Amal Raychaudhuri, the pride of Bengal - GetBengal Story

In the year of 2020, Bengal received a news that Roger Penrose had won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on black holes. The world praised him.But very few know that his theory stood on the work of a Bengali scientist—Amal Raychaudhuri.

Amal Raychaudhuri was born on 23rd September, 1923, in Kolkata. From childhood, mathematics was his favorite subject - his language. He studied at Presidency College and later completed his Master’s from Calcutta University.

After that, he joined the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science. He researched there for four years. But depression troubled him, and he left. Later, he joined Ashutosh College as a lecturer.

At Ashutosh College, Professor N.R. Sen taught his students relativity. Amal Raychaudhuri, with his help, also learned relativity theory. Slowly, he worked on his own and created something historic—the Raychaudhuri Equation.

This was not just any equation. It explained how space and time bend. It showed how the universe changes with time, and it even pointed to singularity—the same idea that later became part of the Big Bang theory.

Two years later, his equation was published in international journals. Suddenly, a teacher from Kolkata had entered the world stage. His work became the foundation for many great scientists.

Stephen Hawking used his equation. Roger Penrose also built his Nobel-winning theory with its help. Imagine—Penrose, the great physicist of the West, relied on the mathematics of Amal Raychaudhuri from Bengal.

Amal Raychaudhuri never had modern equipment. He worked with chalk, paper, and a deep love for maths. Still, his mind created something that changed science forever.

He never became famous. He never won awards. But his equation gave wings to others. And today, whenever we talk about black holes, singularity, or the beginning of the universe, we are also talking about his work.

Amal Raychaudhuri may not have the Nobel. But his legacy is clear. A quiet teacher from Kolkata gave the world a key to understand the cosmos. And that is something Bengal should never forget.