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Physics and physicists at Banaras Hindu University: circa 1916–1960

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Abstract

Banaras also known as Varanasi and Kashi is one of the greatest centres of education and learning since ancient times. The city has been called as ‘The city of temples’, ‘The religious capital of India’, ‘The cultural capital of India’, ‘The city of light’, and ‘The city of learning’. Philosophers, men of science and educationalists have lived and worked here, making Banaras a leading seat of learning. Long before the advent of the modern age, Banaras enthusiastically embraced the learning of mathematics, astronomy and medicine. In this lineage of a tradition of knowledge of the city, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya established Banaras Hindu University in 1916. Among many departments of knowledge at BHU, modern physics was greatly encouraged and promoted by its founder. Malaviya himself exerted to bring many scientists to BHU to enthuse the cultivation of science. Here we will see the story of the physicists appointed in the early years of BHU, who contributed to the world of physics in their own humble right. They did their own small part in physics that helped develop the discipline in India. The paper attempts to unearth a very important and formative slice of India’s history in modern science, exemplified by Banaras Hindu University as a single campus university with both teaching and research in physics.

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Acknowledgements

I am very grateful to B. Anantha Dasannacharya, of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai and a Fellow of Indian Academy of Science for sharing with me many important sources related to his father, Balebail Dasannacharya. Heartfelt thanks to anonymous reviewers’ whose comments and suggestions greatly benefited me.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Ritesh Gupta

  2. Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

    Ritesh Gupta

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Appendix

Appendix

1.1 B. Dasannacharya publications

Dasannacharya, B. (1938, April). The development of the minor axis in a Foucault’s pendulum. Philosophical Magazine, xxv, 601.

Dasannacharya, B., and Dakshinamurti, C. (1944). Ionization potential and Doppler effect in hydrogen positive rays. Nature, 154(3896), 22–23.

Dasannacharya, B., and Das, G. K. (1944). Doppler effect in positive rays of hydrogen. Nature 154, 21–22.

Dasannacharya, B., and Gautom, B. S. (1940, August). The sine relation and minimum ellipticity in Foucault’s pendulums with copper suspensions. Philosophical Magazine, xxx, 151.

Dasannacharya, B., and Hejmadi, D. (1937, January). Rotation of the earth and Foucault’s pendulums of short lengths. Philosophical Magazine, xxiii, 65.

Dasannacharya, B., and Moorthy, T. S. K. (1937, April). Sensitiveness of a Geiger point counter in the region between its threshold voltage and the voltage for constant counting. Philosophical Magazine, xxiii, 175.

Dasannacharya, B., and Rao, G. S. (1936). Steady performance of Geiger-Müller counters. Nature, 138(3458), 289.

Dasannacharya, B., and Seth, A. C. (1938, December). Optical silvering on glass. Philosophical Magazine, xxvi, 953.

Dasannacharya, B., Chiplonkar, V. T., and Sapre, L. G. (1935). Ring deposits on glass by positive ray. Nature, 136(3442), 642.

1.2 S. R. Khastgir publications

Khastgir, S. R., and Das, P. M. (1950). Some random fading records with short-wave signals. Indian Journal of Physics, 24, 277.

Khastgir, S. R., and Shrivastava, C. M. (1955). On the maintenance of current in stepped leader stroke of a lightning discharge. Journal of Science & Industrial Research, 14B, 24. Khastgir, S. R & Roy, R. (1949). Low frequency components of atmospheric pulses and their origin. Nature, 164, 488-489. Khastgir, S. R & Roy, R. (1949). Study of waveforms of atmospherics. Philosophical Magazine, 40, 1129. Khastgir, S.R & Das, P.M. (1950). Some random fading records with short-wave signals. Indian Journal of Physics, 24, 277. Khastgir, S.R & Shrivastava, C.M. (1955). On the maintenance of current in stepped leader stroke of a lightning discharge. Journal of Science & Industrial Research, 14B, 24

1.3 V. V. Nalikar publications

Nalikar, V. V. (1941). The consistency of Einstein’s new relativity with the geodesic postulate. Current Science. 10(3), 164–165.

