Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science: Mahendralal
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INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE CULTIVATION OF SCIENCE: MAHENDRALAL SIRCAR AND HIS SCIENCE, MORALITY, AND NATIONALISM by Sumathi Ramanath APPROVED BY SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: ________________________________________ Pamela S. Gossin, Chair ________________________________________ Michael L. Wilson ________________________________________ Peter K. J. Park ________________________________________ Matthew J. Brown Copyright 2018 Sumathi Ramanath All Rights Reserved To my boys: Rajeev, Abhi, and Pranav INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE CULTIVATION OF SCIENCE: MAHENDRALAL SIRCAR AND HIS SCIENCE, MORALITY, AND NATIONALISM by SUMATHI RAMANATH, BS, MA DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The University of Texas at Dallas in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HUMANITIES – HISTORY OF IDEAS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS May 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As an immigrant, straddled between two worlds, I became fascinated by the idea of nationalism: How is it defined? How does it affect the national understanding and acceptance of its history? And, how is it harnessed by the various elements within the nation to their benefit? In this journey of discovery, Dr. Michael Wilson has been an unassailable ally – guiding me with encouragement through some of the lowest points in my graduate career. His casual suggestion during our chats sowed the seeds for this dissertation. His brand of “tough love” has been invaluable to my growth as a scholar and words alone cannot convey the depth of my gratitude for his wisdom and guidance. The other pillar that formed the foundation of my graduate studies has been Dr. Pamela Gossin, whose myriad classes have informed my understanding of history and science. Her reassuring presence and unending optimism has guided me through my writing process. To her goes the credit for helping me finish my dissertation and many thanks for reading draft after draft of every chapter. Dr. Peter Park and Dr. Matthew Brown have also helped in shaping my arguments with their insights. I must also acknowledge the various professors at The University of Texas at Dallas who have been positive forces, who shaped me as an academic and influenced my research. Additionally, any dissertation would be incomplete without the untiring efforts of the library staff. The interlibrary staff at UTD completed the herculean task of tracking down hard to find sources with unfailing courtesy. Finally, this work would never have been completed without the support and encouragement of my friends and family. I would especially like to thank Julie Gavran, who has been a sympathetic ear and a fierce friend all these years. To my parents – none of this would have been possible without your faith and encouragement. Your physical support was vital in helping me cross the finish v line. To my sister – thank you for being my pressure valve. To my husband, Rajeev, and our two sons, Abhinav and Pranav – thank you for putting up with the rigmarole of the PhD life. Your cheering from the sidelines have meant the world to me. November 2017 vi INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE CULTIVATION OF SCIENCE: MAHENDRALAL SIRCAR AND HIS SCIENCE, MORALITY, AND NATIONALISM Sumathi Ramanath, PhD The University of Texas at Dallas, 2018 Supervising Professor: Pamela S. Gossin Mahendralal Sircar (1833 – 1904) is known as a prominent homeopathic doctor and the founder of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) in 1876, but scholars rarely refer to his role in promoting scientific studies as a nationalist endeavor. In this dissertation, I trace Mahendralal Sircar’s life and analyze how his views of science informed his work and how his IACS changed the course of scientific education and practice in India. While a recipient of the emerging Indian nationalism, the IACS changed the nature of Indian nationalism. I begin by highlighting the influence of Raja Ram Mohun Roy and his vision of monotheism, based on the Indian Vedanta, on the scholars and reformers of early nineteenth-century Bengal. Roy’s view of religion, science, and nationalism can be traced in the writings of Mahendralal Sircar, especially in his article “On the Desirability of the Cultivation of Sciences by the Natives of India” (1869). In this article, Sircar prescribes the creation of a scientific institute to influence moral growth and combat Indian idolatry and apathy. Additionally, Sircar wanted the institute to be funded and managed by Indians; its purpose would be to produce science-literate natives, making it a nationalistic endeavor that promoted the growth of the country. Next, I analyze the vii rhetoric that Sircar used to mobilize the natives