Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata

The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) is a society registered under Act XXI of 1860 and the corresponding State Act viz. the West Bengal State Registration Act 1961, with its headquarters at 2A & B, Raja S. C. Mallick Road, Calcutta – 700 032, West Bengal, India. It has a Governing Council with a number of members elected or nominated and the Registrar as its Non-Member Secretary. The Council has the functions, duties and power as envisaged in the Memorandum and Bye Laws and as per the provisions of the relevant Act. Read MoreIndian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) is a premier Scientific Research Institute located in Kolkata. Founded in the year 1876 by Dr. Mahendralal Sircar, an acclaimed medical practitioner of his time, IACS is the oldest scientific institution in Asia funded by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India and the Government of West Bengal. Sir C.V. Raman made his historic discovery of ‘Raman Effect’ at IACS. It continues to adorn the mantle of academic and intellectual excellence in India and abroad. The various laboratories at every corner of this great institution reverberate with the resounding legacy of the unparalleled scientific excellence for which this city is proud of. For the benefit of all of you, I take this opportunity to briefly summarize our institute’s glorious past, an eloquent present and an ambitious future.The latter half of the nineteenth century witnessed an intellectual renaissance in undivided Bengal. During this time, when there were almost no noteworthy institution in the country to impart quality education in science and culture, several eminent personalities from diverse disciplines committed themselves to the cause of institution building. One such personality was Mahendralal Sircar, who was educated as a medical practitioner and was a personal physician of the renowned sage Rama Krishna Paramahansa Deb. But he had a mission to establish an institution where “lectures on scientific subjects will be systematically delivered”. Mahendralal’s cherished dream took shape when the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science was inaugurated at the 12, Bowbazar Street campus on July 29, 1876. The founder secretary to the Association was Mahendralal himself, with the first Trustee Board comprising persons like Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar and Keshab Chandra Sen. During the early years, the IACS received handsome patronage from other eminent personalities of that time like Sri Gurudas Banerjee, Raja Rajendralal Mitra, Sir Surendranath Banerjee and Raja Peary Mohan Mukherjee. The original mandate of delivering lectures in science was materialized soon when Father Lafont, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, Sir Asutosh Mookerjee and Rai Bahadur Chunilal Bose began teaching in the Association.A modest beginning, but an ambitious foresight, saw the Association catapult into a centre of repute, which found Mahendralal’s creation firmly embedded into the history of science in India. The pinnacle of success was soon to be attained with the discovery of the Raman Effect and quick to follow was the recognition of Nobel Prize. Streams of luminaries who were associated with the institute were stalwarts like Sir Nilratan Sircar, Sir Jnan Chandra Ghosh, Dr. Syamaprasad Mookerjee, Professor Satyandranath Bose and Professor M.N. Saha. Raman’s legacy of excellence in physics was aptly carried forward in IACS first by Professor K.S. Krishnan and later by Professor Kedareshwar Banerjee.