Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893–1972), born on June 29, 1893, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), hailed from an educated Bengali family from Dhaka, Bengal Presidency (now Bangladesh).
He received his early education at Brahmo Boys School before enrolling at Presidency College, Calcutta, where he studied physics under luminaries like Jagadish Chandra Bose, and Prafulla Chandra.
His academic journey continued at Cambridge University, where he initially pursued physics, but developed a profound interest in statistics after encountering the Biometrika journal, founded by Karl Pearson, Francis Galton, and Raphael Weldon in 1901.
This pivotal moment sparked his lifelong dedication to statistics.
In 1931, Mahalanobis established the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Calcutta, transforming it into a globally recognised hub for statistical research, training, and applications.
The ISI marked a significant milestone in institutionalising statistics in India. To further advance statistical scholarship, Mahalanobis founded Sankhyā in 1933, an influential journal that gained international acclaim for its contributions to statistical theory and practice.
Mahalanobis introduced the Mahalanobis distance in 1936, a groundbreaking multivariate measure that quantifies the distance between a point and a distribution. This tool became foundational in fields like multivariate analysis, pattern recognition, and machine learning, with applications spanning genetics to artificial intelligence, cementing his legacy in statistical theory.
Emphasising practical applications of statistics, Mahalanobis championed large-scale sample surveys as a cost-effective, and scientifically robust alternative to complete enumeration.
Under his leadership, India developed one of the world’s largest coordinated survey systems. He played a key role in establishing the National Sample Survey (NSS) in 1950, and the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) in 1951, which became pillars of India’s official statistical framework.
Mahalanobis’s vision extended to economic policy, notably as a member of the Planning Commission of India in 1955. He was instrumental in shaping the Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61), introducing the Feldman–Mahalanobis model, which prioritised rapid industrialisation through investments in heavy and capital goods industries.
Though debated, this strategy significantly influenced India’s economic trajectory during its early post-independence years.
Globally, Mahalanobis shaped statistical methodology through his work with the United Nations Sub-Commission on Sampling (1947–1951), influencing international standards in survey design. His contributions earned him widespread recognition, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1945, and the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, in 1968.
Mahalanobis passed away on June 28, 1972, in Calcutta, just before his 79th birthday. His enduring legacy is celebrated annually on June 29, recognised as “Statistics Day” in India to promote the role of statistics in socio-economic development.
By blending intellectual rigour with practical applications, Mahalanobis remains a towering figure in modern statistics, institution-building, and national planning.