Known popularly as the scientist who proved that plants have life, Jagadish Chandra Bose showed in 1896 that science fiction wasn’t solely a white man’s (or woman’s) game with his groundbreaking work, Nirruddesher Kahini (The Story of the Missing One), written for a competition sponsored by a popular hair oil brand. The story won the contest, marking an important milestone in both literature and scientific thought. Few know that the famous scientist was also a prolific writer.
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Born on November 30, 1858, Jagadish Chandra Bose was a brilliant polymath, making lasting contributions to a wide range of fields, including physics, biology, biophysics, botany, and archaeology. He was also a key figure in the development of radio technology, earning recognition as one of the ‘fathers of radio’ by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
He even has a crater on the moon named after him.
THE SCIENTIST WHO PENNED FICTION
This Bengali short story, recognised as one of the first significant works of Indian science fiction, showcased Bose’s creativity and scientific imagination. Bose was already an established scientist by the time he wrote this story, and just a few years later, in 1901, he publicly showcased his innovation, the crescograph, at the Royal Society in London.
It was this device that allowed Bose to demonstrate that plants react to stimuli similarly to animals.
Described by Strange Horizons magazine as a ‘once-in-a-generation scientist’, Bose’s work is seen as both a literary and scientific gem.
Nirruddesher Kahini is notable for its ‘tongue-in-cheek’ style and its early exploration of chaos theory’s ‘butterfly effect’ — the idea that small changes can have far-reaching consequences.
Interestingly, Bose introduced this concept in his story long before it was scientifically recognised by Edward Norton Lorenz in the 1960s.
Bose’s original version of the story was later revised and republished in 1921 as Palatak Toofan (Runaway Cyclone), which offered a unique snapshot of India’s changing political climate at the time, reflecting the tensions between colonialism and nationalism.
OTHER NOTABLE SCIENTISTS WHO TRIED HAND AT FICTION
Before Bose opened up the doors of science fiction for future generations of writers from diverse backgrounds, there were a few established names in the genre, most notably HG Wells, who’s The Time Machine was published just a year earlier, in 1895.
Mary Shelley, the mother of science fiction, is credited with producing the first science fiction novel in 1818, one that remains popular even today — Frankenstein. Before her, Jonathan Swift published Gulliver’s Travels in 1726, often regarded as an early precursor to science fiction.
Apart from them, there was, of course, Jules Verne, whose From the Earth to the Moon showcased imaginative space travel in 1865, almost 100 years before humans even made it to space. Yet another popular sci-fi novel by Verne is Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which introduces readers to underwater adventures with Captain Nemo.
Bose’s work reminds us that science fiction has always been a diverse and inclusive genre, long before modern debates about representation. His contributions demonstrate that science fiction has never been limited to white men but is a space for all voices and ideas.
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