INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE CULTIVATION OF SCIENCE

INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE CULTIVATION OF SCIENCE

Founded on July 29, 1876 by Dr Mahendra Lal Sircar, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) is the oldest institute in India devoted to the pursuit of fundamental research in the frontier areas of basic sciences. Professor C V Raman worked at IACS during 1907 to 1933, and it is here that he discovered the celebrated effect that bears his name and for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. Activities of the Association at 210 Bowbazar Street, Calcutta, in the very early years were supported by generous public contributions. In the early phase, the list of lecturers in Science in IACS included all the luminaries of the era: Father Lafont, Jagadish Chandra Bose, Asutosh Mukherjee, Chunilal Bose and Pramathanath Bose. Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and Kesab Chandra Sen were among the members of the first Trustee Board of IACS, with Dr. Sircar himself as the first Honorary Secretary. Apart from these great scholars, the stalwart public figures like Gurudas Banerjee, Rajendralal Mitra and Surendranath Banerjee were its patrons. Raja Peary Mohan Mukherjee was the first Indian to take the position of the President of IACS in 1912. Raman started a vibrant school of research, which attracted quite a few talented scientists, who furthered the progress of research along Raman. After the departure of Raman, K S Krishnan started the pioneering school of modern magnetism and structural physics. K Banerjee pioneered the early development of the direct method of crystallography. Many distinguished scientists of modern India had carried out research here. S Bhagavantam, L Srivastava, N K Sethi, C Prosad, M N Saha and a host of other eminent Indian Scientists worked here to enrich the research culture of the Association. Its emblem has an unique and glowing lamp supported by the name of its founder at the bottom and its motto on both sides ensconced by a circular border bearing its name. This is surrounded by an eight petalled lotus, which has a circular border. The lamp and the lotus are the symbols of enlightenment and wisdom respectively.