Indian Science Congress Association


Indian Science Congress Association is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a membership of more than 30,000 scientists.
The first Indian Science Congress was held in 1914 at the Asiatic Society in Calcutta. After pseudoscientific speeches at the 2019 Indian Science Congress, the congress has established a policy that requires speakers at future conferences to be vetted and scrutinizes the content of their talks.
Several prominent Indian and foreign scientists, including Nobel laureates, attend and speak the congress.

Genesis

The Indian Science Congress Association owes its origin to the foresight and initiative of two British chemists, namely, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P. S. MacMahon. It occurred to them that scientific research in India might be stimulated if an annual meeting of research workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for the Advancement of Science could be arranged.

Objectives

The Association was formed with the following objectives :
  1. To advance and promote the cause of science in India;
  2. To hold an annual congress at a suitable place in India;
  3. To publish such proceedings, journals, transactions and other publications as may be considered desirable;
  4. To secure and manage funds and endowments for the promotion of Science including the rights of disposing of or selling all or any portion of the properties of the Association;
  5. To do and perform any or all other acts, matters and things as are conductive to, or incidental to, or necessary for, the above objects.

    Indian Science Congress sessions

First Congress

The first meeting of the congress was held from 15–17 January 1914 at the premises of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta. Honorable justice Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, the then Vice Chancellor of the University of Calcutta presided over the Congress. One hundred and five scientists from different parts of India and abroad attended it. Altogether 35 papers under 6 different sections, namely Botany, Chemistry, Ethnography, Geology, Physics and Zoology were presented.

Silver Jubilee

The Silver Jubilee Session of the Science Congress was held at Calcutta in 1938 under the presidency of Lord Rutherford of Nelson but due to his sudden death, Sir James Hopwood Jeans took the chair. It was at this Jubilee Session that the participation of foreign scientists in session of the Indian Science Congress was first initiated.

34th Edition – Participation of foreign scientists

The 34th Annual Session of the Indian Science Congress was held at Delhi in 3–8 January 1947 with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as General president. Pandit Nehru's personal interest in the Science Congress continued and there was hardly any session which he did not attend. He immensely enriched the activities of the Congress by his sustained interest in the development of scientific atmosphere in the country, particularly among young generations. From 1947, his programme for inviting representatives from foreign societies and academies was included in the Science Congress. This trend still continues with the support of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.

Golden Jubilee

The Science Congress celebrated its Golden Jubilee in October 1963 at Delhi with Prof.D. S. Kothari as General president. On this occasion two special publications were brought out:
  1. A short History of the Indian Science Congress Association and
  2. Fifty Years of Science in India

    Diamond Jubilee

The Diamond Jubilee Session of the Science Congress was held at Chandigarh in 3–9 January 1973, under the presidency of Dr.S.Bhagavantam. On this occasion two special publications were brought out:
  1. A Decade Indian Science Congress Association and
  2. A Decade of Science in India.

    63rd edition – Introduction of focal theme

The year 1976 witnessed a significant departure in the trend of deliberations during the congress. It was being felt for sometime that such a gathering of scientists, covering a wide spectrum, ought to be concerned with national issues that have scientific and technological implications. In 1976, Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, the then General President of ISCA introduced the Focal Theme of national relevance which is now discussed in every section, committee and forum during the annual session. These apart, several plenary sessions are organised around various facets of the Focal Theme in which scientists and technologists as well as policy makers and administrators interact with one another. ISCA thus became a platform where members from different disciplines and from different walks of life could contribute to discussions on the Focal Theme.

67th edition – Setting up of a task force

Another significant breakthrough was made in 1980 when the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, set up a permanent Task Force involving representatives of ISCA and chiefs of different agencies and voluntary organizations chaired by Secretary, DST, as being responsible for following up various recommendations on the Focal Theme. Every year follow-up actions on recommendations made in the previous Science Congress are discussed at a General Session organized by DST during the Science Congress. Through this process, the Indian Science Congress Association has been contributing to the development of Science in general and National Science Policy, in particular.

