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Book Review
A reference manual
IMAGES AND CONTEXTS — The Historiography of Science and Modernity in India: Dhruv Raina; Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 545.
TRADITIONALISTS BELIEVED that science and arts are two distinct watertight compartments, functioning poles apart. In recent decades, however, thanks to the impetus accorded to inter-disciplinary studies, the artificial barriers between the two have been successfully torn apart.
Now, scholars are using historical sources for scientific research and also, scientific expertise for historical studies. The study of the history of Science and Technology is another fascinating area where the thin line between science and arts fades away.
The book under review is a pioneering attempt to trace the history of science and technology in India. It is a compilation of nine essays, most of which have been published earlier.
These essays certainly do not constitute an exhaustive study in the historiography of the sciences in India. On the other hand, each essay addresses certain specific issues or problems and analyses them within certain theoretical frameworks.
The lengthy introductory essay highlights the importance of the history of science and also, outlines the varied methodological approaches for the study of the subject. It concludes with a note on the basic objectives and structure of the present book.
The second essay presents the broad historiographical trends pertaining to the history of science in India. The study of the history of science dates back to very early times. Tarikh-I-Hind (An Enquiry into India), a book written by Al-Beruni, an Arab scholar (11th century AD), is one of the earliest accounts of the scientific and technical knowledge of the Indians. At a much later date, European savants, voyagers and missionaries wrote about the scientific accomplishments of the ancient Indians. In particular, the French Jesuit missionaries extensively documented the contribution of the Indians and the Chinese to the discipline of astronomy.
The next essay deals with the contribution of two famous scientist-historians — Prafulla Chandra Ray and Marcelin Berthelot. Both of them were contemporaries and the correspondence between them throws welcome light on the impact of India's scientific knowledge on Western researchers.
In the same vein, the next essay analyses the work of the Sri Lanka born art-historian, Aanda Kentish Coomaraswamy, and the Belgium born science-historian, George Sarton, again on the basis of the letters exchanged between the two.
Another essay focuses on the scientific developments, scientists and the history of science in India between 1966 and 1994. The essay is mainly based on the papers and reviews appearing in the Indian Journal of History of Science, an academic journal brought out by the Indian National Science Academy. Started in 1966, this is one of the rarest journals exclusively devoted to the discipline of the history of science and technology.
The papers published in it cover a vast spectrum that includes the history of astronomy, mathematics, medicine, zoology, botany, physics, chemistry and alchemy.
The academic value of the book is enhanced by the exhaustive bibliography, spanning 19 pages, appended at the end.
Besides being a reference manual, the book will prove to be an eye-opener to the historian, scientist and the general reader eager to know the subtle interrelationship between science and arts.
S. SURESH
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