Sir Nilratan Sircar (1 October 1861 – 18 May 1943)[1] was an Indian medical doctor, educationist, philanthropist and swadeshi entrepreneur.

Son of Nandalal Sircar, a native of Jaynagar Majilpur, he was born in the house of his maternal uncle in Netra village of South 24 Parganas district, on 1 October 1861.

[2] However, as his mother often suffered from ill health, Sircar and his siblings spent much of their growing years with their maternal family in Netra village and subsequently moved there.

Sircar was reported to have shared with grandchildren that it was this early loss of his mother to an unknown disease that led him to study medicine, as he wanted to know the cause of her death.

His efforts caught the attention of an Englishman who sponsored his study at the Campbell Medical College in the formative years from where he obtained vernacular diploma in medicine in 1879.

[2][3] Dr Sircar soon grew a large practice and was, for many years, a leading Indian consulting physician, travelling far and wide to treat some of his patients, who included the ruling heads of state in neighbouring countries.

Sir Nilratan Sircar became the president of Medical Education Society of Bengal in 1922 and remained in the position until 1941.

He was elected Fellow in 1893 and was responsible for the expansion of post graduate science teaching facilities and research in medical education as well as the introduction of students' health examination and welfare work.

He was the Director of the Boot and Equipment Factory for period of time and encouraged his manager B.M.Das to organise the Bengal Tanning Institute.