The Making of Modern Physics in Colonial India

The Making of Modern Physics in Colonial India
Author: Somaditya Banerjee
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2020-05-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317024702

This monograph offers a cultural history of the development of physics in India during the first half of the twentieth century, focusing on Indian physicists Satyendranath Bose (1894-1974), Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1888-1970) and Meghnad Saha (1893-1956). The analytical category "bhadralok physics" is introduced to explore how it became possible for a highly successful brand of modern science to develop in a country that was still under colonial domination. The term Bhadralok refers to the then emerging group of native intelligentsia, who were identified by academic pursuits and manners. Exploring the forms of life of this social group allows a better understanding of the specific character of Indian modernity that, as exemplified by the work of bhadralok physicists, combined modern science with indigenous knowledge in an original program of scientific research. The three scientists achieved the most significant scientific successes in the new revolutionary field of quantum physics, with such internationally recognized accomplishments as the Saha ionization equation (1921), the famous Bose-Einstein statistics (1924), and the Raman Effect (1928), the latter discovery having led to the first ever Nobel Prize awarded to a scientist from Asia. This book analyzes the responses by Indian scientists to the radical concept of the light quantum, and their further development of this approach outside the purview of European authorities. The outlook of bhadralok physicists is characterized here as "cosmopolitan nationalism," which allows us to analyze how the group pursued modern science in conjunction with, and as an instrument of Indian national liberation.

M N Saha : Scientist With A Social Mission

M N Saha : Scientist With A Social Mission
Author: Dilip M. Salwi
Publisher: books catalog
Total Pages: 72
Release: 2002
Genre: Physicists
ISBN: 9788171678983

Meghnad Saba is one of the giants of Indian science whose seminal contributions to astrophysics and nuclear physics were recognised across the world. This is the inspiring story of a legendary teacher and passionate scientist who laid the foundation of a scientific establishment in the country.

Meghnad Saha

Meghnad Saha
Author: Pramod V. Naik
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2017-09-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319621025

This biography is a short yet comprehensive overview of the life of Meghnad Saha, the mastermind behind the frequently used Saha equations and a strong contributor to the foundation of science in India. The author explores the lesser known details behind the man who played a major role in building scientific institutions in India, developed the breakthrough theory of thermal ionization, and whose fervor about India’s rapid progress in science and technology, along with concern for uplifting his countrymen and optimizing resources, led him to eventually enter politics and identify the mismanagement of many programs of national importance to Parliament. This book is free of most academic technicalities, so that the reader with general scientific knowledge can read and understand it easily. One interested only in Saha’s contribution to physics can pick up just that part and read it. Conversely, the average reader may skip the technical chapters, and read the book without loss of continuity or generality to still get a coherent picture. This work touches on all aspects of Saha’s multidimensional personality, which overflows in the pages of his periodical, Science and Culture,as well as his many speeches, debates and discussions in Parliament, all of which is appropriately conveyed in this book.

Masterminds

Masterminds
Author: Chatterjee, Enakshi
Publisher: Orient Blackswan
Total Pages: 122
Release: 1990
Genre:
ISBN: 9788125007951

This anthology deals with the lives and works of eleven scientists in various fields: J. C. Bose in the Physical and Life Sciences, P. C. Ray, S. S. Bhatnagar in Chemistry, C. V. Raman, S. N. Bose and M. N. Saha in Theoretical and Experimental Physics, S. Ramanujam in Mathematics, H. J. Bhabha in Nuclear Physics, Vikram Sarabhai in Space Research, Birbal Sahni in Paleobotany, Salim Ali in Ornithology. The author also chronicles the growth and development of modern scientific culture in India. No similar collection of biographies is available.

Beyond Belief

Beyond Belief
Author: Srirupa Roy
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2007-05-28
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780822340010

DIVExamines the formation of the nation-state in postcolonial India, how it worked to create an identity for itself, to what extent it succeeded, and what may be the prospects for unity in a widely diverse country./div

History of the Calcutta School of Physical Sciences

History of the Calcutta School of Physical Sciences
Author: Purabi Mukherji
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2018-06-26
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9811302952

This book highlights the role of Sir Asutosh Mookerjee, founder of the Calcutta school of physics and the Calcutta Mathematical Society, and his talented scholars – Sir C.V. Raman, D.M. Bose, S.N. Bose, M.N. Saha, Sir K.S. Krishnan and S.K. Mitra – all of whom played a significant role in fulfilling their goal of creating an outstanding school of physical sciences in the city of Calcutta. The main objective of the book is to bring to the fore the combined contributions of the greatest physicists of India, who in the colonial period worked with practically no modern amenities and limited financial resources, but nonetheless with total dedication and self-confidence, which is unmatched in today’s world. The book presents the golden age of the physical sciences in India in compact form; in addition, small anecdotes, mostly unknown to many, have been brought the forefront. The book consists of 10 chapters, which include papers by these distinguished scientists along with detailed accounts of their academic lives and main research contributions, particularly during their time in Calcutta. A synopsis of the contents is provided in the introductory chapter. In the following chapters, detailed discussions are presented in straightforward language. The complete bibliographies of the great scientists have been added at the end. This book will be of interest to historians, philosophers of science, linguists, anthropologists, students, research scholars and general readers with a love for the history of science.

Meghnad Saha

Meghnad Saha
Author: S. B. Karmohapatro
Publisher: Publications International
Total Pages: 180
Release: 1997
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

On the life and contribution of Meghnad Saha, 1893-1956, and Indian physicist.

The Modern Review

The Modern Review
Author: Ramananda Chatterjee
Publisher:
Total Pages: 972
Release: 1922
Genre: Electronic journals
ISBN:

Includes section "Reviews and notices of books".