By:

Suhas B Naik-Satam

25 November 2025 at 2:24:38 pm

The Institution That Shaped Modern Indian Science

A journey from Mahendra Lal Sircar's vision to global scientific excellence. The year 2026 marks the sesquicentennial of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata, the oldest institution in India devoted exclusively to fundamental scientific research. Founded on 29 July 1876 by the visionary physician and educationist Dr Mahendra Lal Sircar, IACS emerged when India lacked institutions dedicated to experimental science. Convinced that scientific inquiry was...

min read

The Institution That Shaped Modern Indian Science

A journey from Mahendra Lal Sircar's vision to global scientific excellence. The year 2026 marks the sesquicentennial of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata, the oldest institution in India devoted exclusively to fundamental scientific research. Founded on 29 July 1876 by the visionary physician and educationist Dr Mahendra Lal Sircar, IACS emerged when India lacked institutions dedicated to experimental science. Convinced that scientific inquiry was indispensable for national progress, Sircar established an institution to nurture original research by Indians while promoting scientific knowledge among the public. One hundred and fifty years later, IACS remains one of India's foremost research institutions, its history closely intertwined with the evolution of modern science in the country. The genesis of IACS reflected the intellectual ferment of the Bengal Renaissance. Trained in Western medicine yet deeply committed to India's intellectual emancipation, Sircar argued that science should be cultivated through experimentation and discovery rather than merely imported through textbooks. Inspired by institutions such as the Royal Institution of Great Britain, he envisioned a publicly supported national laboratory where Indians could pursue independent scientific research. At a time when such opportunities were scarce under colonial rule, IACS became the country's first permanent home for fundamental scientific investigation. During its early decades, the Association combined public lectures and scientific demonstrations with laboratory research, fostering an interdisciplinary culture spanning physics, chemistry and the natural sciences. Though modest in resources, it established an enduring tradition of curiosity-driven research. The defining chapter in IACS history began with the arrival of Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1907. While serving in the Indian Finance Department, Raman spent his evenings and holidays conducting experiments at IACS on acoustics, optics and the scattering of light. On 28 February 1928, he and his collaborators announced the discovery of the inelastic scattering of light by molecules—the Raman Effect—creating a powerful spectroscopic technique that transformed the study of molecular structure. Today, Raman spectroscopy is indispensable across chemistry, materials science, biology, medicine, pharmaceuticals, environmental monitoring and planetary exploration. For this achievement, Raman received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics, becoming the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize in the sciences for work conducted entirely in India. His success demonstrated that world-class scientific research could emerge from Indian laboratories. Yet IACS's scientific legacy extends far beyond Raman. Kedareswar Banerjee advanced crystallographic research through pioneering X-ray crystallography, while Satyendra Nath Bose's association with IACS enriched the intellectual environment that fostered advances in quantum physics. Meghnad Saha's theory of thermal ionisation transformed astrophysics, and together Raman, Bose and Saha established Kolkata as one of Asia's leading scientific centres. The institution also made major contributions to chemistry through Jnan Chandra Ghosh, whose work in physical chemistry laid foundations for modern chemical research in India. Following Independence, IACS expanded into chemical sciences, materials science, biological sciences and theoretical physics, reflecting the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of scientific inquiry. Among its distinguished scientists was Asima Chatterjee, whose pioneering research on natural products chemistry and medicinal plant alkaloids transformed phytochemistry and contributed significantly to pharmaceutical science. Ajoy Ghatak further strengthened IACS's reputation through his work in fibre optics, waveguides and laser physics, while his textbooks educated generations of physicists and engineers. More recently, IACS researchers have advanced ultrafast spectroscopy, nanomaterials, renewable energy, molecular electronics, quantum materials and computational biology. Today, IACS functions as a deemed-to-be university under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Its interdisciplinary research spans the chemical, physical and biological sciences, supported by advanced facilities in spectroscopy, microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, computational modelling and materials characterisation. Its doctoral and postdoctoral programmes continue to produce scientists who contribute to universities, research laboratories and industry worldwide. The institution's enduring strength lies in its commitment to curiosity-driven research. Unlike organisations established primarily for technological development or industrial applications, IACS has consistently recognised that transformative innovation begins with fundamental scientific understanding. This philosophy, articulated by Mahendra Lal Sircar nearly 150 years ago, remains especially relevant in an era defined by quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, sustainable energy and molecular medicine. The sesquicentennial of IACS celebrates not only a remarkable institution but also the evolution of Indian science. From its modest beginnings in colonial Calcutta to its emergence as an internationally respected research institution, IACS has nurtured Nobel laureates, pioneering physicists, eminent chemists and generations of young researchers who continue to expand the frontiers of knowledge. As IACS enters its second century and a half, it carries forward Mahendra Lal Sircar's vision that science should be pursued with intellectual freedom, experimental rigour and an unwavering commitment to the advancement of humanity. Its 150-year legacy remains a powerful reminder that the greatest scientific discoveries begin with curiosity and flourish in institutions dedicated to excellence. (The writer is the Chief Executive for National Centre for Science Communicators, Mumbai. Views personal.)

Percentile system sparks row

Abhijit Mulye
23 hours ago
5 min read

Mumbai: Following closely on the heels of national testing scandals, Maharashtra’s own engineering and pharmacy entrance test, the MHT-CET, finds itself mired in a deepening controversy. Serious allegations of malpractices and result manipulation have surfaced, raising critical questions about the transparency of the examination process.

