The Indian Chemical Imagination-Part 1 How did Indians understand, transform and control matter before the modern science of chemistry emerged? When we hear the word chemistry , we immediately think of laboratories, test tubes, molecular structures, periodic tables, spectroscopy and carefully controlled experiments. But chemistry, as a modern academic discipline, is relatively young. Human beings were transforming matter thousands of years before the word "chemistry" acquired its present meaning. They smelted ores, made metals, produced glass, prepared medicines, fermented food and beverages, extracted dyes, manufactured pigments, prepared perfumes and developed methods to purify and transform substances. India was no exception. In fact, the Indian subcontinent possesses a remarkably long record of technological practices involving metals, minerals, ceramics, dyes, medicines, salts, fermentation and other materials . The important question, however, is not simply: "Di...
From Chemistry to Coconut: The Chemist Behind Kolkata’s Iconic Sherbet By Prof. Rajeev Singh There are some food and drinks that become so deeply woven into the cultural fabric of a city that they cease to be mere refreshments. Kolkata’s "Daab Sherbet" is one such tradition. Served at the legendary Paramount Cold Drinks and Syrups on Bankim Chatterjee Street, this refreshing coconut-based drink has been a favourite of generations of students, intellectuals and Calcuttans. But behind this seemingly simple glass of sherbet lies a fascinating connection with one of India’s pioneering chemists - Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray (2 August 1861–1944). The story reveals a lesser-known side of Ray: not merely the professor, scientist and industrialist, but also a person deeply interested in food, nutrition and the application of chemistry to everyday life. The accompanying article, published in Science India in August 2026, explores this intriguing connection. A Chemist Walks into a Col...