Vernacularity, Ruchi Ram Sahni, and the Pursuit of Science in the Colonial Punjab

In the present paper, I propose to discuss and evaluate Ruchi Ram Sahni’s contribution to the drive for spreading scientific awareness among the common people in urban Panjab in pre-independence era. It requires elucidation of the elements of equivalence in the concept and practice between European countries and colonial India. What are the commonalities and differences between them? For a deep understanding of Sahni’s mission, I shall try to decode his perception of relationship between religion and science. How far was it influenced by his association with Brahmo intellectuals in Panjab and his teachers in Calcutta? Like many Indian scientists, Sahni was faced with the serious problem of tackling two other crucial issues: (1) Tension between the practice of nationalism and cultivation of Western science and technology within the framework of colonial policies (2) Conflict between the agenda of imperialist science and needs/aspirations of the Indian people. Last but not the least is to contextualise his mission with the long term goal of modernizing Indian society.