The Eerie Ledger of the Singh Chemist’s Laboratory
A heavy stillness pervades the Chemist’s Laboratory, where penciled compound formulas in a notebook stop mid-reaction, hinting at interrupted experimentation and abandoned inquiry.
Elements and Experimentation
These implements belonged to Arjun Singh, chemist (b. 1882, Calcutta), trained in both local ayurvedic traditions and Western chemistry.
His notes record reagent ratios, reaction times, and solvent concentrations. A folded slip references his assistant, Devika Singh, “complete extraction Tuesday,” revealing a structured daily routine of mixing, measuring, and documenting, alongside a temperament defined by meticulous observation, careful calculations, and patient diligence.
Benches and Bottles
On the main bench, test tubes, mortars, and droppers lie in precise alignment. Partially prepared solutions rest under cloth. A ledger beneath a folded mat details compound ratios, evaporation periods, and crystallization observations, each carefully dated. A half-completed extract remains in a flask, evidence of work abruptly halted mid-process, leaving reactions suspended mid-transition.
Declining Precision
Later ledger pages reveal repeated corrections to reaction timing and proportions. Several solutions display uneven crystallization or incomplete reactions. A margin note—“client questions purity”—is smudged, reflecting mounting anxiety. Tools lie abandoned across benches. Failing eyesight and persistent tremor forced Arjun’s precise measurements to falter, leaving chemical investigations permanently unfinished and routines disrupted.
In the Laboratory’s final drawer, Arjun’s last compound formula ends mid-line, penciled instructions trailing into blank space. A note—“review with Devika”—stops suddenly.
No explanation exists for why he abandoned his work, nor why Devika never returned to finish the experiments.
The house remains abandoned, tools and chemical mixtures frozen mid-creation, preserving the quiet persistence of chemistry interrupted, unresolved, and suspended in hushed neglect, a testament to meticulous science left unfinished.
