Membership of the Society

The Society consists of Benefactors, Honorary Fellows (now renamed as Distinguished Fellows), Fellows (Life-Members) and Associates (Ordinary Members).

Benefactors are the persons contributing Rs. 5000/- or more to the funds of the Society.

Honorary Fellows, the number of whom is limited to twenty, shall be  persons well-known for their qualifications in, or services to the cause of,  physical or allied sciences.

Fellows shall be persons engaged in the development or dissemination of knowledge of physics in any of its branches or persons whose interest and activity in the science would make them desirable members.

Associates, the number of whom shall be unlimited, shall be bona fide students of science in recognised universities and research institutes of India and people interested in physical sciences.

Benefactors and Fellows are denoted members.

Privileges of Membership

Members of the Society have the rights and privileges 

to be present and vote at all General Meetings of the Society;

to propose and second candidates for Fellowships and Associateships;

to receive one copy of the Physics Teacher free of cost, and that of the  Indian Journal of Physics at a concessional rate as determined by the  Council of the Society;

to have personal access to the library and other public rooms of the Society,  and to study its collections, subject to regulations prescribed by the  Council;

to fill any office in the Society on being duly elected thereto;

to read in the ordinary meetings of the Society scientific papers and to  take part in the discussions thereupon.

Honorary Fellows shall receive free of cost a copy of such publications of the Society as the Council may decide.

Associates shall be entitled to read in the Ordinary Meetings of the Society scientific papers if communicated by a Member of the Society.

Since 1937, when the Society forged close collaboration with the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, reading room and reference facilities of the latter have also been made available to the members of the Society. 

Membership procedure

Application for Life-membership in prescribed forms, together with two stamp-size photographs and a cheque (only on Kolkata banks)/DD for  Rs 1000.00 (One Thousand only),  proposed and seconded by two members of the Society,  should be sent to the General Secretary, IPS, IACS Campus, 2A&B Raja S C Mullick Road, Kolkata 700 032. These are received any time of the year. For ordinary membership/Associateship the fee is Rs 60.00 per year (from 1st January to 31st December) and shall be due on the 1st day of January every year.