The Rearview

Waldemar Mordechai Wolff Haffkine (1860–1930), born in Odessa (then part of the Russian Empire, now Ukraine), was a pioneering Jewish bacteriologist who spent more than two decades working in India. Barred from academic positions in Russia due to antisemitic restrictions, he fled first to Switzerland and then to Paris, where he worked at the Pasteur Institute.

In Part 2 of the the history of India’s nuclear programme, we discuss the impact of the 1974 nuclear test on India’s civilian nuclear programme.

Whether the consequent technological embargo dealt a body blow to Homi Bhabha’s three phase programme that was premised on sufficient uranium to tide India over until it could extract its vast reserves of thorium? Why electricity from nuclear reactors have been insufficient and whether the SHANTI bills encouragement of small modular reactors and private sector nuclear plant operators is viable.

Guest: Jairam Ramesh

Hosts: Jacob Koshy and Sobhana K Nair

Recorded by Tayyab Hussain and Aniket Singh Chauhan

Produced and edited by Jude Weston

India’s nuclear programme has been shaped by idealism, secrecy, ambition, sanctions, and strategic anxiety. In this two-part series, we trace its evolution from the pre-independence period to the passage of new legislation—the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025, also known as the SHANTI Act.

Hosts: Jacob Koshy and Sobhana K Nair

Spread out over a sprawling 109 hectares (270 acres), the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, previously known as the Calcutta Botanic Garden, was among the first experiments commissioned by the East India Company to create a ‘ nursery’ for exotic plants that could be studied for commercial use.

Situated in Shibpur, Howrah, just across the Hooghly River from Kolkata, the Garden boasts over 12,000 specimens. The progenitor of plantations and cash crop in India, the various brands of Darjeeling tea and Indian cotton owe their origin to experiments conducted here.

Hosts: Jacob Koshy and Sobhana K Nair

Shot, produced, and edited by Jude Francis Weston

The Indian Science Congress (ISC)—the first-ever conclave of India’s scientific community—was inaugurated in 1914. It was conceived by two British chemists, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P. S. MacMahon. The inaugural session was held from January 15 to 17, 1914, under the presidency of Ashutosh Mukherjee, then Vice Chancellor of the University of Calcutta. The event brought together 105 scientists from across India and abroad. For nearly a century, the ISC attracted luminaries from India and the global scientific community. Yet, questions lingered: Was it more pomp than purpose?

Critics often argued that the Congress remained a platform for exchanging ideas rather than fostering a scientific temperament among the masses or inspiring students. The 109th edition, scheduled for 2024, never took place. In September 2025, the government formally replaced the ISC with the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC)—a clear pivot toward innovation-driven forums.

In this episode, we trace the journey of the Indian Science Congress—from its cradle to its grave.

Recorded by Tayyab Hussain

Edited and produced by Jude Francis Weston

On October 28, the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur flew a small plane in the vicinity of Delhi firing a chemical cocktail into clouds in the hope that it could make them rain. This was the first time that cloud seeding was attempted in India as a measure to control air pollution. The rain, the logic went, would make the air borne particulate matter settle. This however was a failure.

Recorded, edited and produced by Jude Francis Weston

The solar cooker was the first indigenously developed technological device in Independent India that a generation of scientists and Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, imagined would be an example of technology development. The promise was that millions of Indian villagers would use solar cookers to make their meals. It was breathlessly championed by the National Physical Laboratory, Delhi - a CSIR lab. Very soon however, its poor sale and lack of public acceptance led to a loss of morale among scientist and a fear of state-sponsored technology development. 

Tune in to this episode to hear why solar cookers were the God That Failed in India.

Hosts: Sobhana K Nair and Jacob Koshy

Recorded, produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston

Many of us are familiar with the name Srinivasa Ramanujan and his black and white photograph. He was one of India’s brightest mathematicians. In this episode we dive into his life - from struggling to pass college in Tamil Nadu to reaching the hallowed halls of Cambridge. Ramanujan’s notebooks scribbled with theorems that he discovered continue to frustrate whole generations of mathematicians, who were forever underestimating the sheer density of mathematical riches they contained.

This episode looks at two of the stalwarts of colonial-era scientists: CV Raman and Meghnad Saha. While Raman - the first and only Indian physics Nobel Laureate - is better known, Meghnad Saha came from a very different background that probably motivated his attitude towards using science for the larger public good. This was different from Raman, who was largely apolitical, and saw science in its purest sense of unravelling the mysteries of the universe.

These scientists crossed paths in Calcutta but eventually, distraught by the politics of the place, Raman moved to Bangalore - first to the Indian Institute of Science and eventually setting up his own Raman Research Institute.

Hosts: Sobhana K Nair and Jacob Koshy

Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston

On June 3rd, Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, revealed that India will be divided into two -- India and Pakistan. Eight days later the State of Travancore, which occupied 7662 square miles in present-day Kerala announced that it would stay independent. The Dewan of Travancore, Sir CP Ramaswamy Iyar, argued that, like Belgium or Thailand, Travancore can exist independently of the two dominions. His ambitions were powered by the extensive Monazite reserve of India.