(L-R) Supriya Roy, Debanjan Chakrabarti, Sudipto Das, Palash Baran Pal, Gautam Basu
Legendary physicist and polymath
Jagadish Chandra Bose
's contribution to science has been documented countless times. The latest being
Sudipto Das
’s book
Jagadish Chandra Bose The Reluctant Physicist
, which was launched on Thursday at a city bookstore. The book looks beyond
Bose
's scientific contribution, providing a vivid portraiture of the legend’s life. The panel was graced by the author, Gautam Basu, former professor at Bose Institute, Palash Baran Pal theoretical physicist, and Debanjan Chakrabarti, director of the
British Council
East & Northeast India, who served as the moderator.
The launch also had Bose's grandniece Supriya Roy as a special guest.
While talking about the book, Sudipto mentioned what inspired him to write about Bose. He said: “What fascinated me about Jagdish Bose is not just the fact that he was a scientist, as there are many books celebrating his groundbreaking work in science. Rather, it's his contribution to the Bengal Renaissance. His belief that Indian science should be held in high esteem, in parallel with Western science, was revolutionary. During a time when the British found the idea of Indians engaging in science unacceptable, Bose stood firm, advocating that both Indian and Western science should progress together.
”
Gautam Basu added: “There are many biographies on Bose, and his first biography was published while he was alive. Over the years, critical analyses have emerged, but Sudipto's approach towards Bose was very different. In Sudipto's work, Jagadish Bose comes alive in flesh and blood. I realised I'm not used to reading about him in this manner, and this is the first well-researched biography. Numerous contemporaries of Jagadish from the West are also explored in the book.
Palash Baran Pal too lauded the depth of the research: “The book reads like a novel. From my academic perspective, I wish to see more references from the field of science and so on. I was truly impressed by the extent of sources he has consulted.”
English (US) ·