Contribution of Indian Scientists

Indian scientists are famous throughout the world. They have pioneered several significant
scientific discoveries so far. Since the ancient period, India is considered as one of the
scientific powerhouses in the world. Thus, this country has been scientifically advanced for
several centuries now and the Indian scientists have made numerous path-breaking
discoveries in the field of science. The various fields in which the Indian scientists have
excelled include mathematics, warfare, geometry, astronomy, medicine, space science,
physics, chemistry, botany, etc.
The astonishing inventions of the Indian scientists have played a vital role in the overall
development of the country. They have also made India proud with their scientific
achievements and many of the Indian scientists have also received some prestigious
international awards as well. The discoveries of the Indian scientists have been appreciated
all over the world.
Science and technology initiatives have always been encouraged in India. The Indian
scientists have so far introduced numerous unique ideas in the field of science since the
ancient period. They have studied many inventions and discoveries that are believed to be
originated in the Western world but were studied in India, several centuries earlier. The
Indian scientists are considered as some of the brightest talents the country has ever
produced.

Indian Scientists in Ancient Era:

It is a true fact that since the ancient age Indian people possessed great scientific
acquaintance which they applied for the profit of community. The Vedic sciences are
considered as the richest and most comprehensive science of ancient India. The Vedic
sciences comprise various branches such as medicine, space science, astronomy, mathematics
and there were several Indian scientists who studied and enhanced Vedic sciences.
Aryabhatta I, Charaka, Sushruta and Panini were some of the eminent scientists of the
ancient era. While Aryabhatta defined the shape of Earth to be round in 499 A.D.,
Charaka and Sushruta chiefly contributed in the development of Ayurveda. On the other
hand, Panini discovered the methodical linguistic analysis during the 4th century B.C.
The ancient Indian scientists have also given many mathematical and scientific
explanations that can be proved using the current methods. There are also many other
notable scientists in ancient era Baudhayana, an Indian mathematician Bhaskara , an
Indian mathematician, who wrote numbers in the Hindu-Arabic decimal system with a
circle for the zero, Brahmagupta, an Indian mathematician and astronomer, Halayudha,
a 10th century Indian mathematician who wrote the Mritasanjivani, Jayadeva, a Sanskrit
poet around 1200 AD, Nagarjuna, an important Buddhist teacher and philosopher,
Sushruta, an ancient Indian surgeon and the author of the book Susrutasamhita,
Varahamihira, an Indian astronomer and mathematician, Kanada, a Hindu sage and
philosopher who founded the philosophical school of Vaisheshika.

The ancient Indian scientists and scholars developed the geometric theorems many years
before Pythagoras did in the 6th century B.C. They also used advanced methods for
determining the number of mathematical combinations by the second century B.C. The
Indian scientists used ten numerals by the 5th century A.D. and by the 7th century; they
started treating zero as a number. There are also several other technological discoveries
made by the ancient Indian scientists. The discoveries were made connecting to physical
science, pharmacology, medicine, artificial colours and glazes, metallurgy, re-

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crystallization, chemistry, geometry, astronomy, the decimal system and language and

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linguistics, etc. Other significant mathematical inventions like the conceptualization of

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Indian Scientists in Medieval Era:

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In the ancient history of India especially during in Indus Valley Civilization and culture
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mathematical concepts. In that era, the main discoveries made by the Indian scientists
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surveying, town planning, the development of a lunar calendar, etc. further, in the medieval
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scientists to make new discoveries. The emperors of the Mughal Dynasty also spread their
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Indian Scientists in Colonial Era:

The extent of scientific research increased with British invasion in India. The Indian
scientists contributed to numerous new scientific developments during the British period
and the developments added to the original achievements of the previous millennia. During
the British rule, the Indian scientists took up a new role of assisting the Europeans in their
scientific explorations and research. However, there were many Indian scientists who
worked independently and made important scientific discoveries. The Indian scientists
made lots of pioneering discoveries during the first half of twentieth century that include
the discovery of life in plants, Raman Effect, the Raman-Nath Theory, the application of
electromagnetic waves to wireless telegraphy, the ionization theory, the Bose-Einstein
Statistics, the Boson particles, etc. Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman, Jagadish Chandra
Bose, MeghnadSaha, Satyendranath Bose, Prafulla Chandra Ray, S. Ramanujan, M.
Visvesvaraya, and Dr. Shanti SwaroopBhatnagar were some of the most prominent Indian
scientists of the colonial period.

Indian Scientists in Independent India:

After independence, scientists in India gained support from the Government of India. The
Indian scientists also started to explore innovative fields of science like; positron theory,
nuclear science, cosmic rays, biotechnology, astrophysics, liquid crystals, environment,

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mining, molecular biology, virology, condensed matter physics, crystallography, etc. The

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Government of India has provided all the needed financial support to the Indian scientists

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include names like Vikram Sarabhai; Dr.Homi Jehangir Bhabha; Dr.Subrahmanyan

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Chandrasekhar, Dr. H. Khorana, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, etc.

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