Asutosh Mukherjee was the most dynamic figure in Indian education and its true builder to whom the country will always remain indebted. His personality, courage, hard work and administrative ability helped him to go ahead almost single-handed to raise the edifice of higher or more specifically university education in this country. 

Asutosh Mukherjee was born on June 29, 1864 at Malanga Lane, Bowbazar, Kolkata. His father was Gangaprasad Mukherjee, the renowned doctor of medicine while his mother Jagattarini Devi was a pious woman. Brought up in an atmosphere of science & literature,

young Asutosh went to the Sisu Vidyalaya at Chakraberia, Bhowanipore. When he was young, he met Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. On their 2nd meeting he was presented with a copy of Robinson Crusoe. These meetings were a source of major inspiration. In 1879 when he was just fifteen, he passed the entrance exam of the Calcutta university. He stood third and received a

first grade scholarship.In the year 1880, he took admission in the premiere College of Kolkata, Presidency College. The likes of P.C. Ray, Bhupendranath Bose and Narendranath Dutta (later Swami Vivekananda) were his classmates. In 1885, he completed his M.A. degree with major in Mathematics. In 1886, he did his masters in physical science. In the same year he married Jogomaya devi. This year added more feathers to his quest for his education as he received the coveted Premchand Roychand scholarship. He was then appointed an examiner for M.A. examination in Mathematics.