A Scintillating Science Book on Luminary Indian Scientists [Review]

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Title: 10 Indian Scientists Whose Extraordinary Work You May Not Know
Author: Vaishali Shroff
Cover design by: Gina James
Published by: Duckbill (An imprint of Penguin Random House)
Type: Paperback
Length: 144 pages
Age recommendation: 10 years and above

This book traces the trajectory of the Indian science community over the past three centuries.
A part of the larger ’10’s’ series, this non-fictional book is an enlightening read.

Most of us are familiar with very few names of Indian scientists. I’m abashed to admit, I didn’t know about the marvelous achievements of most of the scientists! This eye-opener book chronicles the lives of 10 (less popularly known) scientists who fought poverty, societal norms and financial hurdles.

Did you know about Ruchi Ram Sahni who popularised teaching science in pre-independence India?
Have you heard of Modagagu Vijay Gupta who pioneered the Blue Revolution in India and has been crowned as ‘India’s Aquaman’ in the book? I certainly didn’t know about Jagannathan Vijaya who ventured into dense jungles with tribals to study reptiles!

Do you know about Yellapragada Subbarow who battled racial bias in Harvard but still went onto revolutionise the medical biochemistry and pharmacology scene. We have Prof Narinder Singh Kapany to thank for revolutionising the field of fiber optics and changing the way the community understood light.

Each and every chapter was deeply inspiring because one is reminded of how Indian scientists usually faced additional hurdles: that of inadequate funding and facilities along with institutional racism, particularly during the colonial rule.

There are also snippets of information on other notable scientists after each chapter. So we end up being enlightened by more than just ten scientists.

Vaishali Shroff’s comprehensive and meticulous research brings these lesser known stalwarts into the limelight.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the evolution of science – right from scientific temperament in the Harappan civilization to the contribution of Indian scientists during the Covid pandemic. The luminous trajectory of the scientific temperament through the centuries is traced using lucid words. The persistence and determination of ISRO space scientist V.R. Lalithambika who powered the ambitious Gaganyaan program was inspiring. I was also deeply moved by the life of Jagannathan Vijaya, a prominent herpetologist who was a trailblazer in zoology but lost a battle against mental health.

The author was a part of STEM work force and hence has a better understanding of the subject, particularly regarding women in STEM. She also highlights about the challenges faced by women in STEM in India. It could not have been easy to filter the hundreds of names and present this.

On the downside, I did feel the pace of the book to be sluggish at certain points.

However this fascinating non-fictional book is bound to charge your budding scientists and perhaps power them into great heights in STEM.

Other books in this series (the 10s):

10 Indian Champions Who Are Fighting to Save the Planet by Bijal Vachharajani
10 Indian Women Who Were the First to Do What They Did by Shruthi Rao
10 Indian Animals You May Never Again See in the Wild by Ranjit Lal
10 Indian Monarchs Whose Amazing Stories You May Not Know by Devika Rangachari
10 Indian Heroes Who Help People Live With Dignity by Sonak Ghoshal (review)
10 Indian Tribes and the Unique Lives They Lead by Nidhi Dugar Kundalia
10 Indian Art Mysteries THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN SOLVED by Mamta Nainy (review)
NEW BOXSET- MAKES AN EXCELLENT GIFT! Six 10s: Sixty Indian Stories You May Not Have Heard Before Box Set

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Disclaimer: Sowmya is a part of the #kbcReviewerSquad and received this book as a review copy from the publisher via kbc.