Current Projects

8. History of Science & Technology in Punjab

There is a world-wide interest in the study of history of science today as it is an important aspect in understanding man’s cultural patterns as well as development and advancement of technology step by step.

           In the region of Punjab, development in Science & Technology progressed well before the dawn of modern civilization. The people of the Indus valley civilization had attained a reasonably good level of agricultural practices, system of measurement and computational techniques for constructions and commercial transactions, town planning, public hygiene, water supply, public bath, drainage system etc. After the dawn of the Christian era, science & technology progressed at a fast pace and the  region had made considerable progress in S&T through building of forts, bridges, roads, laying of gardens, manufacture of arms, ammunition and industrial advancement through textiles, leather goods, ornaments, wooden articles, pottery, paper etc. before the arrival of British. After the annexation of Punjab by the British, scientific and educational development gained momentum. The external face of the province changed rapidly owing to the construction of canals, roads and railway lines. After Independence, Punjab made rapid strides in all spheres of science & technology as a number of universities, dairy industries, textiles, machine units, heavy industry, medical & engineering colleges etc., came up. Modernization of agriculture, diffusion of small industries, 100% electrification, a network of irrigation canals, dams & reservoirs, rural link roads along with green and white revolutions have made Punjab the number one state of India. The region of Punjab has also produced famous scientists who have excelled in diverse field of science & technology.  

In view of the above, PSCST is making an attempt to compile the History of S&T in Punjab, with financial assistance from DST, GOI. Under this project, a document is being prepared to depict developments in S&T beginning from dawn of modern civilization (Indus valley civilization), Aryan civilization, Rule of various kingdoms (budhist period, mauryan dynasty, gupta period, harsha period), persian and mughal rules, sikh kingdom, british era and post-independence period. Special emphasis is being laid on the history of development of agriculture as Punjab is a predominantly agricultural state. Developments in various other sectors, traditional technologies of Punjab and recent developments in S&T including prominent institutes are being given. A chapter on famous scientists of the region is also being compiled. The concluding chapter will depict the current S&T scenario, lessons learnt from history, problems arising out of unplanned development and future scientific and R&D requirements and needs and vision for  sustainable growth.

Contact Person:

Dr. K.S. Bath, ksbath@yahoo.com

Dr. Neelam G. Sharma, neelam3950@rediffmail.com