Platinum Jubilee

The Indian Science Congress Association celebrated the seventy-fifth year of its inception, popularly called otherwise, Platinum Jubilee, in 1988, with Prof. C. N. R. Rao as General president. Keeping this in view, a special brochure, entitled "Indian Science Congress Association-Growth & Activities" was published so as to highlight the programmes of the Association over the years. The main programmes were:
  1. Bringing out special publication on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee
  2. Presentation of Plaques to the General presidents of the Association
  3. Establishment of Platinum Jubilee Lectures to be organised in each section during the annual session of the Science Congress and
  4. Extension of the recent activities of the ISCA and its further diversification to generate scientific temper and popularise science

    98th edition

The five-day-long session, from 3 to 7 January 2011, at the Campus of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai was inaugurated by prime minister Manmohan Singh on 3 January 2011. The focal theme of this session was: "Quality education and excellence in scientific research in Indian universities". The prime minister said: "The Indian scientific community must apply its research findings and translate them into marketable products for the country to realize the true benefits of scientific progress. At the same time, he cautioned on "illiberal" uses of technology and cited use of nuclear weapons, applications of synthetic chemistry in agriculture and in poison gases and "perverse use" of genetics in Nazi Germany to drive home his point.
Nobel laureates Amartya Sen, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Ada Yonath, Thomas A. Steitz, Tim Hunt and Martin Chalfie delivered special lectures at the congress. Venkata Ramakrishnan inaugurated the parallel Children's Science Congress on Tuesday, 4 January 2011.

99th edition

The five-day, 99th edition of the ISCA, from 3 to 7 January 2012 was hosted by KIIT University and National Institute of Science Education and Research in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. It saw the participation of more than 15000 delegates, which included 500 foreign scientists and 20 Nobel laureates. It was inaugurated by the incumbent Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh. On its sidelines, the first Women's Science Congress was inaugurated by Nirupama Rao, India's ambassador to United States of America and the Children's Science Congress was inaugurated by the former President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Centenary edition

The 100th edition was hosted by the University of Calcutta which is in the city of Kolkata from 3 to 7 January 2013. The theme of the Centenary Congress was, “Science for shaping the future of India.” It was inaugurated by the former President of India Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of the former Prime Minister of India Dr.Manmohan Singh and the incumbent Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee.

101st edition

The 101st edition of Indian Science Congress was held in Jammu starting from February 3, 2014 to February 8.

102nd edition

The 102nd edition of Indian Science Congress was held in Mumbai from January 3, 2015 to January 7, 2015. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai University. Studies and papers on Ancient Indian Vedas were presented in this Congress. Accomplishments of Ancient Indian Science in the fields of medicine, mathematics, surgery etc. were presented. There was also a session on India's successful Mars Orbiter Mission.

106th edition

The 106th edition of Indian Science Congress was held in Punjab from January 3–7, 2019. It was inauguarted by Narendra Modi and hosted around 30,000 scientists, including six Nobel laureates. It became known for controversial talks purporting, among other claims, that Newton's and Einstein's theories of gravity were wrong, and that gravitational waves should be renamed to "Narendra Modi waves"; that the demon-king Ravana had 24 types of aircraft and a network of airports in modern-day Sri Lanka; that ancient Indians knew of in vitro fertilization; that Brahma invented dinosaurs; and that Lord Vishnu had heat-seeking missiles.
Kamala Thiagarajan alleged that under the Bharatiya Janata Party, several scientists took part to push the views and ideals of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing Hindu nationalist organization, into the mainstream. After the 106th Congress and several similar incidents over the previous few years, the Indian Science Congress established a policy that requires speakers at future conferences to be vetted and scrutinizes the content of their talks.

Sections, committees and forums of ISCA

From a modest beginning of only hundred and five members, ISCA has grown into a strong fraternity with more than ten thousand members as of 2012. Only thirty-five papers were presented at the first Congress, a number that has risen to nearly one thousand.
In 2000, there were sixteen sections, including Agricultural Science, Anthropology & Archaeology, Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Computer science, Earth system science, Engineering science, Material science, Mathematics, Medical & Veterinary sciences, Physics, Physiology, Psychology & Educational Science, Statistics, Zoology, Entomology & Fisheries;
Two committees, including Home science and Science & Society;
Six forums, including Communication & Information sciences, Environmental science, Forensic science, Science education, Science for school students and women & science.

There are now fourteen sections, including Agriculture and Forestry sciences, Animal, Veterinary and Fishery sciences, Anthropological and Behavioral sciences, Chemical science, Earth system science, Engineering science, Environmental science, Information and Communication science & technology, Material science, Mathematical science, Medical science, New Biology, Physical science, Plant science;

Interaction with foreign scientific academies/associations

After independence ISCA has been actively represented in various foreign scientific academies/associations, namely British Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, French Academy of Sciences, Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, etc. with a view to have a first hand knowledge on topics of mutual interest.

