Evolution of science and technology in the Indian subcontinent.

Evolution of science and technology in the Indian subcontinent.

The word Science is derived from Latin word scientia, meaning "knowledge. A practitioner of science is known as a scientist.

The history of science and technology in the Indian Subcontinent has its roots in the prehistoric human activity at Mehrgarh, in present-day Pakistan. The British colonial rule introduced some elements of western education in India. Following independence science and technology in the Republic of India has included automobile engineering, information technology, communications as well as space, polar, and nuclear sciences.

In the Prehistoric era sophisticated irrigation and water storage systems were developed by the Indus Valley Civilization.

The inhabitants of the Indus valley developed a system of standardization, using weights and measures. One of the earliest known docks is at Lothal, located away from the main current to avoid deposition of silt. Modern oceanographers have observed that the Harappans must have possessed knowledge relating to tides in order to build such a dock on the ever-shifting course of the Sabarmati.

In the Early kingdoms Ink, called masi, an admixture of several chemical components, has been used in India since 4th century BC.

The inscriptions on the edicts of Ashoka display the Hindu-Arabic numeral system being used by the Imperial Mauryas. The concept of 0 as a number, and not merely a symbol for separation is attributed to India. In India, practical calculations were carried out using zero.

The Sushruta Samhita an Ayurvedic text contains description of illnesses, their cure and a detailed study on Anatomy.

In the Middle Ages the Arthashastra mentions the construction of dams and bridges.

The cotton gin was invented in India as a mechanical device known as charkhi.

Trigonometric functions discovered by the mathematician, Aryabhat, in the late 5th century. The calculus theorem now known as "Rolle's theorem" was stated by mathematician, Bhāskara II, in the 12th century.

In the Late Middle Ages Indians were manufacturing a diverse variety of firearms; large guns in particular, became visible in Tanjore, Dacca, Bijapur and Murshidabad.

The construction of water works and aspects of water technology in India is described in Arabic and Persian works.

After independence Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India initiated reforms to promote higher education, science, and technology in India. The Indian Institute of Technology was inaugurated on 18 August 1951 at Kharagpur. Beginning in the 1960s, close ties with the Soviet Union enabled the Indian Space Research Organization to rapidly develop the Indian space program and advance nuclear power in India even after the first nuclear test explosion by India on 18 May 1974 at Pokhran. 

The result of the efforts between 1947–1962 saw the area under irrigation increase by 45 million acres, food production rose by 34 million metric tons, installed power generating capacity increase by 79 million kilowatts, and an overall increase of 94 percent in industrial production. Tata Consultancy Services – established in 1968 by the Tata Group are the country's largest software developers.

The roots of nuclear power in India lie in early acquisition of nuclear reactor technology from a number of western countries, particularly the American support for the Tarapur Atomic Power Station. In the 1960s that chemical fertilizers and high-yield food seeds brought the Green Revolution to India. Indian agriculture benefited from the developments made in the fields of Biotechnology. Massive Biotech parks have been established in India.

In 1981, the Indian Antarctic Programme was started when the first Indian Expedition was flagged off for Antarctica from Goa. More missions were subsequently sent each year.

In recent years India has made rapid strides in the fields of Information technology, robotics, health care and almost every other field of science.