to fund and participate in his Institute. He often referred to India’s enlightened past and hinted at the latent potential of the natives to create interest in Indian regeneration. Despite his hope for the future, Sircar had to operate within the British colonial system. I analyze his writings to reveal a conciliatory tone that Sircar had to adopt towards the British government. He carefully balanced supplicating the colonial apparatuses with inspiring natives to agitate for scientific autonomy. Using the Annual Reports of the IACS, I delve further into Sircar’s methodology for mobilizing the wealthy and landed elites toward his cause. Their money and participation was important to the foundation, upkeep, and development of the IACS. Finally, I enumerate how the IACS changed the face of scientific education in India. Sircar’s emphasis on the theoretical and practical education in science was a paradigm shift that produced scientific scholars, a scientifically literate society, and forced the established colleges and universities to change their science curriculum. Sircar foresaw the independence of India and insisted on Indians learning to be autonomous. His IACS gave Indians the first generation of scientists who were instrumental in building a nation in a post- independence era India. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………..…v Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………...…vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………….1 CHAPTER 2 RISE OF NATIONALISM BEFORE MAHENDRALAL SIRCAR………..20 2.1 Ram Mohun Roy and early social reforms…………………………………..21 2.2 Ram Mohun Roy and Indian education………………………………….......31 2.3 Awakening…………………………………………………………………...43 CHAPTER 3 SIRCAR AND THE ORIGINS OF HIS SCIENCE…………………………51 3.1 Mahendralal Sircar’s early life and education……………………………….53 3.2 Homoeopathy………………………………………………………………...57 3.3 A new path…………………………………………………………………...69 CHAPTER 4 THE RHETORIC OF SCIENTIFIC RATIONALISM: SIRCAR’S PHILOSOPHY OF MORALITY, DIVINITY, AND NATIONALISM…………………….80 4.1 Science and moral elevation…………………………………………………86 4.2 Sircar’s reconciliation between science and God……………………………95 4.3 Science for nation building………………………………………………....105 CHAPTER 5 POLITICS OF THE SCIENCE ASSOCIATION…………………………..111 5.1 Courting British and Indian patronage……………………………………...112 5.2 Prospectus and initial support........................................................................122 5.3 Father Eugene Lafont……………………………………………………….130 5.4 Funds and the beginning of the IACS….…………………………………...136 5.5 IACS vs. Technical College………………………………………………...147 CHAPTER 6 IACS: ESTABLISHMENT, STRUGGLE, AND LEGACY……………….155 6.1 Inauguration and hope………………………………………………………156 6.2 Lecture hall and Vizianagram laboratory…………………………………...166 6.3 Struggle for paid professorship……………………………………………..172 ix 6.4 Transforming the landscape………………………………………………...177 6.5 Legacy………………………………………………………………………188 EPILOGUE…………………………………………………………………………………199 APPENDIX A RAJA RAMMOHUN ROY’S LETTER TO LORD AMHERST ADVOCATING SCIENTIFIC STUDIES………………………………………………….211 APPENDIX B OUR CREED………………………………………………………….......214 APPENDIX C PROSPECTUS…………………………………………………………….217 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………..218 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH……………………………………………………………….224 CURRICULUM VITA x CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION A single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia… -Thomas Babington Macaulay1 Patriotism in a country like this comes often to be identical with politics. But it is our singular good fortune that it has bound its expression not only in politics but also in the sciences and the arts. -Sir J.C. Bose2 Benedict Anderson in his seminal work Imagined Communities (2006) attempts to define the ineffable ideology of Nationalism. He begins by clearly defining the parameters of a nation, which he states is an “imagined political community,” with delineated borders and sees itself as a sovereign state. The nationalism defined by a political community often aligns itself with the “large cultural system that preceded it, out of which – as well as against which – it came into being.”3 Within the constraints of Anderson’s definition, Indian nationalism emerged in opposition to the British Empire, relying on its ancient heritage. In nineteenth-century India, the nationalist elements, accepting the geographical parameters drawn by the British after their conquest, drew their inspiration from the country’s culturally rich past. The British colonial government had systematically dismantled or significantly altered India’s myriad cultural, social, and economic institutions. The reassertion of some of the traditional systems, was a complex 1 Thomas Babington Macaulay, Minute on the Indian Education, 1835. 2 Sir J.C. Bose: A Sketch of his Life and Career, 2nd ed. (Madras: G.A. Natesan, 1921), 44. 3 Discussion on Nationalism