In the pursuit of my investigations I was unconsciously led into the
border region of physics and physiology and was amazed to find boundary
lines vanishing and points of contact emerge between the realms of the
Living and Non-living. Inorganic matter was found anything but inert; it
also was a thrill under the action of multitudinous forces that played
on it. A universal reaction seemed to bring together metal, plant and
animal under a common law. They all exhibited essentially the same
phenomena of fatigue and depression, together with possibilities of
recovery and of exaltation, yet also that of permanent irresponsiveness
which is associated with death. I was filled with awe at this stupendous
generalisation; and it was with great hope that I announced my results
before the Royal Society,--results demonstrated by experiments. But the
physiologists present advised me, after my address, to confine myself to
physical investigations in which my success had been assured, rather
than encroach on their preserve. I had thus unwittingly strayed into the
domain of a new and unfamiliar caste system and so offended its
etiquette. An unconscious theological bias was also present which
confounds ignorance with faith. It is forgotten that He, who surrounded
us with this ever-evolving mystery of creation, the ineffable wonder
that lies hidden in the microcosm of the dust particle, enclosing within
the intricacies of its atomic form all the mystery of the cosmos, has
also implanted in us the desire to question and understand. To the
theological bias was added the misgivings about the inherent bent of the
Indian mind towards mysticism and unchecked imagination. But in India
this burning imagination which can extort new order out of a mass of
apparently contradictory facts, is also held in check by the habit of
meditation. It is this restraint which confers the power to hold the
mind in pursuit of truth, in infinite patience, to wait, and reconsider,
to experimentally test and repeatedly verify.
It is but natural that there should be prejudice, even in science,
against all innovations; and I was prepared to wait till the first
incredulity could be overcome by further cumulative evidence.
Unfortunately there were other incidents and misrepresentations which it
was impossible to remove from this insulating distance. Thus no
conditions could have been more desperately hopeless than those which
confronted me for the next twelve years. It is necessary to make this
brief reference to this period of my life; for one who would devote
himself to the search of truth must realise that for him there awaits no
easy life, but one of unending struggle. It is for him to cast his life
as an offering, regarding gain and loss, success and failure, as one.
Yet in my case this long persisting gloom was suddenly lifted. My
scientific deputation in 1914, from the Government of India, gave the
opportunity of giving demonstrations of my discoveries before the
leading scientific societies of the world. This led to the acceptance of
my theories and results, and the recognition of the importance of the
Indian contribution to the advancement of the world's science. My own
experience told me how heavy, sometimes even crushing, are the
difficulties which confront an inquirer here in India; yet it made me
stronger in my determination, that I shall make the path of those who
are to follow me less arduous, and that India, is never to relinquish
what has been won for her after years of struggle.