India and Modern Science
To start with it should be mentioned that India’s history of science and technology has special features such as:
1. India belongs to one of the oldest civilized cultures with a long tradition in science and technology. Her history of science can be studied in a different context compared to that of other modern civilizations. 2. For a long time, India was under the influence of foreign cultures. The history of Indian science and technology is the history of transfer of technical knowledge and education.
3. Indian history is (was) the history of the so-called Third World countries.
Within a short span of time India has become a nuclear power and leading figure in information technology. Why and how did Indian men of science achieve this?
The study of such issues could be a good lesson for other Asian and African countries.
4. If we limit our focus on physics and chemistry only, in the 20th century the role of Indian men of science was not minor. In terms of one of the highest honours, namely the Nobel Prize, in the first half of the 20th century the achievements of Indian scientists were far better than those from that Latin America, Africa and most of the Asian countries3.
There is no doubt that we need the subject as it deals with the heritage, glory and defeats of the past. The new generations can learn from the past successes and defeats. A popular proverb is:
‘Through past we see future’. Not only politics, but also science and technology are a part of a culture. In the beginning of the 20th century, different authors wrote on the topic. One example to be quoted is that of the Indian chemist P. C. Ray’s
‘History of Hindu chemistry’ published in 1902 (reprinted by the Indian Chemical
Society, Calcutta, 1956) in History of
Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval
India. The less known fact is that Ray was the first Indian to be elected as member of the famous journal Isis
(USA), which deals with the history of
science
1. India belongs to one of the oldest civilized cultures with a long tradition in science and technology. Her history of science can be studied in a different context compared to that of other modern civilizations. 2. For a long time, India was under the influence of foreign cultures. The history of Indian science and technology is the history of transfer of technical knowledge and education.
3. Indian history is (was) the history of the so-called Third World countries.
Within a short span of time India has become a nuclear power and leading figure in information technology. Why and how did Indian men of science achieve this?
The study of such issues could be a good lesson for other Asian and African countries.
4. If we limit our focus on physics and chemistry only, in the 20th century the role of Indian men of science was not minor. In terms of one of the highest honours, namely the Nobel Prize, in the first half of the 20th century the achievements of Indian scientists were far better than those from that Latin America, Africa and most of the Asian countries3.
There is no doubt that we need the subject as it deals with the heritage, glory and defeats of the past. The new generations can learn from the past successes and defeats. A popular proverb is:
‘Through past we see future’. Not only politics, but also science and technology are a part of a culture. In the beginning of the 20th century, different authors wrote on the topic. One example to be quoted is that of the Indian chemist P. C. Ray’s
‘History of Hindu chemistry’ published in 1902 (reprinted by the Indian Chemical
Society, Calcutta, 1956) in History of
Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval
India. The less known fact is that Ray was the first Indian to be elected as member of the famous journal Isis
(USA), which deals with the history of
science