The - Shirish N Kavadi JN Tata Image courtesy: Tata Central Archives and Medical Research in India The emergence of modern philanthropy and the expansion of modern medicine in colonial India were closely intertwined, as medical historians have recorded. They note that medical philanthropy was simultaneously part of the colonial ‘civilising’ and nationalist modernising projects, and that Indian philanthropists, with encouragement from the colonial authorities, were engaged in a “joint enterprise” in founding permanent public utilities such as medical colleges, dispensaries, and large hospitals. Hospitals were in fact seen as the pre-eminent symbol of modern medicine. However, government officials gradually became suspicious of Indian charity, less amenable to cooperation, and even reneged on their commitments, revealing the fault lines in the “joint enterprise.” From 1890 to 1932, the Government of India was engaged in organising medical research and founding of bacteriological laboratories and medical research institutes. The focus of these was primarily the manufacture of vaccines and sera for protecting army personnel. As Indians began to demand the Indianisation of the Indian Medical Service (IMS), medical research became a site of contestation and anti-colonial struggle. The IMS, already experiencing a decline in European recruits, attempted to retain its European character by emphasising prospects and opportunities for medical research. Tata medical philanthropy in colonial India was not confined to investing in bricks and mortar but also aimed at creating a culture of medical research 14 connect.iisc.ac.in