Born on 6th September, 1889, Sarat Chandra Bose's life was multi-fceted. Law was his profession. He rose to the top and was called a "Prince of Barristers". He joined the Indian National Congress in 1919 and was always in the Vortex of the freedom strugle. He led the Congress Party and was Leader of the Opposition inthe Bengal Legislative Assembly for many years. He was President of Bengal Provincial Congress Committee. He was Leader of Congress Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Central Legislative Assembly after elections in 1946 till transfer of power in 1947. He was a member of the Congress Working Commitee and became a member of the Congress Central Parliamentary Board in 1946, sparing no efforts to bring in the Congress Party with a massive majority. He became member of the Interim Cabinet, but resigned to allow Muslim League members to join the Cabinet. An excellent journalist, he took charge of the paper "Forward" renamed "Liberty" started by Deshbandhu. Later, e brought out daily papers "The Nation" and the Bengali issue "Mahajati".

He suffered incarceration for two terms. He gave up his lucrative practive and joined the Civil Disobedience Movement. He was imprisoned from February 1932 to September 1935. He was a source of inspiration to the revolutionaries and extended financial and other support to them. He was the defence council for some of the accused in the famous Chittagong Armoury Raid Case. In 1941, he endeavoured to unite the Hindus and Muslims and with Fazlul Haque formed the Progressive Coalition Party which assumed power in Bengal. On the eve of his joining the Ministry, he was arrested in December 1941 and imprisoned till September, 1945. The mentor and guiding spirit behind his brother Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, he participated in the fredom struggle side by side with him. He resigned from the Indian National Congress to the agree partition of the country and formed the Socialist Republican Party and fought hard and alone for an United India.

An astute statesman, he could visualise the aftermath of Partition. He was the pioneer in the movement for unification and consolidation of the leftist forces in India and succeeded in launching the United Socialist Organisation, in which many leftist parties joined. He passed away on the 20th February, 1950, fighting till the last for realising his principles. His dauntless spirit knew no compromise. A statesman, philosopher, a sensitive thinker, a man of action, a child of Indian Renaissance - that was Sarat Chandra Bose.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India