Introduction

The debates on the indigenous knowledge and practices have mainly focused on how to get the indigenous people acquainted with modern scientific and technological systems and very little effort has been made to make modern scientists to understand the indigenous techniques and practices which could provide important clue to find solutions to many of the current problems. Based on the analysis of occupational roles of two-service castes – Washerman and Barber – this chapter explores the importance of indigenous techniques and practices in the development of modern science. The analysis shows that discourse on knowledge production in India has centered mainly on Hindu religious texts and has overlooked/undermined the importance of subaltern techniques and practices. The chapter shows that many traditional practices and techniques of marginal people in Western societies triggered the development of modern science and technology and their position improved with it; while in India the marginal people despite having almost the same level of expertise and technical skills got further marginalized and subjugated along with their techniques and practices.

In tracing the presence of science and technology in India, there were two groups of scholars: one dominated by the colonial perspective who viewed India as a ‘tabula rasa’ onto which modern science and technology had to be inscribed as part of the colonial civilizing mission. The other group of scholars acknowledged the philosophical and theoretical ingenuity of native people but relied mostly on the Hindu sacred literature to prove their arguments.