Satish Chandra Samanta

Satish Chandra Samanta (Bengali: সতীশচন্দ্র সামন্ত) (15 December 1900 – 4 June 1983 in Mahishadal) was an Indian independence movement activist and a member of the Lok Sabha from 1952–77. At the age of 15 he was influenced by his guru, Swami Prajnanananda Saraswati and adopted the life of Brahmacharya and took up a life of serving the people.

He quit Bengal Engineering College (then an affiliate of the University of Calcutta) in his second year of study in order to fight for freedom of India from the clutches of the British. He started serving through, the activities organised by the local branch of the Indian National Congress. Later, he became the president of Tamluk Congress Committee and remained an active congress member for decades. He was known for his leadership qualities and other constructive work. His leadership qualities could be observed during the formation of a parallel government named Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar (Tamrlipta National Government) in Tamluk during the Quit India Movement. This body was formed on 17 December 1942 and Samanta, looked after its functioning until his arrest in June, 1943. It lasted till September, 1944. It undertook cyclone relief work, gave grants to schools and organized an armed Vidyut Vahini

In addition to his political work, he helped the people by participating in activities related to improving civic health. He organised and led activities like cleaning roads and choked-up ponds to prevent malaria, nursing cholera patients, organising free medical camps, training volunteers and spreading education and literacy in backward areas. After Independence, Satish Chandra Samanta remained as a Member of Parliament for more than three decades. He was elected to the 1st Lok Sabha from Tamluk constituency in 1952 and re-elected to the Lok Sabha from the same constituency in 1957, 1962, 1967 and 1971.