Today, the world’s eyes are on India; we are seen as an engineering powerhouse with huge potential in scientific research. The history of science, however, is mostly told as part of the story of the West—and India gets lost in the narrative. We are losing the legacy of a generation of people who transformed the landscape of science and engineering in India. We need your help to change that.
Re:Collect India is a Citizen Archivist project that aims to preserve our legacy by collecting stories of the first generation of free India’s scientists, engineers, and technicians about their life and work in science.
This project will be led primarily by young people—to collect stories, unearth objects, and capture India’s rich history of science, technology, and engineering. It is an initiative to capture an important part of India’s scientific legacy, and an opportunity for an inter-generational conversation about science in our society.
We want Re:Collect India to be an opportunity for young people to learn from our Heritage Bearers: experienced scientists, engineers, and technicians—and to discover first-hand their role in shaping India’s recent history. We also want that conversation to be shaped by your interests, your perspectives, and your concerns. You are central to the success of Re:Collect India!
What do we do?
Recording conversations
Re:Collect India will spark a conversation between generations, by inviting young volunteers (‘Citizen Archivists’) to interview the first generation of free India’s scientists, engineers, and technicians (‘Heritage Bearers’) about their lives working in science. These conversations will be recorded and published as an online archive of stories. We are also seeking volunteers to transcribe these interviews, helping us create an invaluable resource for scientists, science communicators, historians, and artists.
Documenting objects
Re:Collect India will also pave the way for a new, historical collections-based science museum in India. As part of the interview process, Citizen Archivists will help identify, locate, and document scientific objects of historical value. They will photograph and write about them, and these objects may one day be on display as part of public exhibitions.
Engaging the public
Re:Collect India will showcase to the public the contributions of our Citizen Archivists—on a website that presents the people, stories, and objects documented. The website will be curated regularly by invited artists, scientists, engineers, and historians from India and abroad—to reveal the interesting specificities of the Indian experience for public audiences. In addition, the work of our Citizen Archivists may also be presented as a physical, public exhibition.
Anna Mani and a colleague work on a radiosonde, a balloon-borne weather-measuring equipment. Courtesy: World Meteorological Organization
Volunteer with us!
Are you interested in collecting untold stories about science in India?
Become a Citizen Archivist
If we are to tell the full story of science, engineering, technology, and industry in India, we need to develop a databank of sources. As a volunteer, you will help us build and develop this databank; creating an archive of stories and objects that tell us what kind of science and engineering was done in India: when it was done, where, why, and by whom.
When you register, we will send you all the information and online support you need to guide you through the Re:Collect process; helping you become a Re:Collect India Citizen Archivist. We will help you collect compelling stories, document important history, and contribute to an initiative with rich creative and academic potential.
We are seeking volunteers to:
● Interview retired scientists and engineers born in, or before, 1947
● Document important historical scientific equipment or materials
● Transcribe the interviews in the Re:Collect India Archive
● Help us share the stories of science in India to public audiences
Take the first step in becoming a Re:Collect India Citizen Archivist. Click here to
know more about what it means to be a Citizen Archivist.
Register your interest in volunteering here.
Are you a scientist, engineer or technician born in or before 1947?
Share your story
If you are or were scientist, engineer, or laboratory technician—and were born in or before 1947—we’d love to hear your story! Alternatively, if you know someone who fits the description, please help us get in touch with them.
Share your details with the Re:Collect India team in the form provided below.
Jawahar Lal Nehru, and Homi Bhabha, at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Looking for more information? We are here to help you!
Click here to view some of the Frequently Asked Questions. If you can’t find the answer to your question, write to us at recollect.citizensarchive@gmail.com