At the heart of the storm is a glaring discrepancy that has left students, parents, and political leaders baffled: candidates who barely managed passing marks in their state board examinations have inexplicably secured near-perfect percentiles in the highly competitive MHT-CET.

The controversy stems from a fundamental misunderstanding—or perhaps a deliberate exploitation—of the difference between raw percentage marks and the normalized percentile system. Board exam scores are calculated as straight percentages based on the absolute marks a student obtains out of the total possible marks.

In contrast, the MHT-CET employs a percentile system, which indicates a student’s relative performance compared to all other candidates who appeared for the exam in the same session.

A 100 percentile does not mean the student scored 100 percent of the marks; rather, it signifies that the candidate scored higher than 99.9 percent of their peers. The normalization process is inherently designed to ensure equity across multiple exam batches, compensating for variations in the difficulty levels of different question papers.

Flawed Formula

However, this complex statistical adjustment has now become the epicenter of suspicion. Critics argue that the normalization formula might be flawed or intentionally manipulated, creating an opaque system where raw merit is overshadowed by an algorithmic adjustment. Parents and experts remain bewildered as to how a student failing to grasp basic concepts in subjective board exams could suddenly demonstrate absolute mastery in the objective format of the MHT-CET.

The sheer mathematical improbability of students with profoundly weak foundational knowledge outperforming the state's brightest minds in a rigorous entrance test has triggered widespread alarm across the academic community.

Political leaders across the state have seized upon these statistical anomalies, demanding an immediate and impartial investigation to ensure robust public policy and administrative oversight within the state's educational framework.

Politics Intensifies

Senior Congress leader and AICC secretary Sachin Sawant was among the first to blow the whistle, asserting that the scale of irregularities is incredibly concerning. Sawant stated to the media that students who scored merely 35 to 40 percent in their Class 12 board exams had astonishingly secured a perfect 100 percentile in the MHT-CET.

He cited specific cases where top-ranked candidates in the CET Mathematics section had barely passed their board exams in the same subject, calling the situation highly suspicious and demanding a high-level inquiry to punish those responsible.

The political heat intensified recently in Nanded, adding another layer to the unfolding drama. Congress state spokesperson Balaji Gade Patil publicly accused a local BJP corporator of result manipulation after the corporator's twin children allegedly secured 99 percentiles in the MHT-CET.

Patil pointed out the glaring inconsistency, noting that the twins had scored a mediocre 56 percent and 51 percent in their Class 12 Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics group, and had performed poorly in the national JEE exam.

Other prominent opposition leaders have aggressively joined the fray, escalating the pressure on the state government. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray challenged the fundamental structure of the exam, pointing out that conducting a single subject's paper across twenty-four distinct batches inevitably creates gross disparities in difficulty levels.

Thackeray vehemently demanded absolute transparency, stating that merely publishing percentiles is misleading; he insisted that the actual raw marks and the students' answer sheets must be disclosed immediately to expose the truth.

Adding weight to these concerns, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) legislator Rohit Pawar has publicly alleged the existence of an organized racket operating within the state.

Pawar asserted that unscrupulous elements are actively taking vast sums of money to artificially inflate candidates' percentiles in the MHT-CET, guaranteeing them lucrative admissions into premier educational institutions at the cost of deserving students.

Minister Defends

In response to the mounting outrage, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, under whose department the CET Cell operates, has found himself facing severe backlash.

While confronted with demands for a judicial probe led by retired High Court judges, Patil and the state administration have maintained that the examination process remains untainted.

The state government and the CET Cell have consistently denied any foul play, defending the integrity of the normalisation process and clarifying that the results were declared using an established percentile method without the awarding of any grace marks.

Officials argue that the mismatch between board scores and entrance percentiles is not an anomaly but a common occurrence across different testing formats. They explain that the structure of a subjective board exam differs drastically from a multiple-choice entrance test, leading to expected variations in student performance.

Despite these administrative assurances, the growing chorus of voices demanding the release of raw marks and a forensic audit of the results suggests that the controversy is far from over.

'Special' exam centre offered to student in audio clip

An audio clip of a woman allegedly offering a "special" exam centre to an engineering aspirant for Rs 12 lakh has surfaced, prompting the Maharashtra CET Cell to lodge a police complaint, officials said on Tuesday.

Several students, parents and the Opposition Congress questioned the credibility of the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH-CET) for engineering colleges, claiming that some candidates with modest academic records secured near-perfect percentiles.

They demanded a thorough probe, saying the future of meritorious students was at stake.

In the clip, a woman is purportedly heard offering an unidentified parent a "special" examination centre for nearly Rs 12 lakh. She claims the arrangement would help the student secure an exceptionally high percentile and gain admission to a reputed government-aided engineering college.

State CET Cell Commissioner and CEO Dilip Sardesai said they have taken cognisance of the unverified audio clip.

"The MH-CET Cell has not received any complaint in connection with the audio clip. We have taken cognisance of it and lodged complaints with the State Cyber Cell and the Azad Maidan police (in Mumbai)," Sardesai told reporters.

He, however, rejected allegations that candidates could influence the allotment of examination centres.

"A student can choose four preferred examination centres. Female candidates can opt for centres within their district. A week before the exam, students are informed only about the city/town where they will appear. The exact name and address of the centre are shared two days before the exam. No student has the final say in selecting the examination centre. It is allotted randomly through a computerised process," he said.

"We will analyse the students under suspicion. But on this information alone, we cannot conclude that those who scored very high percentiles did anything wrong," he said.