Calcutta: The Emergence of a Science City (1784–1896) 1

The paper narrates briefly the emergence of Calcutta as a city where one finds the early glimpses of a cultural encounter between East and West, and where a few scientific societies and institutions were first established. The emergence of Calcutta as a science city is synonymous with its growth as an imperial city. The paper focuses on the Asiatic Society, the Agriculture and Horticulture Society and the Calcutta Medical College and concludes that science was valued more as a cultural activity than a purely economic exercise.