engineers Businesspeople in construction Indian people in rail transport Indian industrialists Presidents of The Asiatic Society 19th-century Indian engineers Businesspeople from Kolkata 19th-century Indian businesspeople 20th-century Indian businesspeople Rajendra Sheriffs of Kolkata Bengali knights Indian Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Engineers from British India Businesspeople from British India People from the Bengal Presidency