Conflict within the Indian science system

is a major problem and the science sector is no exception. ISCA has served as a platform to discuss the issues facing Indian scientists, with some calling for transparency, a meritocratic system, and an overhaul of the bureaucratic agencies that oversee science and technology. In her commentary on the centenary session of ISCA, Sumit Bhaduri stated, “he challenges of turning Indian science into part of an innovation process are many. … Many competent Indian scientists aspire to be ineffectual administrators , rather than do the kind of science that makes a difference.” Prime minister Manmohan Singh spoke at the 99th Indian Science Congress and commented on the state of the sciences in India, after an advisory council informed him there were problems with "the overall environment for innovation and creative work" and a 'warlike' approach was needed.

Sessions of Indian Science Congress

SessionYearPlaceGeneral PresidentTitle/Theme
1st1914KolkataAshutosh MukherjeeAbout Science Congress
2nd1915ChennaiW. B. BannermannThe importance of knowledge of biology of medical, sanitary and scientific men working in the tropics
3rd1916LucknowSidney J. BurrardThe plains of northern India and their relationship to the Himalayan mountains
4th1917BengaluruAlfred Gibbs BourneOn scientific research
5th1918LahoreGilbert T. WalkerOn teaching of science
6th1919MumbaiLeonard RogersResearches on cholera
7th1920NagpurPrafulla Chandra RoyDawn of science in modern India
8th1921KolkataRajendranath MookerjeeOn science and industry
9th1922ChennaiC. S. MiddlemissRelativity
10th1923LucknowM. VisvesvarayaScientific institutions and scientists
11th1924BengaluruN. AnnandaleEvolution convergent and divergent
12th1925VaranasiM. O. ForsterOn experimental training
13th1926MumbaiAlbert HowardAgriculture and science
14th1927LahoreJ. C. BoseUnity of life
15th1928KolkataJ. L. SimonsenOn chemistry of natural products
16th1929ChennaiC. V. RamanOn Raman Effect
17th1930AllahabadC. S. ChristopherThe science and disease
18th1931NagpurR. B. Seymour SewellThe problem of evolution experimental modification of bodily structure
19th1932BengaluruLala Shiv Ram KashyapSome aspects of the Alpine vegetation of the Himalaya and Tibet
20th1933PatnaLewis L. FermorThe place of geology in the life of a nation
21st1934MumbaiMeghnad SahaFundamental cosmological problems
22nd1935KolkataJ. H. HuttonAnthropology and India
23rd1936IndoreU. N. BrahmachariThe Role of science in the recent progress of medicine
24th1937HyderabadT. S. VenkataramanThe Indian village – its past, present and future
25th1938KolkataJames Jeans Researches in India and in Great Britain
26th1939LahoreJ. C. GhoshOn research in Chemistry in India
27th1940ChennaiBirbal SahniThe Deccan Traps: an episode of the Tertiary era
28th1941VaranasiArdeshir DalalScience and industry
29th1942VadodaraD. N. WadiaThe making of India
30th1943KolkataD. N. WadiaMinerals’ share in the war
31st1944DelhiS. N. BoseThe Classical Determinism and the Quantum Theory
32nd1945NagpurShanti Swarup BhatnagarGive science a chance
33rd1946BengaluruM. Afzal HussainThe food problem of India
34th1947DelhiJawaharlal NehruScience in the service of the nation
35th1948PatnaRam Nath ChopraRationalisation of medicine in India
36th1949AllahabadK. S. Krishnan
37th1950PuneP. C. MahalanobisWhy statistics?
38th1951BengaluruH. J. BhabhaThe present concept of the physical world
39th1952KolkataJ. N. MukherjeeScience and our problems
40th1953LucknowD. M. BoseThe living and the non-living
41st1954HyderabadS. L. HoraGive scientists a chance
42nd1955VadodaraS. K. MitraScience and progress
43rd1956AgraM. S. KrishnanMineral resources and their problems
44th1957KolkataB. C. RoyOn science for human welfare and development of the country
45th1958ChennaiM. S. ThackerGrammar of scientific development
46th1959DelhiA. L. MudaliarTribute to basic sciences
47th1960MumbaiP. ParijaImpact of society on science
48th1961RoorkeeN. R. DharNitrogen problem
49th1962CuttackB. MukherjiImpact of life sciences on man
50th1963DelhiD. S. KothariScience and the universities
51st1964KolkataHumayun KabirScience and the state
52nd1965KolkataHumayun Kabir
53rd1966ChandigarhB. N. PrasadScience in India
54th1967HyderabadT. R. SeshadriScience and national welfare
