Development of Psycho-Analysis in India1

The Indian Psycho-Analytical Society was founded in the year 1922 in Calcutta. In those days psycho-analysis was unknown to the people of India, unknown not only to the educated laymen but even to most of the men of medicine, psychology, and philosophy. Few in India had even heard of Freud's name, when in the year 1912 Dr Girindrasekhar Bose started treating mental patients on psychological lines. He was the pioneer in India, if not in the East, of this new line of approach in mental treatment. It may not be out of place to mention here how Bose first got interested in psycho-analysis, to the progress of which he dedicated himself so completely.

Bose was the youngest of the nine children (four sons and five daughters) of the third wife of Chandrasekhar Bose who was the Dewan (manager-in-chief) of the big estate of the Maharaja of Darbhanga in Bihar. The first wife of Chandrasekhar died soon after marriage, leaving only one daughter who also died soon after her mother's death. His second wife died leaving no issue. He married for the third time Laximoni and had all the nine children by her. Bose was born on 30 January 1887. The age-difference between the siblings ranged from eighteen months to three years; the age-difference between Chandrasekhar and his third wife was about twenty-two years.

The family environment of Girindrasekhar Bose was a more or less happy one. The mother was very affectionate and loved Girindrasekhar dearly. The father was rather strict in maintaining discipline and family tradition. He was a true father exercising full authority and control over his family, but he was not a despot by any means. He had consideration at heart for each member of his family. As was rather common in those days, Chandrasekhar was by nature a bit conservative but not unreasonable, strict but not cruel or harsh. His wife was a courageous lady, very much devoted to him. She would seldom go out of the house except on some very important occasions such as