ADI South Asia lectures with Professor Rajesh Kochhar
Professor Rajesh Kochhar is an emeritus scientist at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, Chandigarh. He is currently the vice-president of International Astronomical Union Commission 41 on History of Astronomy. Earlier he was director of National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies, New Delhi; professor at Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore; and honorary professor of History of Science and Technology at National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
Professor Kochhar has been a Jawaharlal fellow, a Fulbright visiting lecturer, and a visiting scholar at University of Cambridge. He has published original research in a number of fields: history and sociology of science & technology; science and education policy; ancient Indian history; and modern astronomy and astrophysics. He is the author of "The Vedic People" and co-author of "Astronomy in India: A Perspective". His papers and articles have been well-cited by researchers; policy and opinion makers; as also by the on-line Wikipedia. His views have been sought and published by magazines like Science and Nature as also by BBC Radio.
He has lectured extensively in India and abroad including at Harvard, Cornell, University of Texas at Austin, Belfast, Brighton, Royal Dublin Society, Istanbul and Tübingen.
While in Copenhagen Professor Kochhar will give the following lectures:
Ancient Astronomy. Evolution and Linkages
Date and time: 7 December, 11:00-13:00
Venue: Room 0.34, Indology, Artillerivej 86, 2300 Copenhagen S
Human beings are born astronomers. Ever since they learnt to walk upright they have looked at the sky and wondered. The sky has remained the same but not its meaning. We can distinguish between three phases in the history of humankind's relationship with its cosmic environment: (i) propitiatory phase; (ii) negotiatory phase; and the current (iii) sky-as-an-object phase. My concern today is to discuss the interplay between astronomy and culture in general in the Indian context. Much of the discussion belongs to the negotiatory phase.
More specifically I would discuss how in the formative era, sacred texts influenced astronomy, how these texts themselves were modified under the influence of new scientific developments, and how mythology was upgraded to keep pace with science.
Denmark, Colonial India and Protestant Missionaries
Date and time: 8 December, 13:00-14:00
Venue: The National Museum, Tranquebar Initiative, Festsalen, Ny Vestergade 10, Copenhagen
Denmark was never a serious player in the European race to gain control of India. And yet it came to play an important role in colonial India's culture history. It was King Frederick IV who sponsored the first ever Protestant mission in India in early 18th century. It is a measure of the complexity of the times that the auspices were Danish, but the missionaries were German, and the area of operation was British India. The basic principles laid down by the pioneering missionaries were followed by all subsequent workers. We examine the missionary activities which emanated from the Danish Indian enclaves, placing them in a wider context. More specifically, we address the questions: Why did the missionaries fail to achieve large-scale conversions in India? How did their activities influence the educational scene in India?
Workshop in the Tranquebar Initiative with participation of Professor Kochhar
Date and time: 8 December, 14:15-16:00
Venue: The National Museum
Max. 25 participants.
Colonial use of science and the native responses
Date and time: 9 December, 14:15
Venue: Niels Bohr Archive, Aud. A, Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen
It is an interesting coincidence that the first English East India Company ship reached India the same year (1608) telescope was invented in The Netherlands. This brings home the important point that modern science and technology have grown hand in hand with maritime trade, colonial expansion, and domination over nature and fellow human beings.
We address three issues:
i. How were (modern) science and technology used as a colonial tool
ii. How this rule was sought to be legitimized in the eyes of the natives as well as for home consumption
iii. How did the natives respond to the above two. In particular how have the Non-West's differential attitudes towards modern science and technology been fashioned by the colonial experience?