55th1968VaranasiAtma RamScience in India – some aspects
56th1969MumbaiA. C. Joshi A breathing spell:plant sciences in the service of man
57th1970KharagpurL. C. VermanStandardization: a triple point
58th1971BengaluruB. P. PalAgricultural science and human welfare
59th1972KolkataW. D. WestGeology in the service of India
60th1973ChandigarhS. BhagavantamSixty years of science in India
61st1974NagpurR. S. MishraMathematics – queen or handmaid
62nd1975DelhiAsima ChatterjeeScience and technology in India: present and future
63rd1976VisakhapatnamM. S. SwaminathanScience and integrated rural development
64th1977BhubaneswarH. N. SethnaSurvey, conservation and utilisation of resources
65th1978AhmedabadS. M. SircarScience, education and rural development
66th1979HyderabadR. C. MehrotraScience and technology in India during the coming decades
67th1980JadavpurA. K. SahaEnergy strategies for India
68th1981VaranasiA. K. SharmaImpact of development of science and technology on environment
69th1982MysuruM. G. K. MenonBasic Research as an integral component of self-reliant base of science and technology
70th1983TirupatiBarry Ramachandra RaoMan and the ocean – resource and development
71st1984RanchiR. P. BambahQuality science in India – ends and means
72nd1985LucknowA. S. PaintalHigh altitude studies
73rd1986DelhiT. N. KhoshooRole of science and technology in environment management
74th1987BengaluruArchana SharmaResources and human well-being-inputs from science and technology
75th1988PuneC. N. R. RaoFrontiers in science and technology
76th1989MaduraiA. P. MitraScience and technology in India:technology missions
77th1990KochiYash PalScience in society
78th1991IndoreD. K. SinhaCoping with natural disaster: an integrated approach
79th1992VadodaraVasant GowarikarScience, population and development
80th1993GoaS. Z. QasimScience and quality of life
81st1994JaipurP. N. ShrivastavaScience in India: excellence and accountability
82nd1995KolkataS. C. PakrashiScience, technology and industrial development of India
83rd1996PatialaU. R. RaoScience and technology for achieving food, economic and healthy security
84th1997DelhiS. K. JoshiFrontiers in science and engineering, and their relevance to national development
85th1998HyderabadP. Rama RaoScience & Technology in Independent India : Retrospect and Prospect
86th1999ChennaiManju SharmaNew bioscience: opportunities and challenges as we move into the next millennium
87th2000PuneR. A. MashelkarIndian science and technology into the next millennium
88th2001DelhiR. S. ParodaFood, nutrition and environmental security
89th2002LucknowS. K. KatiyarHealth care, education and information technology
90th2003BengaluruK. KasturiranganFrontiers of science and cutting-edge technologies
91st2004ChandigarhAsis DattaScience and society in the twenty first century : quest for excellence
92nd2005AhmedabadN. K. GangulyHealth technology as fulcrum of development for the nation
93rd2006HyderabadI. V. Subba RaoIntegrated rural development: science and technology
94th2007AnnamalainagarHarsh GuptaPlanet Earth
95th2008VisakhapatnamRamamurthi RallapalliKnowledge Based Society Using Environmentally Sustainable Science And Technology
96th2009ShillongT. RamasamiScience Education and Attraction of Talent for Excellence in Research
97th2010Thiruvananthapuram.G. Madhavan NairScience & Technology of 21st Century – National Perspective
98th2011Chennai K. C. PandeyQuality education and excellence in science research in Indian Universities.
99th2012BhubaneshwarGeetha BaliScience And Technology for Inclusive Innovation- Role of Women
100th2013KolkataPrime Minister Manmohan SinghScience for shaping the future of India
101st2014JammuRanbir Chander SobtiInnovations in Science & Technology for Inclusive Development
102nd2015MumbaiSarjerao Bhaurao NimseScience and Technology for Human Development
103rd2016MysoreAshok Kumar SaxenaScience and Technology for Indigenous Development in India
104th2017Tirupati D.Narayana RaoSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
105th2018Imphal Dr. Achyuta SamantaReaching the unreached through science and technology
106th2019Jalandhar Dr. Manoj ChakrabartiFUTURE INDIA – Science and Technology
107th2020Bangalore Focal Theme - Science & Technology : Rural Development
108th2021Pune. Focal Theme - Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment