Kishori Mohan Bandyopadhyay


''Kishori Mohan Bandyopadhyay was an Indian social activist and writer.

Early life and education

Social Services

He was a noted social worker of that time. He under the influence of the revolutionary Mokhyada Charan Samadhyayi started gymnasium in the village of Panihati. In 1908 he married the sister of Anadinath Chatterjee of Panihati. Then he started living in the house of Anadinath in Panihati which was in the opposite side of Nilambati, Panihat. At present, it is demolished for the construction of a new apartment.The gymnasium started by Kishori Mohan became the Panihati Club in 1914 and it is still now active as a social organisation. IN 1918 Dr Gopal Chandra Chattopadhyay strated a public health movement to control the epidemic of Malaria. Kishori Mohan became his ardent co worker. In 1918, a meeting of the villagers were called at the hall of the Trannath High School of Panihati. There Dr. Gopal Chandra Chattopadhyay established that malaria can be controlled through sanitary conscience of the common people. Anti Malaria Cooperative Society was forrmed for the first time in village level in India at Panihati on 24 March, 1918 with only 27 people. Dr Gopal Chandra Chattopadhyay was the first President of the organisation while Kishori Mohan Bandopahyay was the first Secretary. Within three monthes by cleaning ponds, drains of the village and removing garbage and spraying Kerosene oil they controlled Malaria. Ir was a deadly disease at that time claiming lives of hundreds every year in the village. This success story encouraged the villagers of the neighborhood and Anti Malaria Cooperative Societies were formed. That movement resulted in the formation of the Central Anti Malaria Cooperative Society in a meeting held on 8 April, 1919 at Rammohan Library Hall in Calcutta. The Central; society got Dr. Kailash Chandra Bose as President and DR. Gopal Chandra Chattopadhyay as Secretary. Kishorimohan continued as the Secretary of the Panihati Society till 1923. He became busy in propagating the message of sanitary conscience throughout undivided Bengal with the help of Magic Lantern. The Central Society started its own bi-lingual monthly journal 'Sonar Bangla' under the Editorship of Bipin Chandra Pal, noted freedom fighter and Dr. Gopal Chandra Chattopadhyay. Kishori Mohan was aregular contributor of this journal. He was awarded by a Gold Medel at the Annual Meeting of the Society for his contributions in the movement. In 1928 Dr. Gopal Chandra Chatterjee started the movement of home crofting. Kishori Mohan contributed a lot to make this movement also a successful one. Kishori Mohan Bandyopadhyay, with friends, founded The Panihati Cooperative Bank in 1927. He was elected by the villagers in the Panihati Municipality as Commissioner twice.

Awards and honors

He was awarded by a Gold Medal for his contribution in anti Malaria work at the annual conference of the Central anti Malaria Cooperative Society.
Panihati municipality has a street named Kishori Mohan Banerjee Road.

Death

However, his health could not permit this over working and soon he became ill due to long hours of working. He suffered from Pneumonia and later from Meningitis. At the age of 46 he breathed his last in his Panihati residence on 20 August, 1929. He had wife and 6 children. A condolence meeting in his memory was held on 1 September, 1929 at Trannath High School.