Growth of Scientific Periodicals in India (1901-1947) An Old and Rare Book

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This is a continuation of the work Growth of Scientific Periodicals in India (1788-1900) published first in Indian Journal of History of Science during 2002 and subsequently as a book by Indian National Science Academy also in 2002 [Sen). Hence, the objective of the study remains the same as the earlier work to portray the scenario of scientific periodicals that emerged and flourished in India during 1901-1947 along with educational and other related developments that helped the growth and sustenance of the periodicals.

An attempt has been made in this study to enlist all scientific periodicals including annual and other periodic reports of S&T departments of central and state governments, scientific organizations and institutions, etc published in English, Bengali, Portuguese and other Indian languages.

The geographic limit of the study remains confined to British India that now forms India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The period covered is 1901 to 1947. The earlier study and this one taken together provide a comprehensive scenario of scientific periodicals that emerged and flourished in British India. The total number of periodicals that emerged during British rule from India goes well-nigh 2500. They have appeared in all forms comprising research periodicals, technical periodicals, popular periodicals, annual and other periodic reports, newsletters, and so on. In terms of quality they varied from high grade research periodicals to layman's popular periodicals. These periodicals covered all fields of science and technology known during the period. The scientific and technological (S & T) contribution from India reflected in the periodicals was substantial.

The time span of 1901-1947 is important both from the point of view of Indian as well as world history. On the one hand, the period sawintense political movement to free India from British rule and the world on the other hand saw two world wars of unimaginable dimension. These political movements and upheavals all over the world impacted greatly global periodical scenario. In many cases, they were responsible for the cessation of some periodicals, temporary discontinuance of many, as well as retardation in the overall growth of periodicals. It is also true that some political developments like swadeshi movement in India, partition of Bengal, creation of Bihar and Orissa state, etc gave rise to a number of periodicals.

In the pages that follow, the scenario will be described in three parts. The first part will cover the years from 1901 to 1913. The period that helped the growth of the periodicals without any impediment. The second part starts with the year 1914 when the World War I started and ends with the year 1938, just before the onset of World War II. The third part starts with 1939 and ends with 1947 that witnessed the end of British rule in India.