Zoological Survey
of India 1916–1947: A Historical Study in Colonial India
Dr. Biman Patra,
Assistant Teacher of History,
Gumra CBA High School (H.S), Santuri,
Purulia, West Bengal, India.
Abstract: The creation of the Zoological Survey of
India (ZSI) on 1 July 1916 was a moment in the institutional development of
zoology in colonial India. Its arrival was the result of a history of
collecting natural history building museums doing zoological research and
conducting scientific surveys connected with the Asiatic Society of Bengal and
the Indian Museum. The Survey took over zoological collections, trained
workers, scientific books and research traditions that had been develop in the
nineteenth and early twentieth century’s. At the time its formation showed the
changing needs of colonial government and the growing professional nature of
scientific research. This article looks at the history of the Zoological Survey
of India between 1916 and 1947 focusing on its beginnings, scientific goals,
field work, classification studies, books, leadership, connection with the
government and the role of Indian scientists. Special attention is given to
Thomas Nelson Annandale, Stanley Wells Kemp, R. B. Seymour Sewell, Baini
Prashad, B. N. Chopra and S. L. Hora. The article says that the ZSI was both a
continuation of natural history practices and a big change in how scientific
knowledge was organised. Even though its work was part of the structures and
goals of the Indian government the Survey also made a strong foundation for
Indian zoology. By 1947 zoology in India had moved away from the work of
naturalists and museum collectors towards more focused, professional and
well-organised scientific research.
Keywords: Zoological
Survey of India, colonial India, Indian Museum, Zoology, natural history;
taxonomy, scientific institutions, British India, scientific nationalism.
Introduction
The history of science in India cannot be seen just as a
story of European science being brought into a society that was passive. Modern
scientific institutions came into being through interactions between the
colonial government, European science traditions, Indian thinkers, local
knowledge, museums, universities, professional groups and economic interests.
Zoology is an example of this process. In the century the study of India’s
animals was closely linked with collecting natural history, museums, military
and government trips, amateur naturalists and big scientific places. In 1990s
zoological research began to become more systematic and professional. The
founding of the Zoological Survey of India on 1 July 1916 was a step in this
change. The Survey started from the Zoological Section of the Indian Museum in
Calcutta. Had a long tradition of collecting and studying animals of the Indian
subcontinent. Its creation was not an event but the result of things that
started with the Asiatic Society of Bengal the Oriental Museum and the founding
of the Indian Museum in 1875. The Zoological Section of the Indian Museum had
gathered collections and had become an important place for zoology research
before the Survey was created (Zoological Survey of India "Genesis and
Evolution”).
The years 1916 to 1947 are very important because they
cover the three decades of British rule. During this time the ZSI worked within
a scientific system but also included more Indian scientists and made research
that lasted. Its work included checking animals classifying those making
observations about the environment, museum work, publishing and taking care of
collections. At the time the Survey had serious money and management problems.
A report from Nature in 1947 said that the small team and the cuts in the 1930s
had limited field work pushing the Survey more towards museum activities (Fox
865–66). The history of the ZSI brings up important questions. Why was a
separate Zoological Survey created in 1916? What were its scientific and
administrative goals? How did it work with the government? What role did its
leaders and scientists play in the growth of zoology? How much did the Survey
help create an Indian science community before the country became independent?
This article argues that the ZSI was a bridge between old and new. It kept some
of the ways of colonial natural history—like classifying things collecting
specimens going over geography and writing about the empire—but it also helped
make Indian zoology more professional and better organized. Its history shows
the nature of colonial science: scientific places could help the government and
empire while also making knowledge, collections and chances for professionals
that were important to independent India.
Objectives of the
study: The objectives of the study are to know 1.
Why colonial govt. Want to set up Zoological Survey of India? 2. The historical
development of Zoological Survey of India. 3. How it became a nationalistic
scientific institution after the end of colonial rule.
Methodology of the
study: To done the study basically secondary data
used, which are collected from various books, journals and internet platforms.
The study is purely qualitative and descriptive in nature. Historical and
descriptive method used to done the study.
1. From the Asiatic
Society to the Indian Museum
The start of the Zoological Survey of India was much
earlier than 1916. The Asiatic Society of Bengal founded in 1784 played a role
in the development of organized natural history studies in India. The group
collected animals and rocks and started a museum in the early 1800s. Nathaniel
Wallich, who worked with the museum helped build its natural history
collections (Zoological Survey of India "Genesis and Evolution”). The
building of the Indian Museum in Calcutta in 1875 gave a base for this work.
The museum brought together animal, rock and other collections became a major
place for science research. Its Zoological Section grew fast. According to the
records of the ZSI the section grew a lot between 1875 and 1916. Had one of the
biggest collections of natural history in Asia (Zoological Survey of India
"Genesis and Evolution”).
