The name Bose is synonymous with speakers and sound. Bose Corporation, one of America’s most trustworthy brands in electronics, is a global audio equipment leader with over $3 billion in revenue and factories across four countries. However, few know this iconic brand traces its roots back to India’s freedom struggle.
From Calcutta to New York!
In the politically charged Calcutta of the 1920s, a student protest handed out fiery pamphlets that quickly caught the attention of British authorities. The crackdown led them to a quiet Physics student named Noni Gopal Bose, who had no real political involvement but was arrested nonetheless.
While on his way to the court alongside a group of armed revolutionaries, Noni Gopal was caught in the chaos of a jailbreak. Grabbing the chance, he fled—triggering a dramatic journey that took him from the shadows of Calcutta to the shores of New York, armed with nothing but courage, five dollars in his pocket, and no official papers.
In Philadelphia, Noni Gopal found refuge through the members of the Ghadar Party and eventually started a modest radio repair business. On the personal front, he fell in love with Charlotte Mechlin, a young woman drawn to Indian philosophy, who he eventually married. Thus started a new life.
Amar Bose - tech whiz and founder!
Their son, Amar Gopal Bose, born in 1929, displayed a remarkable aptitude for electronics, often repairing toys and assisting in his father’s shop. Amar eventually earned a place at the reputed MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), where he would later become a professor of electrical engineering.
Bose - the global giant!
Disappointed with the poor sound quality of an expensive speaker he had bought in the 1950s, Amar began independent research into acoustics, which led to the founding of BOSE Corporation in 1964 and, after early setbacks, the revolutionary launch of the BOSE 901 in 1968.
Amar Bose's relentless innovation makes BOSE a household name today. The iconic BOSE 901 stayed in the market until 2016. Before his death in 2013, he donated the majority ownership of BOSE Corporation to MIT. From a pamphlet in colonial Calcutta to global audio dominance—BOSE’s story is as incredible as its sound.
Image sources: Wikimedia Commons, Bose Fellows (https://bosefellows.mit.edu/)
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