SCIENCE IN INDIA: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Category Reference
Format HB
Imprint
Price 1500

ISBN: 978-81-291-2096-0
Pages: 624 pages
Date: October 2013

ABOUT THIS BOOK

In the fascinating saga of ancient scientific ideas and techniques, Indian accomplishments hold
an exalted position. India displayed its originality not only in mathematics and computational
astronomy but also in holistic medicine, metallurgy and other fields. For reasons known and
unknown, however, India did not develop a rational, methodological and verifiable matrix for
ushering in modern science until the nineteenth century. But when modern science was finally
introduced to India by the British, it did not view it as alien to its ethos. India welcomed it
instead, and several bright Indian scientists scaled the peaks of excellence.
The main objective of Science in India is to present to the general reader a comprehensive
narrative about the history of science in the country. Based on authentic sources and their
in-depth study, this book deals with the origins, ramifications and achievements in traditional
astronomy, mathematics, medicine and chemical practices, besides certain concepts related to
the physical world as well as plant life. It also discusses the advent and growth of modern
science till Independence, highlighting the seminal contributions of Indian scientists who
won international acclaim. This is a historical and factual perspective on science in India,
traversing a span of more than 5,000 years.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

B.V. Subbarayappa (MSc, PhD), a chemist turned historian and philosopher of science, was the
elected president (1998-2001) of the History of Science division of the International Union of
History and Philosophy of Science (under ICSU, Paris)—the first non-westerner to be elected.
He is the recipient of the Copernicus Medal from the Polish Academy of Sciences (1973) and has
received the Karnataka State Award (2008). He has also been awarded by the National Academy
of Sciences, India, of which he is an elected Fellow, and has an Honorary Doctorate (1999) from
the University of Bologna. He is the author/editor of twenty books and over a hundred papers
on the history of Indian science, science and society, and related themes.