This growth showed how museums were becoming more
important as places in the 1800s. Museums were not just places to show things
to people. They were also places where science evidence was stored. Things
could be compared, sorted, measured described and used to find species.
Zoological museums became places where classification and natural history were
studied. The growth of the Indian Museum also showed the interest in recording
the natural world. Classifying animals, plants, rocks and land features made
the area easier to understand for the government. Science was linked with how
the government worked, with interests, farming, forests, medicine and the army.
David Arnold has said that science in India needs to be studied with the bigger
system of the government not just as an isolated idea (Arnold). The zoological
collections came from places. Naturalists, officials, army people, doctors,
trips and private collectors added items. Collections were also gathered from
army trips. The ZSI says that important collections of fish, butterflies,
moths, beetles and snails were collected before the Survey was formed
(Zoological Survey of India "Genesis and Evolution”). This collecting way
had both colonial parts. From an angle the items were important for finding
species and knowing where they lived. From the side collecting was part of a
bigger process where the natural world of India was checked sorted and added to
the ways of knowing the empire.
2. The Rise of
Systematic Zoology
By the end of the 1800s Indian zoology was becoming more
organized. The book The Fauna of British India Including Ceylon and Burma was
very important. The first part of the book came out in 1888 and parts followed
with different types of animals. The project was published under the head of
the person in charge of India. Was a big effort to write about the animals in
the area systematically (W. H. F. 513–14). The Fauna of British India series
shows how big and ambitious colonial zoology was. Of only looking at single
items or discoveries scientists tried to describe all kinds of animals find
where they lived make connections between them and give books for others to use
later. The ZSI says that 91 books of the Fauna of British India had come out
before independence (Zoological Survey of India "Publications”). This
project was also part of a worldwide move towards organized biology. During the
1800s classification became more based on names, comparing bodies, where things
lived, museum collections and special books. The Indian area with its variety
of life became a big place for zoological work. The way this knowledge was made
was influenced by the unequal colonial relationships. Much of the systematic
work was done by European naturalists, officials and experts in Britain or
working in India. John Mathew’s recent study of zoology in British India says
that the Fauna of British India was a big project but many of the people who
helped were from Europe or in big places (Mathew). This shows a point about colonial
science. India could be studied a lot without Indians being in charge of the
places or the ways that knowledge was made. The natural world was in India. The
power to make science was often elsewhere. The forming of the Zoological Survey
in 1916 changed this situation a bit. It made a government group that was only
for zoology in India. The Survey could hire experts; plan trips take care of
collections write about research and organize animal studies.
3. The formation of
the Zoological Survey of India, 1916 and its development
The official creation of the ZSI came after later. The
Zoological Section of the Indian Museum had already built up collections and
research. In March 1913 the head of the Indian Museums people passed on a plan
to make the Section its own Zoological Survey. The Indian government then
looked at a plan that was like the existing Botanical Survey of India
(Zoological Survey of India "Genesis and Evolution”). The Indian
government officially started the Zoological Survey of India on 1 July 1916. A
report from Nature at the time said the change was taking the team and tools of
the Zoological Section of the Indian Museum and making them into an independent
government group called the Zoological Survey of India (“The Zoological Survey
of India" 119). The words used when creating the Survey show how it
connected with the government. The group was made by government power was
expected to do proper scientific work about animals, in India. The Survey was
therefore part of the science system of the colonial government. At the time
the creation of a special kind of zoo-like place showed a bigger move towards
making science more professional. More and more scientific ideas were split
into areas each needing people who had training, labs, collections, books and
proper places to work. Thomas Nelson Annandale had a part in this change. He
joined the Indian Museum as a second-in-command in 1904 and became the head in
1907. After years of wanting a separate group he became the first leader of the
ZSI in 1916 (Zoological Survey of India "Genesis and Evolution”). He
stayed in that role until he died in April 1924. Annandales importance was not
just because he was the leader (Chattopadhay & Rajbangshi 113-114). He was
a type of zoologist who did field work studied museums, worked on
classification looked at where animals lived and thought about their
environment. His work covered water animals and many types of animals in India.
Under his leadership the Survey started to become a research group instead of just
a part of the Indian Museum. The main goal of the ZSI was to look at the
animals of India. This included doing field work classifying species checking
where they lived taking care of museum items writing books and describing
species. Field work was very important. Zoology needed animals from places. A
species in a museum from one place might not tell much about how it lived.
