Accomplishments
Indian Science in the face of the challenge of the Western World
- Abstract
The nineteenth century was the era of industrial revolution. It brought about imperialism and creation of colonial empires. India witnessed the implications of imperialism and was converted into British colony. The results of this phenomenon were disastrous in economic terms but intellectual repercussions were altogether impressive. Indians got acquainted with the Western sciences. This made them aware of the advances of the Western science and technology. Western science attempted to show its superiority in the world. The greater connectivity brought about by the transport revolution apart from facilitating trade created new spaces. There began discussion and dialogue between the East and the West, which ranged from the issues of religion to science. The example of Vivekananda has been the renowned one. The paper focuses on Virchand Gandhi, the contemporary of Vivekananda and the participant of the World Parliament of Religions (1893) and his efforts to present Indian sciences in the proper perspective. The defense of the Indian Sciences vis-à-vis the Western worldview is the thrust of the paper.