Promote the whys & hows

Dinesh C. Sharma

Science Commentator

EVERY year, February 28 is observed as National Science Day (NSD). On this day in 1928, CV Raman announced to the world his discovery of the Raman Effect which was to win the Nobel Prize for physics two years later. NSD was instituted in 1988 to mark his birth centenary. However, the National Council of Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), which promoted the idea, opted for the day of the discovery and not Raman’s birthday to observe NSD. The thinking behind this was more to celebrate the spirit of enquiry and not just the personal achievement of Raman or his Nobel. This year, NSD is preceded by a week-long celebration to mark 75 years of Independence. The week has been christened ‘Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate’, following the current practice of branding all such celebrations or events.

The manner in which National Science Day is being celebrated makes it an ill-conceived government tamasha.

Given that the backdrop for NSD this year is ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, it would have been an apt occasion to look back at India’s achievements in science and technology since 1947. The celebration, however, is painted in a cultural hue — it has a Sanskrit tagline and also has a day dedicated to the celebration of ‘75 inventions and innovations of Swadeshi/traditional S&T’.

The tagline ‘Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate’ means ‘science is revered everywhere’. It gives an impression that it is from an ancient text, but it is not. It has been derived from a Sanskrit adage that says ‘Vidwan sarvatra pujyate’, meaning the learned are revered all over. A rough translation of the sloka means ‘while an idiot is celebrated only in his house; a village headman is respected in his village; a king is worshipped in his country, but a learned man is revered everywhere’. The Ministry of Culture and the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA), organisers of the event, need to explain why they have twisted the sloka, replacing ‘vidwan’ with ‘vigyan’. It amounts to intellectual dishonesty on the part of the two agencies. The twist is serious because one may be reverential of an individual learned person but not of science. Being reverential to science goes against the very spirit of being inquisitive and questioning, which is also integral to the Indian tradition.

Branding apart, the manner in which NSD is being celebrated makes it an ill-conceived government tamasha. The fixation with everything 75 — 75 events, 75 posters, 75 films etc — trivialises the purpose behind NSD. Science popularisation should not be restricted to showcasing India’s achievements and milestones but should also include propagation of the scientific method, debunking superstitions and myths, and bringing science closer to ordinary people. This can happen with the active participation of communities, civil society and activists outside the government agencies. In its formative years, NCSTC played a catalyst in bringing together voluntary groups under the umbrella of the All India People’s Science Movement, in the wake of their upsurge following the Bhopal gas tragedy. Around the same time, the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) was involved in the National Literacy Mission and in the formation of the pan-India movement, Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha.

The NCSTC Network was the first effort that institutionalised networking of voluntary, governmental and semi-government organisations for the promotion of values of science in the public. NCSTC helped groups that debunked miracles by ‘godmen’ in villages and waged a war against superstitions associated with solar eclipses. Government agencies prophesying to promote science or connect science with society do not support such popular activities, forget engaging with voluntary bodies. As a result, all their programmes are reduced to Centrally-planned and executed ‘events’ tailor-made as photo-ops for ministers and officials, and amplification through social media handles. Students are involved but in senseless activities such as creating some vague records for the Guinness Book, such as ‘the largest gathering of people dressed as Einstein’ or ‘the most people assembling rainwater harvesting kits online and in a single venue’. State Councils for Science and Technology were formed in the 1980s but most of them have become defunct or exist only on paper.

All agencies like NCSTC and their parent bodies should rethink their role and reposition themselves as genuine science popularisation bodies and refrain from being used as publicity wings of the science minister or the government. They could become resource centres on public engagement with science for national laboratories, universities, IITs and state governments, providing them tools and expertise necessary for science popularisation. There are ways in which our scientific institutions can engage with society and communities around them. For instance, scientists and students in higher education institutions can help improve the teaching of science in schools around them. They can engage with children and guide them in selecting careers in science.

Some successful models already exist, such as the programmes run by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai or the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune. A great example of community engagement on a scientific issue is ‘Superheroes against Superbugs’ — an initiative on antibiotic resistance promoted by the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance. Public engagement projects of the Astronomical Society of India are helping spread knowledge about astronomy. There are multiple ‘citizen science’ initiatives in different parts of the country, such as Weather Watch and RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory. All such projects need support so that they can be strengthened and replicated. Scientific issues like climate change, energy, food security, water conservation, recycling, e-waste, electric mobility and wildlife protection need constant engagement with people. Instead of wasting public money on grand events, government agencies engaged in science popularisation should direct their resources towards genuine engagement with people and communities.

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