Science Education and Science Writing in Hindi in the North West Provinces (1860-1900)
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Indian Journal of History of Science, 52.4 (2017) 463-483 DOI: 10.16943/ijhs/2017/v52i4/49267 Science Education and Science Writing in Hindi in the North West Provinces (1860-1900) Pooja Mishra* (Received 20 June 2016; revised 14 October 2017) Abstract The vernacularisation of science passes through various processes that are dependent upon historical and cultural context. Science writing and popularization in various vernacular languages of the Indian subcontinent such as Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam commenced in the first half of the nineteenth century itself. Science writing in Hindi began rather late when compared to the other vernacular. The present paper engages with science education and its linkages with science popularization in Hindi, exploring the socio-political context for the late arrival of science writing in Hindi. The paper investigates the connectedness of the education system, the emergence of Hindi as a language, and the role of the print media in the popularization of science in Hindi. Key words: Hindi science writing, Print readership, Science education, Social history, Vernacular science education 1. INTRODUCTION establishment of Fort William College in 1800. The conflict began to germinate during the 1840s The nineteenth century is marked as a on the ground prepared by the colonial government period of far-reaching socio-economic and through its educational policies. political change in colonial India. Changes in the socio-political and economic structure of the The paper seeks to explore the late arrival subcontinent were accompanied by various social of science writings in Hindi. Studies show that conflicts manifested in peasant, tribal, and anti- popularisation of science and science writing in caste movements towards the latter half of the the vernaculars of the Indian subcontinent such nineteenth century (Sarkar, 1983; Chandra, et.al. as Bengali, Urdu, Tamil, Assamese etc 1989; Desai, 2000). The movement for acquiring commenced in the early nineteenth century a linguistic identity for Hindi was the result of a (Sehgal, Sangwan, Mahanti, 2000; Raina, and S controversy during the nineteenth century Habib, 2004; Prakash, 1999). However, Hindi was generated around the issue of replacing the Persian a latecomer, though small efforts commenced in script and language by Nāgarī as the official the 1870s but accelerated after the 1890s and language of North-Western Provinces (henceforth substantially after 1900 (Mishra, 2001). The focus NWP) and Oudh. This movement for a Hindi of the paper is on science writing in Hindi. At the linguistic identity subsequently acquired religious turn of century the genre of science writing was overtones (Rai, 1998; Orisini, 2002; King, 1994). clearly linked to the agenda of science education The Hindi language movement emerged after the and education per se. During the period discussed, 1880s but its seeds were sown towards the science education was still in an incipient stage beginning of the century, following the of development. As a result the rubric of general * Ph.D. Research Scholar, Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies, School for Social Sciences, JNU, New Delhi-110067. Email: [email protected] 464 INDIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY OF SCIENCE education provides a backdrop for situating the In the same vein, James Secord argued discussion on science education. Furthermore, as against studying the history of popular science as happened in the case of general education, the a sub-discipline within history of science. In this publication of books on science and science text- view “popular science” cannot be used as a neutral books were linked up with publication houses and descriptor because of its intrinsically multi-vocal networks associated with the emergence of Hindi character, and to overcome mid-nineteenth century print culture. Without delving into a detailed diffusionism (Secord, 2004, p.671). Peter Broks history of print culture in Hindi, this paper instead suggests shifting to ‘a whole range of discusses the linkages between science textbooks participatory and indigenous forms, of in Hindi and Hindi print culture. practitioners, knowledge producers, knowledge consumers, commercial interests, political 2. SITUATING THE POPULARIZATION OF SCIENCE interests, political aspirations and social fears’, thereby revealing the interrelationship of Recent studies in the history of science knowledge, culture and society (Broks, 2006,p.2). engaging with the popularization of science have Similarly, Topham urges us to look at focused upon the audiences and reading publics of science, which it is argued, should be seen popularization as a communicative process which against the backdrop of the history of education involves appreciation, resistance and cultural as well (Secord 2004; Topham 2009; Shapiro contestation (Topham, 2009, p.20). In the process 2012, pp.99-110). Shapiro’s studies on pre- popularization must be factored into the histories collegiate level science textbooks indicates that of the book and education: before the nineteenth century, textbooks served “This has the benefit of reintegrating both the purposes, as a ‘text-for-training’ and ‘science popularisation’ with other forms ‘books-for-popularization’(Shapiro, 2012, p. 99). of communication in science, including education and international Discussing the historiography of popular science communication, and it also provides a Andreas W Daum emphasized on a more range of new historiographical resources, interdisciplinary approach and emphasizes that we drawn from, among other places, the ‘de-essentialise’ and ‘historicise’ popular science” cultural history of the book, translation (Duam, 2009, p.320). Furthermore, to understand studies and the history of education.” “popular science” in its various forms, requires (emphasis added, Topham 2009, p.20.) addressing the ‘persistent sociological and Moreover, recent scholarship on the discursive imbalances’ in the already rich and historiography on popular science emphasizes an extensive historical studies which will provide a interdisciplinary approach by integrating the more comparative picture of the field. Thus he studies of popular science with history of suggests that the researcher begin with a set of education and books as well. Thus, the focus here ‘heuristic categories’ within local, regional and will be upon education, science education and national contexts of ‘transcultural communication’ what one might call the print readership in the so as to understand ‘forms of popular science as Hindi speaking belt. During the colonial period specific variations of a much larger phenomenon: the North-Western Provinces was known to be the that is transformations of public knowledge across heartland of the Hindi-Urdu region since the last time, space and cultures’ (Duam, 2009, p.320). decades of the eighteenth century.1 In 1836, it was 1 Orisini points out that North West Province of the time included today’s Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana. Geographically, the Hindi area extended from the princely states of Rajputana (present Rajasthan) in the west, to Bihar in the east, and from Punjab and Garhwal in the north to the Central Provinces and Berar in the south (Orisini, 2002, p. 2). HISTORICAL NOTE: SCIENCE EDUCATION AND SCIENCE WRITING IN HINDI 465 brought under the Lieutenant Governor after it was delineated from the Bengal Presidency, and Allahabad became the headquarters. In 1856, Oudh province was annexed and was governed by a Commissioner. In 1877, it was merged with the North-Western Province and together named North-Western Provinces and Oudh. In 1902, after some administrative changes it was renamed United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. In the sections that follow we shall investigate the educational background and institutional endowments of the region, the emergence of Hindi as a language of communication and instruction, and its relationship with science book production in Hindi. The paper broadly attempt to explore nature and context of science education and science writings. The major concerns are-What kinds of informal and formal systems of education existed in the region? What was the scope/place of modern 3 or traditional scientific knowledge in these Fig.1. A Map of North-Western Province and Oudh educational systems? During the colonial period of instruction between the Anglicists and what was the language of instruction, and which Orientalists. The Anglicists, prevailed and their subjects served were as pre-requisites for programme was legitimated by the Macaulay eligibility to entrance examinations for higher Minute of 1835, that recommended the extension education?2 Entrance to institutions of higher of official patronage for instruction in English and education was through a qualifying entrance western science and the withdrawal of financial examination. In this context, what were the goals support for education in Sanskrit, Arabic, or and objectives of science education and Persian (Baber, 1996, p. 202). The medium of popularization? How widely were textbooks on instruction was a matter of great debate because science available in the vernacular languages? English was alien to the local population. Capable Who were the science writers and publishers of English educated teachers were required in large popular science textbooks and books at the time? numbers. The Wood Dispatch of 1854, on the contrary, made a case for the vernacular languages 3. THE ASCENT OF HINDI AS LANGUAGE