Statistics must have a purpose: the Mahalanobis dictum

Abstract

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis is one of the pioneers who laid the foundations of statistics as a separate discipline. His main contributions to statistical theory and applications are multivariate methods in taxonomy (Mahalanobis distance), optimum design of large scale sample surveys, and use of econometric models in planning. He was the founder of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), which is internationally recognized for its educational and interdisciplinary research programs. He was also responsible for organizing and developing the Indian national statistical system which is considered to be one of the best in the world. He considered statistics as a new technology of the present century which can be applied to any field of human endeavour, and suggested that statistics should be collected in a planned manner keeping the purpose in view.