He is well known for his monumental bronze sculptures, especially the Triumph of Labour and the Martyrs' Memorial, and is rated by many as one among the major artists of Indian modern art.

In addition to painting and sculpting, he also wrestled, played the flute, engaged in hunting and wrote short stories in his spare time.

[6] Roy Choudhury was born on 15 June 1899 at Tejhat, in Rangpur in the undivided Bengal of the British India (presently in Bangladesh), and did his academic studies from home.

Subsequently, he had to take up work as a scene painter for a theatre in North Kolkata and taught art at a boys' school in the city.

However, he did not hold any exhibition of his works during his lifetime, as he believed:I consider my modest studio as a sort of old, sacred temple devoted to the cause of art.

[11] He also served as president of the UNESCO Art Seminar conducted in 1955 at Tokyo and the Nikhil Bharat Bangiya Sahitya Sammilani of 1956 organized in Chennai.

[13] Some of the notable paintings the he created in Chennai are Green and Gold (exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London), After the Storm (Japanese wash technique), Nirvana, Bridge, The Palace Doll, Durga Puja Procession, Abhisarika, and Pujarini.

While in Chennai, his high professional standards constantly brought him number of private and public commissions, notably the portrait busts of British nobility of the time.

Portraits created from photographs included Annie Besant, Asutosh Mukherjee, Surendranath Banerjee, Mahatma Gandhi and Motilal Nehru which were considered Roy Choudhury's monumental works.

Post India's independence in 1947, his grand sculptures and social commitment played an important role to memorialize the country's anti-colonial struggle.

[9] His compositions, the Triumph of Labour (1954) and the Martyrs’ Memorial (1956) continue to be outstanding examples of his depictions of social realism in this regard.

[8] On 1 May 1923, Malayapuram Singaravelu founded the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan in Madras which was committed to protect the interests and rights of the working classes.

Roy Choudhury’s sculpture is located at the Marina Beach, close to the site where Singaravelu organized the first Labour Day celebrations.

[16] Located outside the Patna Secretariat, the Martyrs’ Memorial stands tall as the symbolic representation of the sacrifice that the Indians made to achieve independence.

It is a life-sized statue of seven young men who sacrificed their lives in the Quit India Movement to hoist the national flag on the Secretariat building.

Roy Choudhury showcases the determined attitude and the spontaneity of movement of each defiant figure which emphasizes the strength of the entire composition.

[17] Some of his other important public sculptures include the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Marina beach in Chennai,[18] God of Destruction (plaster of paris), Rhythm, After the Bath, The Last Stroke, Victims of Hunger (1952) and When Winter Comes (1955), all made in bronze.

[13] However, he largely remained Bohemian at heart and often said, “I can never be all manners and no man even to please my wife.” Roy Choudhury had married Charulata and had one son, Bhaskar – a folk dancer, actor, choreographer, author and painter.

At times, Roy Choudhury's unconventional behaviour embarrassed Charulata who was a sophisticated woman and preferred a formal conduct.

Being a formidable wrestler, the students under his tutelage became more disciplined, learned some of the intricate details of the sport and its effectiveness toward achieving physical fitness.