07/05/2026
A few materials from our newest collections. Swipe through to take a closer look at a select few objects.
2. Two decades before physicist Matthew Pothen Thekaekara published his seminal work standardising the solar constant at NASA in 1970, he was vacationing in France, just after being ordained at a seminary in Darjeeling. Although not many papers from that trip survived, here is a map that he had collected during his travels. Bonus points if you can find the number of croissants featured.
Souvenir -- Map of france, MS-048-8-2-10-8, Matthew Pothen Thekaekara Papers, Archives at NCBS.
3. Founded in Delhi in 1981, Saheli Women’s Resource Centre is a feminist collective and an important part of India’s autonomous women’s movement. Their work has focused on challenging violence, discrimination, coercive health policies, communalism, caste-based oppression, and state repression, while standing in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ communities and broader struggles for justice and equality. Saheli continues today as a non-funded feminist collective. The materials at our Archives from this collection range from Saheli's newsletters and health reports to souvenir booklets both in English and Hindi.
Souvenirs, MS-060-1-11-7-5, Saheli Papers, Archives at NCBS.
4 and 5. In 2025, The University of Hawai'i announced a de-accessioning program for 535 titles from its Science and Technology serials from South Asia. The Archives at NCBS identified a few titles for physical and digital preservation and were brought to its repository in Bangalore. Two among them were the Journal of the Association of Scientific Workers of India and the Journal of Association of Medical Women in India. These journals capture not only the work and ideas of individuals across the various structures and disciplines of science, but also moments from post-independence India.
Cover of a Journal of the Association of Scientific Workers of India. Vijnan-Karmee: Vol. XX, No. 7, July 1968, BB-013-5-0-2-26, Archives at NCBS.
Association of Medical women in India: Journal: Vol.71, No. 3, Sept-Dec 1981, BB-014-2-0-1-6, Archives at NCBS.
