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<p>Conceived during the final years of British colonial rule, the CSIR–National Chemical Laboratory was the first of the <i>“Bhatnagar Eleven”</i> national laboratories established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. This article situates the founding and growth of CSIR–NCL within the broader trajectory of postcolonial nation-building, scientific modernism, and techno-nationalist ambition in independent India. Drawing on archival materials, oral histories, and institutional records, it examines how the laboratory’s creation reflected shifting intellectual, political, and economic priorities—from colonial science policy frameworks to indigenous developmental goals. The study further explores how NCL sought to balance basic research with applied industrial innovation, while positioning itself within a global scientific and technological landscape. By tracing the laboratory’s contributions in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, and biochemical sciences, this article offers insight into the evolving relationship among science, the state, and society in twentieth-century India.</p>

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Nation-building in the laboratory: Science, state, and the postcolonial genesis of India’s National Chemical Laboratory

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月13日

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  • Jithin Jacob K,
  • Sunita Barve

摘要

Conceived during the final years of British colonial rule, the CSIR–National Chemical Laboratory was the first of the “Bhatnagar Eleven” national laboratories established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. This article situates the founding and growth of CSIR–NCL within the broader trajectory of postcolonial nation-building, scientific modernism, and techno-nationalist ambition in independent India. Drawing on archival materials, oral histories, and institutional records, it examines how the laboratory’s creation reflected shifting intellectual, political, and economic priorities—from colonial science policy frameworks to indigenous developmental goals. The study further explores how NCL sought to balance basic research with applied industrial innovation, while positioning itself within a global scientific and technological landscape. By tracing the laboratory’s contributions in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, and biochemical sciences, this article offers insight into the evolving relationship among science, the state, and society in twentieth-century India.