Science Popularisation today, is an acknowledged and accepted area of science and technology, but consider taking up science popularisation in 19th century, under hostile conditions like absolute illiteracy, absence of periodicals, no governmental support, etc. Men of science from this country, even at that time desisted from making ivory towers abound them and braved all odds to take science to pubic in the right earnest. Science itself had landed in India under compelling demands of colonisation. It basically worked around a model that divided the rulers and subjects into two intellectually separated human categories – knowledge producers and knowledge gatherers. Under this missionary model, communicating knowledge (science) was a benovelent idea where ‘men of superior intellectual capacity and vision’ take upon themselves the task of imparting and communicating knowledge (science) and to cause upliftment in the intellectual standard of a subordinate class. While talking of science, these missionary acts the colonial rule were unable to cause the kind of social mobilisation as was evident in the west due to growing public appreciation of science and appropriation of scientific knowledge.

But there were scientists and science activists, native mostly, who went to prove otherwise and did pioneering work to take science to the masses. In fact the zeal and the intensity with which they went on with their initiatives was termed as the genesis of scientific nationalism (in Bengal). ‘Uncharted Terrains’ recaptures the situation then in 19th and 20th century British India and narrates the path setting efforts of likes of Rajendralal Mitra, Ramendrasunder Trivedi, M.N.Saha, S.N. Bose, Ruchi Ram Sahani, etc. Munshi Zakarullah, etc. Besides, the book presents commentary on the factors leading to commencement of science education in India. It goes on to suggest that vernacularisation of scientific knowledge in British India was a well thought strategy to ward off the hegemonic designs of foreign cultures.

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