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Science under Constraints
Coming of Age of Indian Science
Speakers
How do you build a scientifically and technologically strong modern nation with limited means and resources? Indian scientists faced this challenge seven decades ago when the country became independent and confronted a world rapidly advancing in science and technology. In the years that followed, they battled poor funding and archaic regulations to build India’s science infrastructure from scratch. The book ‘Space Life Matter’ captures the story of the struggles and triumphs of these leaders of science and the institutions they founded.
In a conversation with science historian Jahnavi Phalkey, author of the book Hari Pulakkat talks about key events that shaped Indian science after independence. This includes the cosmic-ray experiments at the Kolar Gold Fields, the building of the world’s largest radio telescope, ISRO’s space observatory, and how persistent scientist-engineers developed a chemicals and pharmaceutical industry in India.
Speakers
Hari Pulakkat
Hari Pulakkat is a science journalist and writer based in Bangalore, with nearly three decades of experience in covering science and technology from an Indian point of view. He has worked primarily for two publications, Businessworld and The Economic Times. He writes about how science and technology shapes Indian economy and society, and on how major global trends in science shape India’s future. He is now the editor of Shaastra, a new science and technology magazine from IIT Madras. In 2020, he was the winner of the Indira Gandhi Prize for Science Popularisation. Space Life Matter is his first book.
Jahnavi Phalkey
