DOI: https://doi.org/10.36094/sc.v85.2019.SamarendraNathSen.Sthanapati.368 ARTICLE SAMARENDRA NATH SEN – THE DOYEN OF RESEARCH IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE IN INDIA JAYANTA STHANAPATI* Introduction n July this year in two separate seminars, one organized jointly by the Department of Philosophy of Jadavpur IUniversity and the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), and the other by the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), academicians and scholars from various parts of the country paid homage to the renowned historian of science Professor Samarendra Nath Sen whose birth centenary was over recently. The present author was the last scholar to work under Professor Sen and therefore was invited in both the seminars to narrate his remembrance of this great researcher. Within a year after the demise of Samarendra Nath Sen (or S.N. Sen) two obituary notes appeared in the literature giving account on his life and work — one by the editor of the Indian Journal of History of Science1 and the other by a distinguished historian of mathematics Professor Radha Charan Gupta2. This article is a compilation of comprehensive information on the academic contribution of S.N. Sen, fond remembrance of Dr Jayati Mitra his second daughter and the everlasting impression the present author had while working as a Research Samarendra Nath Sen Associate of Prof Sen. regularly during school and college days. He had mastered Samarendra Nath was born on 1st October 1918 near watercolour painting and pencil sketches too. Shyambazar in Calcutta to Surendra Nath Sen and Usha Samarendra Nath completed postgraduate studies in Rani Sen. He went to a school in north Calcutta, but we Pure Physics at the University College of Science, Calcutta could not find out its name. He had passed ISc examination in 1940. He secured the first position in MSc examination in 1936 with distinction from Vidyasagar College, Calcutta and received a Gold Medal. Sen got an appointment as a and BSc with Physics honours in 1938 from the same lecturer in Physics in 1941 at the Scottish Church College, institution. He was a good sportsman and practised running Calcutta and served till 1947. He was a joint editor of Science and Culture journal from 1941 to 1947. In 1946 * Former Director, Birla Industrial and Technological Museum and he wrote a book in Bengali titled Anobik Boma (Atomic Deputy Director-General, National Council of Science Museums. Bomb), possibly his first published literary work.3 e-mail : [email protected] 368 SCIENCE AND CULTURE, NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 2019 History says that Prof Meghnad Saha, FRS played a these works were published by INSA as books both during significant role to rejuvenate the IACS from 1944 till his his lifetime and after his demise. demise in 1956, first as its Honorary Secretary, then as In 1957 an Indian Society for History of Science was President of the Governing Council and finally as Director formed and it was planned to conduct a full-fledged of the Institute. He had encouraged Samarendra Nath to academic course in History of Science. S.N. Sen prepared join IACS in 1947 as Registrar. However, with the the course details for undergraduate and postgraduate levels. permission of IACS authority, Sen soon took a two-year Unfortunately, said society did not survive long. In 1960 engagement in the Science Section of UNESCO in Paris the Asiatic Society formed a History of Science Board with as a Specialist on the popularisation of science and its Sen as a nominated founder member. social implications. Sen was the editor of the Science and Culture journal Incidentally, Prof Joseph Needham, FRS the from 1952 to 1982. Further, he was a member of the celebrated biochemist and Historian of Science was the Editorial Board of the Indian Journal of History of Science Head of the Natural Sciences Section of UNESCO from from 1966 to 1983 and a member of the National 1946 to 1948. Sen thus came in touch with him and got Commission for History of Science of the INSA from 1965 inspired to take up studies in History of Science, to 1985. After that, he was associated with INSA as a particularly in the Indian context. Many years later, in 1962, superannuated scientist till his last date. He was a professor he studied History of Science for four months at the of History of Science at the Asiatic Society from 1985 to University of Cambridge, in England under Needham on a 1987. British Council grant. Samarendra Nath, like several international scholars, was benefitted from Needham’s Prof Sen was always interested in languages. He had mentorship in Cambridge. a very good command of the Bengali, Sanskrit and English languages. Besides that, he learned French while working After returning from UNESCO Sen served the IACS with UNESCO. He learned German