Surveys let scientists see the differences between animals from areas. The
Survey also looked at water animals both in salt water. Earlier books from the
Indian Museum showed the range of things being studied. For example a 1916 book
had studies on worms, dragonflies, tiny bugs, fish, crabs, tiny animals and
other groups ("Records of the Indian Museum"). The variety of topics
shows that the zoology done in the colonies was not about big or important
animals. Research went from creatures to bigger animals. The Survey was
important because of how much it recorded. The ZSI also kept the way the Indian
Museum used to write about its findings. The Records of the Indian Museum
started in 1907 before the Survey was made. It was a way to share species
rechecks old ones and writes about them. The ZSI followed the way (Zoological
Survey of India "Publications”). Journals were very important for making
zoology more professional. A specimen in a museum only became useful when it
was written about named, compared and shared with scientists. The journal
connected the field work with the museum and the world of science. The story of
the ZSI from 1916 to 1947 can also be seen through its leaders. The official
list shows Thomas Nelson Annandale as leader from 1916 to 1924 then Stanley
Wells Kemp for a time in 1924; R. B. Seymour Sewell from 1925 to 1933; Baini
Prashad from 1933 to 1944; and B. N. Chopra from 1944 to 1947 (Zoological
Survey of India "Directors”). These different leaders saw changes in what
the Survey did. Annandale built the base. Stanley Kemp worked on sea creatures
and ocean studies. R. B. Seymour Sewell liked the sea looked at fish and the
ocean. His work showed the growing interest in water creatures. The Indian
Museum books already had work based on the collections from the Royal Indian
Marine Survey Ship Investigator. For example Sewell and Kemp wrote about deep
sea fish and big crabs from the sea (Records of the Indian Museum). These
studies connected zoology with the sea and fishing. Baini Prashad’s time as
leader from 1933 to 1944 was important for more Indian scientists being in
charge. His career shows how Indians slowly started to get jobs in the colonial
science places. B. N. Chopra, who became leader in 1944, kept this going during
the end of the time. Indian scientists being part of the Survey should not be
seen as proof that the colonial science places were completely fair or free of
the empire. Opportunities were still uneven. Money was limited. Still more
Indian scientists being in charge was a change in who made the science. This
change matches the story of Indian science in the early 1900s. Scientists like
Jagadish Chandra Bose, Prafulla Chandra Ray, C. V. Raman and Meghnad Saha
showed that Indians could do science. In zoology the ZSI helped create a place
where Indian researchers could have jobs doing science. The ZSI was also part
of the goals. Scientific studies were not for science. Knowing about animals
was important for farming, trees, fishing, health, vet work and money. Studying
bugs could help with crops. Fish studies helped fish. Research on parasites was
important for health. Sea life could help manage fishing and the coast. The
Survey worked where pure science met use. Classification might seem like a task
but it was needed for real work. You could not study where a creature lived or
how it helped the economy without knowing what it was. Still it would be wrong
to say everything the ZSI did was for money. Much of it was about questions:
classifying, looking at shape, where they live, how they changed and their
natural history. These things had value beyond the governments needs. The
colonial government supported science for reasons. Some work had use some made
the empire look better and some added to the worlds science. Arnold said that
colonial science had reasons, not just the needs of the empire (Arnold). One
main job of the ZSI was to keep animals in the museum. The Survey got
collections that had been built up over years. These came from the Asiatic
Society, the Indian Museum and from trips and research. Collections were not
just things stored. They were the base for science. Scientists could look at
them years later with new ideas. The museum collections showed where animals
lived how they changed and how they were linked. The ZSI being a group meant
that the animal collections got more attention. The library started in 1916
with 12,000 books from the Indian Museum. It had books from the Asiatic Society
and the Indian Museum, which helped keep a record of Indian zoology (Zoological
Survey of India "Library”). The library’s story during the war showed how
fragile science can be. In 1942 the library was moved from Calcutta to Banaras
for safety. The year a flood hit and made it hard to save the books (Zoological
Survey of India "Library”). This showed that science depends on more than
theories and people. It also needs buildings, animals, books, ways to keep them
and money. Keeping these things was needed for science to keep going.
Publishing was very important for the ZSIs science. The Records of the Indian
Museum and the Memoirs of the Indian Museum had ways to share findings before
and after 1916. These books dealt with classifying, grouping, how animals
changed, where they lived and other studies (Zoological Survey of India
"Publications”). The publishing plan helped create an understanding of the
animals of India. Describing species and checking ones created a shared way to
talk about them. Scientists could use the names and descriptions. The Fauna of
India series was very important. Even though it came from the time and had many
European writers its books became important for working in India. By the 1900s
it was one of the biggest efforts to write about the animals of the area
(Mathew). The move of publishing to places was also important. Annandale wanted
to make more science happen in India. This was part of a change: India was
becoming not just a place where animals were gathered but a place where science
was done. This is important for seeing how the science in the colonies changed.
