NCBS Calendar 2024

Archives are vessels for stories. Every archival object is a little shard from someone's life. The archive then describes it, and brings it to the precipice of another story waiting to be told by historians and writers, playwrights and poets, scientists and singers. We'd like to think archives help us make sense of the world, and bring us a little closer to each other.

The Archives at NCBS is a public collecting centre for the history of science in contemporary India. In 2024, it turns five. And this 2024 calendar draws on themes that characterise both science and its archives. These 16 images from collections are a tiny speck curated from across 200,000 objects and 30 collections. Each month is a fragment of a story, exploring the processes, cultural nuances, and personal narratives woven into the fabric of contemporary science. The themes for the calendar transcend eras. Through the year, we hope you enjoy this small attempt to portray some ideas and perspectives that contextualise the world of science.