Science, Patriotism and Progress: Scientific Contributions from Bengal, 1800–2000

Abstract: The early nineteenth century in Bengal saw the rise of a rational and scientific temper that reshaped Indian intellectual life. During the Bengal Renaissance, reformers like Raja Rammohan Roy promoted modern education based on science, mathematics, and empirical reasoning over traditional Sanskrit learning. Roy’s 1823 appeal to Lord Amherst, along with Macaulay’s recommendations and the founding of Hindu College and the University of Calcutta, laid the foundations for scientific education in India.The paper traces this evolution from early contributors such as Ram Kamal Sen, Raja Kalikrishna Bahadur, and Raja Radhakanta Dev—whose works reflected an emerging empirical mindset—to Mahendralal Sarkar’s establishment of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science. Later scientists including P.N. Bose, P.C. Ray, J.C. Bose, and Ashutosh Mukhopadhyay linked scientific inquiry with nationalist self-reliance.In the twentieth century, S.N. Bose, Meghnad Saha, S.K. Mitra, and others made Bengal a global scientific centre. This tradition continued post-independence through major institutions, shaping India’s scientific culture and national identity.