National Statistics Day is celebrated on June 29 to commemorate the birth anniversary of 'father of Indian statistics', PC Mahalanobis. The brilliant man who was responsible for creating Mahalanobis distance - a formula used to find the distance between a point and a distribution - was born on June 29, 1893, in Calcutta in West Bengal. The first statistics day was celebrated in 2006 to honour the brilliant scientist and statistician whose works in statistics has inspired scores of statisticians across the world. This day also recognises the contributions of people in this particular field. In celebration of this day, here’s everything you need to know about the gifted man who is credited with designing a planned India.

Who is PC Mahalanobis?

PC Mahalanobis was a brilliant statistician and scientist born on June 29, 1893, in Calcutta in West Bengal. Mahalanobis did his Bachelor in Science degree from Presidency College in Calcutta where he garnered immense knowledge from brilliant teachers and scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose and Prafulla Chandra Ray. He later went on to study famous King’s College, Cambridge, where he met ingenious mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. A chance encounter with Biometrika - a journal on theoretical statistics - led him to pursue the path of statistics that can break down and create solutions for complex issues. He left an indelible mark in the world with extraordinary contributions to statistics including Mahalanobis Distance and ‘Fractile Graphical Analysis’ which compares socio-economic conditions between different groups of people.

Here Are 5 Things To Know About The Brilliant Statistician On His Birth Anniversary

  • In the 1920's following Mahalanobis return from England, he took up a teaching position in the physics department of Presidency College, Calcutta, and also set up a statistical laboratory.

  • The professor laid the foundation for the construction of the Hirakud dam on the Mahanadi river which was built three decades after he first published (1926) his findings on the analysis of 60 years of data regarding the floods in Odisha. The dam was built based on his study.

  • Mahalanobis founded the Indian Statistical Institute—dedicated to research and learning of statistics in his alma mater, Presidency College. Two years later, he established Sankhya - the Indian Journal of Statistics.

  • Mahalanobis is extensively credited with the conception of planned India as a member of the Indian planning commission. Under his direction, the commission during the second five-year plan came up with the Mahalanobis Model which was instrumental in laying the groundwork for India's Industrialization.

  • Indian Statistical Institute is regarded as one of the best institutes in the field of statistics. The Institution has a long reputation for attracting the most brilliant minds in the field. In fact, the first statistical institute founded in the United States by Gertrude Cox was based on the ISI model.

The Padma Vibhushan recipient was truly a remarkable, scientist and statistician that this country has ever witnessed. So celebrate this day by remembering the great contributions of PC Mahalanobis.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 29, 2021 10:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).