BHUBANESWAR: Apart from British colonial rulers, Indian society and psyche are equally to blame for exhibiting a collective amnesia toward its scientific heroes, said scientist and author Anand Ranganathan at the 14th edition of Odisha Literary Festival here on Saturday.
Attending a session on ‘Forgotten Heroes of Indian Science: Discovering What’s lost’, Anand said some of the greatest heroes of Indian Science such as Azizul Haque, Ram Nath Chopra, Upendranath Brahmachari, Hem Chandra Bose, and Yellapragada Subbarow are contemporary historical figures.
“A lot of their discoveries happened in independent India. It’s not that they were medieval and people forgot them. These scientific figures were present. They saved our grandfathers and fathers, millions of them. And yet we forgot them. So I think it’s a bit to do with both our psyche that we tend to be ignorant about our own heroes, and the racism of Brits,” he said.
Writer and corporate leader Sheetal Ranganathan, who co-authored the book ‘Forgotten Heroes of Indian Science’ with Anand, said these five 20th-century Indian scientists and researchers belong to a period during which the atmosphere didn’t enable science. In fact, there were more reasons that would discourage people to pick up a career in science and research, given institutional racism and lack of funds during the British Raj.
“Forget about science and funds, we were being robbed of our legacy, the pride of calling ourselves Indian and the Indian knowledge system during colonial rule. But these scientific figures were able to produce such brilliant works at that point in time despite facing severe resource constraints, systemic discrimination, and a lack of institutional support,” she said.
Sheetal also highlighted how Azizul and Hem Chandra, who revolutionised forensic science through fingerprint classification, were virtually erased from collective memory. She explained that the world-famous fingerprint classification system, later appropriated and attributed to Edward Henry, was developed by Azizul and Hem Chandra while working under the Bengal Police during the British Raj.
Scotland Yard initially dismissed fingerprinting, only adopting the method after it gained global traction through literary references by authors Mark Twain and Arthur Conan Doyle, she added during the session moderated by author Lipika Bhushan.
Addressing modern debates on traditional knowledge systems, Anand cautioned against blanket dismissal of Ayurveda as quackery. Acknowledging the presence of unverified practices in Ayurveda, he said, “There is an element of things that are not right or scientifically proven in every domain, even in modern medicine; there is quackery even in allopathy, same as the case in every field. But one cannot taint the entire field of Ayurveda by saying that it is quackery.”
He said medicines that have cured millions, not just in India but abroad as well, have come from the field of Ayurveda. He highlighted Ram Nath Chopra’s investigations into how Sarpagandha impacts the body’s metabolism and biochemistry, eventually leading to its modern application in blood pressure management.
Furthermore, renowned Indian geneticist Kumarasamy Thangaraj used peer-reviewed genetic studies to explore components of Ayurveda, proving the field has elements worthy of scientific investigation.
Anand said India must look to the American model where corporate heavyweights, rather than the state, fund the lion’s share of scientific research. Currently, the Indian government’s expenditure on research and development as a percentage of GDP closely mirrors that of the US, meaning the state has already laid the groundwork.