Forgotten Heroes Of Indian Science

Anand Ranganathan

ISBN 10: 0670096288 / ISBN 13: 9780670096282

Published by Penguin Random House India, 2026

2025. hardcover. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780670096282

Synopsis:

Upendranath Brahmachari conjured a potent drug to vanquish the spectre of Kala Azar, saving millions from the deadly disease. Ramnath Chopra explored ancient Ayurvedic knowledge, extracting a natural compound from Sarpagandha to treat seizures and high blood pressure. Azizul Haque and Hemchandra Bose etched a novel cipher for fingerprints birthing the science of forensics, with their elegant method, though pilfered by Scotland Yard, finding mention in the intricate plot of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sign of Four. Yelapragadda Subbarow sculpted five monumental discoveries that reshaped modern medicine, saving countless lives—yet, in a poignant twist of fate, could not save his own. These stories are not mere chronicles of invention, but sagas of lives devoted to the pursuit of brilliance. They bring alive the history and socio-cultural milieu of the times these men lived in, how they changed the landscape of Indian science, and how they proved, that the only difference between the ordinary and the great is this: that the ordinary think they are great and the great think they are ordinary.

About the Author: Anand Ranganathan obtained his BSc (Hons) degree in chemistry from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, after which he went on a scholarship to Cambridge, UK, where he obtained his BA (Tripos) in natural sciences as well as his MA and his PhD. Sheetal Ranganathan is an alumna of AlIMS, New Delhi, from where she obtained her BSc (Hons) degree in human biology and her master’s in medical biotechnology, after which she pivoted into business strategy and consulting with an MBA from XIMB.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Forgotten Heroes Of Indian Science
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Publication Date: 2026
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: New