Nineteenth century India witnessed tremendous contributions of several Indian luminaries in the fields of science, arts, literature, business, philosophy, and many others. There was a wealth of knowledge. New technological innovations, new ideas and philosophies came into being for the advancement of society. British colonial rulers could not ignore their impeccable knowledge and expertise, but often tried to demean their talent by describing them as ‘natives’.
Radhanath Sikdar (5 October 1813 – 17 May 1870) was an exceptional personality whom the British rulers could not dominate in his field of proficiency. Sikdar was a mathematical genius and when he was a student at Hindu College, (now Presidency University) his discovery of the solution to the geometrical problem, “To draw a Tangent to two circles” was published in ‘Gleanings in Science, January-December 1831’ edition. The objective of the journal ‘Gleanings in Science’ is worth mentioning: “The Gleaners spread around, and here and there; SPIKE AFTER SPIKE, their scanty harvest pick”. Radhanath entered Hindu College in 1924 and studied there for seven years and ten months. Dr John Tytler was his professor in mathematics.
Dr Tytler, observing the brilliance of Radhanath, asked him to read Newton’s “Principia.” Radhanath was the second reader of “Principia” in India after Rajnarayan Basak. Radhanath joined the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India (GTSI) as ‘Computer’ at a monthly salary of Rs 30 in December 1831 on the recommendation of Dr Tytler. John Keay, the historian, in his book ‘The Great Arc’ used these words: “… ……… Radhanath Sickdhar, a twenty-year-old Bengali recruited by de Penning for computational work in Calcutta and since poached by Everest as his number-crunching genius.” George Everest was then Surveyor General of India and was responsible for the prestigious ‘The Great Arc’ project. Everest was in search of a mathematician who had specialization in spherical trigonometry.
In 1802 Col William Lambton started the Great Indian Arc measurement to determine the accurate length of an arc from the southern tip to the Himalayas along a chosen longitude. The British rulers felt it essential to have the exact geographical knowledge of the country for revenue and administrative purposes and to procure complete political control of vast swathes of India. The greatest ‘geodetic’ journey was undertaken in science history to prove that the earth was a spheroid and to determine accurately the shape and dimension of the earth. Three visible points usually on prominent hills, buildings, towers, temples were conceived as three corners of a triangle. By knowing the exact distance between two chosen points and then measuring the angles made at each by the respective lines of sight with a third reference point, the distance and position of the third point could be deduced through trigonometry.
A web or chain of triangles results. Equipped with a folded steel measuring chain and massive theodolite weighing half a ton, Lambton and his troupe started this arduous journey on the field. Everest, who joined The Great Trigonometrical Survey in 1818, took over the project after the death of Col. Lambton in 1823. “Its 1600 miles of inch-perfect survey took nearly fifty years, cost more lives than most contemporary wars, and involved equations more complex than any in the pre-computer age” [The Great Arc’]. Radhanath earned a reputation in geodetic survey by his mathematical acumen and knowledge of physics and astronomy. He invented his own methods of advanced mathematical computations and applied them successfully. He also improved the various methods introduced in the survey by Everest. Radhanath acquired his excellence by ‘un-remitting self-cultivation’. There was no institutional arrangement to teach advanced science or higher mathematics.
Everest, who was so impressed by the ‘arithmetical wizardry’ of Radhanath, wrote about him: “There are few in India whether European or native, that can at all compete with him. Even in Europe these mathematical attainments would rank very high.” He further remarked: “There are a few of my instruments that he cannot manage; and none of my computations of which he is not thoroughly master. He can not only apply formulae but investigate them.” But even then, Radhanath could not avoid British colonial wrath. He wrote a major portion of the ‘Survey Manual, 1951’ which was widely acclaimed and used by surveyors. His contribution was acknowledged in the Manual itself and recorded that it was ‘largely assisted by Babu Radhanath Sikdar, distinguished head of the computing department of the GTSI.’ It was further stated that ‘the chapters 15, 17 up to 21 inclusive of Part III and the whole of Part V are entirely his own.’ Part V consisted of ‘Practical Astronomy and its applications to surveying’.
Besides, he compiled various tables which were immensely useful. But after the death of Radhanath this acknowledgement was deleted from the third edition of the Manual in 1875. This denial reveals the colonial mindset of the British. The ‘Friend of India’ wrote on 24 June 1876: “……. respectful acknowledgement to the best of the original authors of the compilation, and the debt due to Radhanath Sikdar is wholly unacknowledged. Penance must be performed for this cowardly sin and robbery of the dead.” It was a great coincidence that Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (1809- 1831) joined Hindu College as a ‘firebrand’ teacher in 1826 and attracted students. He established ‘Academic Association’ in 1828 wherein Radhanath joined and was one of the principal speakers. Derozio was then nineteen, Radhanath fifteen.
This firebrand ‘Young Bengal’ group was opposed to British rule. They were free and rational thinkers and known for their radical ideas. Radhanath, a stoutly built youth and disciple of Derozio, was a fearless person. He followed great principles in life and was always opposed to any wrongdoing. In 1843 when Radhanath was posted in Dehradun, Magistrate Vansittart forcefully engaged some labour of Survey of India for his private work. In protest, Radhanath seized the personal belongings of the Magistrate carried by the labourers for shifting. The furious Magistrate filed a defamation suit against him. A fine of Rs 200 was imposed upon Radhanath. Radhanath immediately paid the fine; but did not bow down to injustice. The practice of using government labourers, obviously ‘natives’, for personal purposes of superiors was abolished.
Radhanath, the then Chief Computer of Survey of India was entrusted with additional charge of the Calcutta Observatory of the Meteorological department in October 1852 after retirement of Superintendent V N Rees. He was the first Indian to occupy this responsible position. Radhanath laid the foundation for accurate and systematic meteorological observations in India. After taking charge, Radhanath introduced the system of taking hourly barometric observations of weather which was hitherto being done at sunrise, noon and sunset times, and erratically too, since the establishment of the Meteorological department in 1829.
He developed his own ‘reduction table’ for reducing barometric observations to 32-degree Fahrenheit, the method that was already in use in Europe. In the first Administrative Report of the Indian Meteorological Department, H F Blanford wrote that 24 years’ data from 1853 to 1877 of the Surveyor General’s Observatory “are the finest piece of our knowledge of the climate of Calcutta.” In December 1852, Radhanath implemented the system of daily weather forecast for the first time which still exists today. It was Sikdar who started in 1853, a time signalling service for ships based upon observations of the transits of stars across Calcutta. It was Radhanath who played a pivotal role in determining the height of Mt Everest. Several trigonometrical observations had been taken by a number of surveys from six different places about 100 miles from the peak since 1848.
Analysing and arranging the numerous confusing field data and making corrections of errors arising out of atmospheric refraction, Radhanath came to the final conclusion in 1852 that the height of the tallest peak of the world is 29000 ft, though its official announcement was made in 1856. For this computation, he invented and applied the ‘theory of minimum squares’. Everest retired in 1843 and returned to England. He was nowhere near the scaling of this summit. Perhaps he did not even see the highest peak in his lifetime. Radhanath Sikdar was one of the pioneers in modern science in India and set many path breaking trends for the cause of mankind. He had a rebellious mind too and always stood against injustice as a true patriot. His life and works are a great inspiration till today.
(The writer, a cost accountant, was General Manager of a state power utility.)