when working with a as Registrar until his superannuation in 1978. Despite the German professor. Further, during his research on heavy administrative burden of his position there, he carried Astrolabes for the History of Astronomy work, he learned out research and writing in the history of science every to read and write in Arabic. evening after office, without fail, at home. For reference materials, he consulted libraries at IACS, the Asiatic Samarendra married Kanika Sen in 1943 when he was Society, National Library, Science College, Bose Institute, 25 years old, and the couple were blessed with three Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics and the Ramkrishna daughters. Mission Institute of Culture. Prof Sen had a very kind, caring and gentle personality. He enjoyed interacting with his students, his Sen’s most significant work in Bengali titled Vigyaner daughters, their friends, their cousins and other family Itihas (History of Science) Volume one was published in members. He always encouraged youngsters in doing their 1955. He received, for this work, Rabindra Purashkar best, not only in academics but in sports, music or any (1955-56) from Government of West Bengal and other interests they had. Narsinghdas Prize (1958) from Delhi University. The second volume of the book appeared in 1958. [4] Sen The author now likes to narrate his interaction with authored two more books in Bengali, Vigyan Prabesh Samarendra Nath in the following paragraphs. (1959)5 and Vigyanacharya Dr Mahendralal Sarkar (1985)6 In 1972 India was celebrating Silver Jubilee of its and C.V. Raman: Scientific Work at Calcutta (1988) in independence. I was then a final year postgraduate student English7. Between 1952 and 1986 he had edited of Physics at Jadavpur University. To commemorate the individually and jointly six books8,9,10,30,33,34. From the early occasion IACS had organized a series of lectures by its sixties to his last Sen had contributed over thirty research eminent faculties in the auditorium. The first lecture I had papers on the history of science. We have listed only attended in IACS was by Samarendra Nath Sen on the 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, eighteen from those here ‘History of Science in India’. I also heard Prof 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 . From 1961 to 1992 Samarendra Nath had Akshayananda Bose on another day who spoke on completed nine research projects in the history of science, ‘Cryogenics’ supported by a live demonstration. I then individually or jointly with other scholars under the cherished a keen desire to join this institute for doing 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 sponsorship of INSA. Most of research. VOL. 85, NOS. 11–12 369 the INSA book ‘A Concise History of Science in India’, by D.M. Bose, S.N. Sen and B.V. Subbarappa. As advised by Director of NCSM I consulted Prof Sen several times during the development of the exhibits. He was thorough on the subject and we had developed a set of exhibits on his suggestions. Most of those exhibits later found permanent places in galleries of NCSM at National Science Centre, New Delhi, Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai and Science City, Kolkata. During 1986-87 I became interested in studying the History of Magnetic Resonance Research. The importance of magnetic resonance and its associated branches of science could be judged from the fact that several Nobel Prizes were awarded to scientists from 1944 onwards. By 1989 I got in touch with 22 American and British pioneers of Magnetic Resonance Research, two of whom were Nobel Laureates. It may be recalled there was no internet or email service available then. From the writings of respondent scientists and their memoirs, it transpired that their involvement in the development of microwave Radar during the Second World War helped them to discover Magnetic Resonance phenomena after the war. So, it was important M.N. Saha, S.N. Sen and Linus Pauling in IACS (1955) to study the impact of the second world war on studies of magnetic resonance. I was lucky to get a Junior Research Fellowship next In early 1990 I approached Prof Sen with my plan to year in the Dept of Magnetism (renamed later Solid State study the ‘History of Magnetic Resonance Research’. He Physics) headed by Prof A Bose. In 1976 the IACS liked my proposal and placed it along with my CV in INSA celebrated its Centenary. I was a Senior Research Fellow for considering financial support. However, Dr Ajit Ram then. The authorities selected me as a scholar representative Verma, (former Director NPL) in the screening committee, from the Physics wing of IACS in the Centenary remarked that discoveries in magnetic resonance happened Celebration Committee. Thus I came in touch with Shri primarily in the USA, USSR and UK and therefore there S.N.