Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893–1972)
Known as the "Father of Statistics" in India,
he was born on 29 June 1893, which is celebrated as
National Statistics Day. Though trained in physics,
his passion for applying mathematics to real-world problems led him
to statistics. He is best remembered for the
Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure, and
for being a member of the first Planning Commission of free India.
He made pioneering contributions to anthropometry and founded the
Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). He also played
a crucial role in designing large-scale sample surveys in India.