Where the work was done matters because the places decide who can join what
questions can be. How the knowledge spreads. The history of the ZSI wasn't
always about growing. The place had money problems, especially in the early
1930s. A report from H. Munro Fox in Nature in June 1947 gave info. Fox said
that the Survey started small and then in the 1930s people were cut back so
much that field work was almost stopped. The Survey did museum work and even
taking care of the animals was hard (Fox 865–66). This shows a problem. The
government made a science place. Didn't give enough money to do what was
needed. The gap, between what was wanted and what was possible shaped the story
of the science. The restriction of fieldwork was especially important because
field surveys were the part of the Surveys purpose. Without exploration new
specimens could not be gathered and regional distributions could not be
properly studied. Financial limits also showed that scientific institutions
were affected by economic and political situations. The Great Depression had an
impact on government spending across the economy. Scientific research had to
compete with administrative needs for limited money. So the development of the
ZSI cannot be seen through its official job. The strength of the institution
depended on money, workers, equipment, travel, publications and political help.
4. The Second World
War, Last Years of Colonial Rule and the ZSI
The Second World War added pressure. Scientific
institutions were affected by war needs, shortages, movement rules and worries
about the safety of collections. The moving of the ZSI library from Calcutta to
Banaras in 1942 shows the disruption caused by war conditions (Survey of India
"Library”). The Survey kept its collections and publishing work stayed
part of the scientific system of British India. The war also made science and
technology more important in practice. Biological research was connected with
farming, medicine, fishing and managing resources while the wider colonial
government used scientific and technical skills. The years before independence
were a complicated time. The ZSI was still a colonial government department.
Its scientists and collected items became more part of a growing Indian
scientific system. The appointment of B. N. Chopra as Director in 1944 is
important in this situation. When India became independent in 1947 the
leadership of the Survey had more Indian scientists (Zoological Survey of India
"Directors”). The inheritance of the ZSI in 1947 was large. Independent
India did not have to start science from the beginning. It took over
collections, libraries, taxonomic books, trained scientists, field traditions
and a working research organization.
5. The ZSI and
Moving from Colonial to National Scientific institution
The historical question is about what the ZSI meant in
connection to Indian scientific nationalism. Was it a colonial institution or
did it help create national science? The facts show that both ideas have some
truth. The ZSI was definitely created as a government organization in British
India. Its early years were connected with surveys, museums and describing the
empires natural resources. Much of the knowledge made before and during its
early years was part of the bigger task of describing the empires natural
resources. At the time the Survey became a lasting place for scientific
expertise in India. Indian researchers could use the collections and
publications. Indian scientists took more professional roles. The institution
saved a lot of knowledge that was useful after independence. This double nature
shows a pattern in colonial science. Institutions made under rule could have
meanings that went beyond their original purposes. Scientists working inside
them were not always tools of empire. They could do their work do original
research and help build scientific groups. The ZSI also helped change zoology
from natural history into professional science. The naturalists collecting
specimens in the field were still important. Interpreting those specimens
needed more special training in taxonomy comparing biology, ecology and related
areas. By 1947 studying animals had become a professional job. This was one of
the important changes that the Survey made.
Conclusion
The story of the Zoological Survey of India between 1916
and 1947 gives a look at how scientific work changed in colonial India. Its
creation came from a history that started with the Asiatic Society of Bengal
the growth of natural-history collections and the building of the Indian Museum
in 1875. The official creation of the ZSI in 1916 turned this inherited
tradition into a government scientific organization. Under Thomas Nelson Annandale
and those who came after him the Survey developed programs for research,
classification, museum studies, publishing and recording animal life. Its work
covered a range of animal life and added a lot to the detailed study of the
Indian subcontinent. At the time the Survey was part of colonial systems. Its
formation showed the states interest in surveys and creating knowledge about
India’s natural environment. The history of its collections and publications
shows the link between natural history and the bigger structures of imperial
knowledge. Calling the ZSI only a tool of colonial control would not be right.
The Survey became a place for professional zoology in India. It gave jobs and
research chances kept collections kept scientific books and offered a place
where Indian scientists took part more and more in making zoological knowledge.
The money problems of the 1930s and the war issues of the 1940s show that
colonial support for science was limited and not always the same. The Surveys
science goals were often limited by not people and tools.. The organization
stayed and went into independent India with a big scientific past.
The time from 1916 to 1947 can be seen as a time of
change in zoology. It showed the move from museum-based history to specialized
scientific surveys and professional classification. It also showed a change in
where and who had scientific knowledge. Knowledge about animals was more and
more made in India by scientists who were becoming part of a growing Indian
scientific group. The important part of the Zoological Survey of India is this
mix between start and national science legacy. It was started in the government
but the scientific structures it made and kept became part of the base of
independent India’s biology sciences. The history of the ZSI shows that
colonial science was not a one-way way of taking European knowledge to India.
It was a process of building institutions, scientific talks, professional
growth and slow change. By 1947 Indian zoology had an identity that could live
after the end of rule and help the new country’s scientific needs.
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