Narlikar V. V., and Singh, K. P. (1948). On a gravitational invariant. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, XIV(2), 121–123.

Narlikar V. V., and Vaidya, P. C. (1947). A spherically symmetrical non-static electromagnetic field. Nature, 159(4045), 642.

Narlikar, V. V. (1942). The origin of the solar system. Current Science, 11(1), 6–9.

Narlikar, V. V., and Rao, B. R. (1955). The problem of motion in general relativity. Proceeding of the National Institute of Science, 21(6), 416.

Narlikar, V. V., and Tiwari, R. (1949). A particular case in Einstein’s generalized theory of gravitation. Physical Review, 868–869.

Narlikar, V. V., and Tiwari, R. (1949). On Einstein generalized theory of gravitation. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, XV(3), 73.

Narlikar, V. V., and Tiwari, R. (1949). On Einstein generalized theory of gravitation-II. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, XV(6), 121.

Narlikar, V. V., and Vaidya, P. C. (1942). The equations of fit in general relativity. Current Science, 11(10), 390–391.

Narlikar, V. V., and Vaidya, P. C. (1947). Fields with spherical non-static electromagnetic symmetry. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, XIV(1), 53–54.

Narlikar, V. V., Patwardhan, G. K., and Vaidya, P. C. (1943). Some new relativistic distributions on radical symmetry. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, IX(1), 229–236.

Narlikar, V. V., Singh, K. P. (1951). The role of the three-index symbols in relativity. Proceedings of the National Institute of Science, 17, 311.

Vaidya, P. C., Narlikar, V. V., and Patwardhan, G. K. (1942). On a lacuna in the treatment of internal solutions in general relativity. Current Science, 11(10), 391.

Vaidya, P.C & Narlikar V.V. (1942). The equations of fit in general relativity. Current Science 11(10): 390–391.

Vaidya, P.C, Narlikar, V.V & Patwardhan, G. K. (1942). On a lacuna in the treatment of internal solutions in general relativity. Current Science, 11(10), 391.

1.4 C. V. Raman & CM Sogani publications

Raman C.V., and Sogani, C. M. (1927). X-ray diffraction in liquids. Nature, 119, 601.

Raman C.V., and Sogani, C. M. (1927). X-ray diffraction in liquids. Nature, 120, 514.

Raman C.V., and Sogani, C. M. (1928). A critical absorption photometer for the study of the Compton effect by liquids. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 119, 526–530.

1.5 N. K. Sethi publications

Sethi, N K. (1921). LXXVI. On the diffraction of light by cylinders and spheres immersed in a medium of nearly equal refractive index. Philosophical Magazine, 42 (251), 669–677.

Sethi, N. K. (1921). On Talbot’s Bands and the Theory of the Lummer-Gehrcke Interferometer. Physical Review, XVIII (5), 389–395.

Raman, C.V and Sethi, N. K. (1922). XLIX. On the convection of light (Fizeau effect) in moving gases. Philosophical Magazine Series 6, 43(255), 447–455.

Sethi, N K. (January 1924). Effect of a Retarding Plate on White Light Interferometer Fringes. Physical Review, XXIII (1), 69–74.

Sethi, N. K. (December 1925). On The Theory of Powell’s Bands and the Group-Velocity in Dispersive Media. Physical Review, XVI (6), 519–525.

Sethi, N. (1929). Prarambhik Bhotiki. Prayag: Indian Press Limited.

Sethi, N. (Comp) (1929). The Hindi Scientific Glossary: Physics. Allahabad: Indian Press Limited on Behalf of The Nagari Pracharini Sabha.

Sethi, N. (1930). Prarambhik Bhotik Vigyan. Banaras: Hindu Vishwavidyalaya Granthmala, Kashi Hindu Viswavidhyalaya.

Sethi, N. (1948). Tara-Bhotiki ya Taro ki Duniya. Lucknow: Hindi Samiti Suchna Vibhag.

Sethi, N. (1960). Chumbakatava Aur Vidhyut. Allahabad: Hindustan Academy.

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Gupta, R. Physics and physicists at Banaras Hindu University: circa 1916–1960. Indian J Hist. Sci. 57, 271–286 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43539-022-00061-1

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