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idtyperesourceresource captionresource credits
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_identity-titletitleIdentity of science in India
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paragraph<p>
In 1944, Homi Bhabha
informed A.V. Hill, then Secretary of the Royal Society, that the Sir
Dorabji Tata Trust had agreed to sponsor his proposal for a fundamental
research institute in physics. Hill replied with a prescient remark. “I
think you had better take biophysics under its wing, too,” he said. “I
am sure many of the most important future applications of physics will
be in biology.” </p>

<p> The history of NCBS is tied to this broader quest for
building a name for biological research in India. The Identity theme has
four chapters of stories that explore this: from the ways in which
people made the case for a separate space for biology, to weighing the
pros and cons of doing science in India. Identity is about building a
recognizable brand of research. And it is about contemplating on the
scientific method itself – picking research questions and probing what
distinguishes biology. Reflections on science is a selection of comments
from researchers at NCBS and beyond. </p>


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_id-slide-1image:slidehttp://stories.archives.ncbs.res.in/files/fullsize/39ab5305eb5340036e5c59469cc6b1e2.jpg, http://stories.archives.ncbs.res.in/files/fullsize/f41bfee4c0929ef0a527bbe3fee5e66c.jpg, http://stories.archives.ncbs.res.in/files/fullsize/6eb0294f1ba39ab50f8163a3e985069f.jpg
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_id-chapter-2headingSpace for Biology
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_id-chapter-textparagraph<p>Nation building in the decades after Indian independence came with this patina of worship. The process included large scale science projects like dams and power plants, schools and universities. And it included new research centres.</p>
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To know what came of it, click on the interview and images of MS Swaminathan, who was then at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi
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"We are now entering into an age when scientists begin to function like the high priests of old, who looked after the sacred mysteries; we all bow down to them in reverence and awe, and sometimes, with a little fear, as to what they might be up to." – Jawaharlal Nehru, TIFR inauguration, 1962.
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_space-p-2paragraph
It was in this environment, at the time of the Third Five Year Plan (1960-1965), when the government was looking for gaps in the national outlook on science. There was no national space for biology, like, say, the National Physical Laboratory and National Chemical Laboratory. The Third Plan addressed this gap with a mention of a National Biological Laboratory (NBL).
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_space-p-3paragraphThe NBL never materialized. The idea kept resurfacing through the 1960s and 1970s. What did come up over the years was a Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in the late 1970s. And then, later, a National Institute of Immunology and a National Centre for Biological Sciences.
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