History of the Calcutta School of Physical Sciences

Purabi Mukherji has been a counsellor in Mathematics at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Kolkata centre, India, since 1994. Earlier, she served in the Department of Mathematics at the Gokhale Memorial Girls’ College, Kolkata, from 1994 to 2014. Dr Mukherji earned her PhD in Applied Mathematics from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in 1987. She received two “National Best Paper Awards” for her work on “Mathematical Modelling” in Geophysics, awarded by the Indian Society for Earthquake Technology of the University of Roorkee. Since 2010, she has been pursuing research in the field of History of Science and has successfully completed two projects funded by the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi. Currently, she is working on another INSA-funded project entitled “The Development of the School of Research on Number Theory in India During the 20th Century”. She has published over 40 research papers in reputed national and international journals and over 20scientific articles in Bengali popular scientific magazines. She authored a book titled Pioneer Mathematicians of Calcutta University published by the Calcutta University Press, Kolkata. Dr Mukherji is a life member of the Indian Science Congress Association, Calcutta Mathematical Society, Indian Society of History of Mathematics, Indian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Indian Society of Nonlinear Analysts and many others. She is also an editorial board member of the journal Indian Science Cruiser published by the Institute of Science, Education and Culture (ISEC), Kolkata.Atri Mukhopadhyay is a retired professor of Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, India. He earned his PhD in Physics from the University of Calcutta, Kolkata. He was responsible for restructuring and enriching the Meghnad Saha Archives at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata. His book entitled Abinash Meghnad Saha (Meghnad Saha the Invincible) in Bengalioffers an in-depth analysis of the life and work of Meghnad Saha vis-à-vis the contemporary scientists in colonial India. He was the general secretary of the Indian Physical Society for several consecutive terms and has authored quite a number of articles in English and Bengali, including a classical Indian text on Mahabharata, and has published 40 research papers in international journals. He translated T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land into Bengali. His research has primarily been on the electron structure theory of atoms and molecules.

• Chapter 1. Sir Asutosh Mookerjee,- Chapter 2. Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (Sir C.V. Raman) (1888-1970).- Chapter 3. Professor Debendra Mohan Bose (Professor D. M. Bose) (1885-1975).- Chapter 4. Professor Meghnad Saha (Professor M. N. Saha) (1893-1956).- Chapter 5. Professor Satyendra Nath Bose (Professor S. N. Bose) (1894-1974).- Chapter 6. Sir Karimanikkam Srinivasa Krishnan (Sir K. S. Krishnan) (1898-1961).- Chapter 7. Professor Sisir Kumar Mitra (Professor S. K. Mitra) (1890-1963).- Chapter 8. Bibliographies of the Scientists.

“Without doubt the authors have done a good job in highlighting the role of Sir Asutosh Mookerjee as the builder of the Calcutta School of Physical Sciences. … History of the Calcutta School of Physical Sciences will be a useful piece of work for newcomers and for Western historians who have little knowledge about Indian scientists.” (Rajinder Singh, Isis, Vol. 111 (1), 2020)“The aim of the book is to provide short accounts of the lives and works of the physicists covered in the book – based primarily on the previous historical accounts of these physicists. … scholars as well as general readers will find this book useful as a source of basic information about the important Indian physicists of that era between the two covers of one single book.” (Arnab Rai Choudhuri, Current Science, Vol. 117 (11), December, 2019)“This hardback, a labour of love of Purabi Mukherji and Atri Mukhopadhyay have not dwelt with the drama which this band of talented men had to face as they rowed upstream. That is why this Springer publication is a better read than run of the mill works on these men. Instead of drama, the authors have focused on scientific information which never descends to the level of jargon. Anyone with a love for the history of science will treasure it.” (The Statesman, thestatesman.com, January, 28, 2019)​