Archive · 3 Aug 2026
Bhargava’s Quest for Scientific Temper Sparks Controversy
Pushpa Mitra Bhargava wanted to make science a part of everyday life in India.
He started a group in 1964 that asked scientists to promise they believed in science, but many refused.
He didn’t give up and in 1975 worked with a teacher named Rais Ahmed to build a cool science show that showed how science works, not just facts.
The show was shown in a big exhibition in Delhi, but it caused a big argument with government officials and teachers who didn’t like the new ideas.
The debate showed that some people wanted science to be taught as a way of thinking, while others wanted it to be taught as a list of facts.
Pushpa Mitra Bhargava founded the Society for the Promotion of Scientific Temper in 1964, but it failed because scientists refused to sign its declaration of rational belief.
The failure highlighted the lack of scientific temper among Indian scientists and the public, prompting Bhargava to intensify his advocacy.
In 1975, Bhargava and NCERT director Rais Ahmed conceived an audio‑visual science exhibition to teach the scientific method to children, funded by NCERT.
The exhibition, launched at the National Science Exhibition in Delhi, sparked controversy involving government ministries, NCERT, CSIR, and political leaders.
The debate underscored ideological clashes between Bhargava’s left‑leaning scientific rationalism and NCERT’s more conservative stance, exemplified by Athindra Nath Bose.
- Who
- Pushpa Mitra Bhargava, Rais Ahmed, and other Indian scientists and educators
- What
- Attempted to institutionalize scientific temper and create a science exhibition to teach the scientific method
- When
- 1964 for the Society; 1975 for the exhibition
- Where
- India, primarily New Delhi and Hyderabad
- Why
- To promote rational thinking and improve science education
- Founder
- Pushpa Mitra Bhargava
- Society Founded
- 1964
- Key Collaboration
- Rais Ahmed (NCERT)
- Exhibition Launch
- 1975
- Controversy Involved
- NCERT, CSIR, Government ministries