Foreword
Science has changed itself and the world unrecognisably. In the early 20th century the icons of science were usually in Europe, few in America. In colonial India, a few bright people used institutions, built to create administrators for the Empire, to do pathbreaking work. These names are familiar to many. We, in India, recognise them as heroes and sometimes ask why we do not have such people in science any more. But, we do! And the juxtaposition of old and new in this collection shows us just that.
After the Second World War, science grew from the quests of individuals to become institutionalised. With the exponential rise in the size of the global scientific enterprise, the relative size of the Indian effort appeared small, even as it grew hugely in absolute terms. Given the large number of excellent scientists in the world today, easily several hundred times more that in the early 20th century, many successes, local and global, are not sufficiently well recognised.
Here, we have tried to capture features of scientists, who have worked or are working in India, so that their story can reach more people across the world. The presence of some names need explanation. Ronald Ross did his work in India. Just as America claims the successes of Indians working there as their own, India may want to claim Ross, at least in part. Subramanyam Chandrashekhar formulated key aspects of his Nobel-prize winning work while on a boat to England. India should claim him a little more, perhaps, than we do. Others, such as Shambu Nath De are not widely known, even though his contributions are immense.
There are also many, many omissions. This collection, is a work in progress. Each year we hope to add a few more people and the exhibition to which it is linked will also expand. We also hope to have this book and the exhibition in our regional languages, with the QR reader linking to a website in multiple languages.
In the midst of all our chaos, there is brilliance, grit and ambition amongst some. These people have shown the way to others. They are inspirational and, through teachers, we hope the science behind their lives reaches the young widely. Not so that these lives are to be imitated, but so that their quest for knowledge and their zeal for discovery, against many odds, can be emulated. Such a project needs support of people and monies. Just as there are hidden gems in our science, we expect that there will be generous support for this enterprise from our society.
DR. K. VIJAYRAGHAVAN
Secretary,
Department of Biotechnology
