Geometry of Conics

Ashutosh Mukherjee 1864 – 1924

In 1883 he came first in the BA examination at Calcutta Univer-

sity and was awarded the Premchand-Raichand scholarship to

complete a postgraduate degree in mathematics. Two years later

he also acquired an MA in physics, making him the first student

to be awarded a dual degree from Calcutta University.

At the age of 24, Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee became a Fellow of the

Calcutta University and soon transformed it from an examining

body into a great teaching and research centre. He was Vice-

Chancellor from 1906 to 1914 and again from 1921 to 1923 but

dominated the University affairs throughout his life. He has an

eye for talent and among his "discoveries" were Dr. C.V. Raman

and Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. His son Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

carried aloft the torch of Indian Culture. He donated his personal

collection of 80,000 books to the National (then known as Impe-

rial) Library, Kolkotha.(Then Culcutta)