Birbal Sahni and His Father Ruchi Ram: Science in Punjab Emerging from the Shadows of the Rāj
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Indian Journal of History of Science, 53.4 (2018) T160-T166 DOI: 10.16943/ijhs/2018/v53i4/49539 Birbal Sahni and His Father Ruchi Ram: Science in Punjab Emerging from the Shadows of the Rāj Ashok Sahni* (Received 15 May 2018; revised 24 May 2018) Abstract Panjab has always been at the crossroads of change. At the end of the nineteenth century with opening up of the markets of the west and the pervasive atmosphere of British colonialism, the demographic composition of this state changed and an aspirational middle class was born. One of the families that epitomised this fledgling social strata and contributed to the development of science and industry was headed by Ruchi Ram Sahni. He became the first Indian meteorologist while acquiring a degree from Presidency College, Kolkata in 1885 where he came in touch with some great minds of his times. This experience stood him in good stead in his later life. He visited the University of Manchester during 1914 just as First World War was breaking out. He managed to write two papers that were communicated by Lord Rutherford in 1915 and 1917. His son Birbal meanwhile had reached Cambridge and was completing his Tripos there, specializing in Botany. Birbal loved his work and wrote several papers while still in the United Kingdom establishing himself as one of the leading botanists of his times. He worked briefly at Banaras Hindu University and Panjab University before settling down to a Professorship at Lucknow University. During this time through his own research and the work of his colleagues and students, he raised the status of the little known subject of Palaeobotany to global recognition. Unfortunately barely a week after establishing a research institute that now bears his name, he died at any early age with dreams unfulfilled. Key words: Birbal Sahni, Colonial Punjab, Research profiles, Ruchi Ram Sahni, Science. 1. INTRODUCTION nationalists and rationalists in a country where the majority of people still relied on magical cures There were many persons who contributed and amulets and the bigotry of the sages and peers intellectually to the growth and development of that dotted the landscape. Panjab during the latter part of 19th Century and early part of the 20th century. As Panjab changed, Here we focus on a family that put great a new breed of people emerged who were willing value on science and the scientific temperament to discard their traditional past and embrace new and the efforts of the head of this family, Ruchi ideas of life and religion influenced by colonial Ram Sahni. A self-made man, he first established life. This led to the resurgence of science at the himself academically and then through entrepre- end of the 19th century coinciding with the establi- neurship, created an industrial base so that he shment of the University of Panjab at Lahore in could educate his children and send them to the 1882. The time also registered the rise of an United Kingdom for higher studies. One son, aspirational middle class in a country steeped in a Birbal Sahni, excelled in his field of endeavour, feudal set up. It further marked the emergence of and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in a small group of Indians who were both 1936. * Professor Emeritus, Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014, Mailing Address: 98 Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow; Email: [email protected] BIRBAL SAHNI AND HIS FATHER RUCHI RAM T161 2. RUCHI RAM SAHNI for Heidelberg in 1914. First World War had just (5TH APRIL 1863 - 3RD JUNE 1948) started and his German Professor and guide Fajhans suggested that he leave immediately for The Sahni clan comes from Bhera, a Rutherford’s lab at the University of Manchester. medieval town located on the eastern bank of the Ruchi Ram spent nearly two years at Manchester Jhelum River. Ruchi Ram and his forefathers were (1914- 1915) and worked with some of the greatest part of an old and established business family who minds assembled there. He wrote two papers were basically money lenders and had started (Sahni, 1915, 1917) communicated by Rutherford trading in goods during the latter part of the himself and whom he always regarded as a true nineteenth century as markets of the western world guide and friend (Sahni, 1937). During his stay at opened up. Tragedy struck one day and the family Manchester he was greatly helped by his son lost most of their wealth. This meant that Ruchi Birbal Sahni who was already in Cambridge Ram had to fend for himself financially from a completing his Tripos degrees (Fig.1). In fact it is very young age. This toughened him and gave him