Narayan Chakrabarty
A Kolkata chemist who has researched the problem of arsenic in groundwater for decades and edited a major book on it, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
Narayan Chakrabarty is a chemist known for his work on arsenic poisoning, a serious problem caused by arsenic in groundwater in parts of Bengal. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of science and engineering, from West Bengal [1].
Teacher
He was born on 1 August 1954 and earned a PhD in analytical chemistry from Jadavpur University in 1987 [2]. From 1981 he taught at West Bengal government colleges, retiring in 2006 as head of chemistry at Maulana Azad College, Kolkata [2]. He later taught postgraduate students as a visiting professor and taught green chemistry at West Bengal State University [2].
From 2014 to 2016 he was a consultant and director with the West Bengal Biotech Development Corporation [2].
Arsenic
Chakrabarty’s research has centred on removing arsenic and treating its effects [2]. He is the sole editor of Arsenic Toxicity: Prevention and Treatment, published by CRC Press in 2015 [2]. He has spoken on the subject at conferences in Istanbul and Chicago, and has worked as a resource person for UNICEF and government programmes [2].
He is a life fellow of the Indian Chemical Society and also writes for newspapers and magazines [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2024: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2024: citation for Narayan Chakrabarty — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
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