150 years of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science

The late 18th and 19th centuries marked a period of profound intellectual and cultural awakening across India, with Bengal emerging as its prominent centre. Although similar currents of intellectual, social, and cultural reform were taking shape in several other parts of the country, the scale, diversity, and enduring influence of this awakening found their fullest expression in Bengal.

What is now widely known as the Bengal Renaissance not only transformed Bengal but also profoundly influenced the intellectual, social, and cultural evolution of modern India. The movement fostered remarkable advances across a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from philosophy, spirituality, literature, and the arts to education, social reform, and the natural sciences. It produced an extraordinary generation of philosophers, reformers, educators, scientists, writers, and artists whose collective vision and achievements laid many of the intellectual and institutional foundations of modern India.

One of the most influential figures of this remarkable period was Mahendralal Sircar (1833-1904). Deeply concerned that the colonial administration had failed to provide adequate opportunities for Indians to pursue education and research in the natural sciences, Sircar articulated a bold vision for scientific self-reliance.

In 1869, in an article published in the Calcutta Journal of Medicine, he proposed the establishment of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), arguing that scientific education was indispensable for India’s intellectual and societal progress. As he wrote: “The best method, and under the present circumstances, the only method, that we can conceive of, by which the people of India can be essentially improved, by which the Hindu mind can/ be developed to its full proportions, is as we have seen above, by the cultivation of the Physical Sciences”. 

Three years later, while addressing a meeting of the Bethune Society at the Medical College Theatre in Calcutta in 1872, Sircar lamented the lack of institutional support for scientific research in India under colonial rule: “I must say, though I say with deep regret, that our Government has hitherto afforded no opportunity, nor offered any encouragement to the pursuit of science by the native of this country”.

These statements reveal Sircar’s remarkable foresight. At a time when scientific research in India received little official encouragement, he envisioned an institution that would enable Indians to pursue scientific inquiry and contribute to the advancement of knowledge. That vision culminated in the establishment of the IACS on July 29, 1876, as the country’s first national institution dedicated to scientific research by Indians. Today, as we celebrate its 150th anniversary, we honour not merely the founding of an institution but the birth of a scientific movement that transformed the landscape of Indian science.

Among the most celebrated scientists associated with the IACS was C.V. Raman, whose pioneering work transformed modern physics. Shortly after joining the Accountant General’s Office in Calcutta in 1907, Raman noticed a “strange-looking board” bearing the name ‘Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science’. Intrigued, he made enquiries about the institution and was introduced to Amrit Lal Sircar, the son of the Association’s founder. Recognising Raman’s enthusiasm for scientific research, Amrit extended an open invitation to use the Association’s laboratories for Raman’s experiments outside office hours.

For nearly a decade, Raman followed a remarkable routine. He spent the early mornings and evenings at the IACS laboratory while discharging his responsibilities as a government officer during the day. This extraordinary dedication continued until 1917, when he resigned from the Finance Department to accept the Palit Professorship of Physics at the University of Calcutta. Even thereafter, IACS remained the principal venue for his experimental investigations.

It was in the laboratories of IACS that Raman made his most celebrated discovery, the Raman effect, which he announced to the world on February 28, 1928. This landmark discovery earned him the Nobel Prize in physics in 1930, making him the first Asian scientist to win this prize in the sciences. In many ways, Raman’s achievement represented the fulfilment of Mahendralal Sircar’s vision: that an institution founded and nurtured by Indians for the cultivation of science could produce discoveries of the highest international significance.

The founding of the IACS also marked a defining moment in the renaissance of science in India. More than the establishment of a scientific institution, it embodied the aspiration that Indians should not merely learn science but actively create it. Over the past century and a half, IACS has nurtured generations of exceptional scientists, provided a vibrant institutional framework for the pursuit of scientific inquiry, and made contributions of enduring significance to the advancement of science worldwide.

As we commemorate this historic milestone, we pay our deepest tribute to the vision and foresight of Mahendralal Sircar, whose unwavering belief in the transformative power of science made this institution possible. We also celebrate the extraordinary legacy of the IACS itself, a legacy of intellectual curiosity, scientific excellence, and national service that continues to inspire generations of researchers. May that spirit continue to guide the Institute advancing the frontiers of knowledge and contributing to the scientific and technological progress of India and the world.

Shekhar C. Mande is president, Indian National Science Academy, and national president, Vijnana Bharati.

Published – July 29, 2026 09:00 am IST