more than plausible that the topic of research the confidence to charter his own path through Ruchi Ram had chosen to undertake at school and later college mainly on the basis of Manchester, namely the record of alpha, beta and merit scholarships, (Burra, 2017; Sehgal and gamma particles on photographic plates was Mohanti 1994). influenced by his son’s expertise in photography. Ruchi Ram was different. While still a Some indications that this may have been the case student at high school he became a Brahmo come from material recovered from Birbal Sahni’s Samājī. So vexed and angry was his mother at her home in Lucknow in 2016 in the form of a son for this decision, that she never set foot in her photographic plate of alpha particles with a legend son’s home after that. But he was adamant. As a written in son’s handwriting. brahmo, he came in contact with like minded free thinkers which included the father of (later Sir) S 3. BIRBAL SAHNI S Bhatnagar. The bond with the family that started (14TH NOVEMBER 1891 - 10TH APRIL 1949) at Bhera endured till the very end (Kochhar, 2013). Birbal and his father enjoyed a warm Ruchi Ram joined the fledgling Panjab University relationship from the very beginning. Ruchi Ram soon after its establishment and went on to get a Bachelors degree in 1884. He then moved on to Presidency College in Kolkata where he was obtained a M.A. in Physics and Chemistry degree in 1885, (Kochhar, 2013). While still a student there he was selected as a meteorologist in 1885 at the tender age of 22 years and was allowed to study as well as complete his responsibilities as the Meteorologist Assistant, being the first Indian to do so. But, his mind and heart were always in academics and when he got an opportunity to join Government College at Lahore as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry in 1886, he accepted the offer and worked there from1887 to 1918. He took Fig. 1. In Manchester 1914 with two of his sons, Bodh Raj to his job seriously often running into conflict with (centre) and Birbal (left). (Courtesy: Collection of Birbal his colleagues. In mid-career he decided to leave Sahni at his Lucknow Residence) T162 INDIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY OF SCIENCE believed in ‘hardening’ his children against the under the influence of S R Kashyap and decided rigors of life. Every summer, he set out with his to opt for an academic career in Botany rather than sons to remote parts of the Himalaya. Some of pursue the Indian Civil Services which his father these traverses are recorded (Mulk Raj Sahni 1982, was keen on. He left for England soon after 1911 unpublished autobiography) and had a great and took his Natural Science Tripos 1 from influence on the minds of those children who Emmanuel College Cambridge in the First Class accompanied him. Between 1907 to 1911, the and then in 1915 the Natural Science Tripos 2 from father and his sons visited Pathankot, Rohtang, the same college. Two years later he received a Narkanda, and Chini Pass; later, Srinagar and B S degree from the University of London though Amarnath and in 1911, the Machoi Glacier and there is some controversy as to the exact date. In Jozila Pass. Birbal and his younger brother were 1919-1920, he was appointed Professor at Benares always ready for adventure and both turned to Hindu University, Varanasi and later Professor at science one a botanist and the other a geologist University of Punjab, Lahore. 1920 was a (Sahni, 2004). While still young, Birbal made landmark year for Birbal. This was the year when innumerable trips to the Salt Range-Potwar he also got married to Savitri Suri. In 1921, he Plateau region situated near his hometown Bhera. was appointed Professor at Lucknow University Trips to the greater Himalaya had a great influence in Departments of Botany and Geology- the two on young Birbal and his love for botany was born. main ingredients in the recipe for making a Armed with Hooker’s Flora of British India, these palaeobotanist! Lucknow University was at its travels whetted young Birbal’s appetite for acme for academic excellence and he settled down identifying his specimens from the High Himalaya at the University building a band of colleagues some of which are reposited at Kew Gardens. Even and students who laid the foundation of the field on his return from England, Birbal’s love for the of Palaeobotany. Himalaya haunted him. In 1920 in company of S R Kashyap, he visited Chamba, Leh, Baltal and 4. RESEARCH Amarnath and in 1923 Uri, Poonch-and Gulmarg. His research canvas was large both Unlike his other siblings who were mostly spatially and temporally. He concentrated on the schooled at home, Birbal attended the Mission and Himalayan region as well as Peninsular India in Central Model School Lahore.