On 27th of September, School of Social Science organized a lecture by Prof. Jahnavi Phalkey in C. V. Raman Auditorium, as part of the ongoing second edition of the Golden Jubilee Lecture Series. In the presence of Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Professor Jyotirmaya Sharma, and an eager audience of teachers, researcher and students, Prof. K K Kailash, Head of Department of Political Science, highlighted the multidisciplinary credentials of the speaker, and her kaleidoscopic experience as a historian of science and technology, lecturer of history at Kings College, London, a filmmaker, the Director of Science Gallery, Bangalore and author of the celebrated book ‘Atomic State: Big Science in Twentieth Century India’.
Prof. Phalkey began her lecture on a lighter note, noting the cons of ‘wearing many hats’. Her talk was titled ‘Science and State-formation in twentieth century India’, bringing to light how the relatively isolated work in science laboratories and the Statist concerns are interrelated. The discovery and design of cyclotron and nuclear fission in 1930s had made the possibility of a bomb evident to the scientific community, paving way for the Manhattan Project. The speaker argued that the push for scientific research during 1940s was intimately tied with the war efforts. In the peace time, allocation of resources on this scale would have been inconceivable.
Her talk revolved around three case studies: development of experimental physics in India; coming together of science, state and industry in HAL’s first aircraft; and finally, statistics. One must note that the disciplines of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in India had largely remained free from imperial control. In 1940s, eminent Indian scientists like Meghnad Saha, C V Raman and Homi Jahangir Bhabha, pioneers in their fields, were each envisioning institutions for experimental physics and fundamental science in India, and sending their students to foreign laboratories to gain first-hand experience of cyclotron. Tata Institute for Fundamental Research was an outcome of these early attempts, funded by Tata as well as the State. It became possible only because nuclear science was by now a ‘dual-use’ technology, critical to war efforts but also justifiable with civilian applications like energy and medical research. Statist goals were being articulated through scientific outcomes. Speaker made the case that State control over nuclear research and centralization of science is not merely due to need for vast resources but also a way to ensure State monopoly over violence. For instance, it was only after Soviet nuclear test, that US pumped funds in CERN project as a counter-weight. It is no accident that in the post-war world, Ministries of Science and Technology became almost ubiquitous.
The second case study centred on Vishnu Madhav Ghatge, a student of fluid dynamics under Ludwig Prandtl who joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and was instrumental in designing of India’ s first aircraft- HAL HT-2. Aspirations of a businessman, scientific curiosity of academia and the geopolitical urgencies of Government of India in the face of Japanese invasion on the Easter front, all came together to aid war effort. Another layer of ‘industry’ is added to the dyad of state and science. Final case study was of Mahalanobis and his statistical ‘method’ of D2 – measuring optimal distancing for random sampling- which he refined over two decades in Indian Statistical Institute at Calcutta. It became critical to meet the data needs of independent Indian state, becoming the backbone of National Sample Survey Organisation and Planning Commission. These datasets were studied world over, especially by the Chinese, who hoped to employ it as an alternative to the Soviet method.
Thus, she emphasised that the complex bind of State and science cannot understood through ‘science policy’ alone. Research in seemingly isolate sites is also often mediated by the state. During the questionnaire, the speaker made some important distinctions and clarifications. State for example, must not be conflated with politics. In the formative years of science, statist control and concerns were crucial while now, political is becoming more important. In response to a question on restrictions of technology from the West to ‘Global South’, she first differentiated between science and technology, underscored the need to read archives at their own terms, pointed out the rivalries and restrictions within ‘West’, and argued that these frames, although important, can also hamper our attention to detail and understanding of ground reality. Prof. Kailash, in his concluding remarks as chair, highlighted how the driving idea of ‘Institute of Eminence’ is also a multi-disciplinary one. The session came to an end with a vote of thanks by Dr. Anju Helen Bara.