There is no reason to discontinue the Indian Science Congress which has faced some controversy in recent years. Instead, if the Government is serious about improving the quality of Indian science, it should focus on universities
Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has kicked up a storm by calling the Indian Science Congress a “circus”. He said there is very little science that is discussed at the Congress, and that he will never attend one. But Fields Medalist Manjul Bhargava has pointed to the motivational and inspirational role the Congress has played for the youth.
As one who had the opportunity to host the 97th edition of the Congress at the University of Kerala, the ISC all about celebrating science. In a country where there are so many festivals and celebrations, the ISC is an occasion for scientists to celebrate their profession.
It gives them an opportunity to visit an exotic place, meet exotic people and quixotic scientists, to borrow a phrase from Prof CNR Rao who lamented about the dearth of quixotic youth choosing science as a career.
The Indian Science Congress is also about making the right contacts and connections, since both are important for upward mobility in the scientific profession in India. Doing science alone is not enough in a country like India, as the Nobelist would like us to believe.
Motivational speakers like Mr Bhargava and former President APJ Abdul Kalam play a role in inspiring the young. When Kalam addressed school students in Thiruvananthapuram, the hall was jam-packed and one could observe the glee in the eyes of many.
The Congress is also is an opportunity to listen to none other than the Prime Minister about what the policies of the Government are for furthering science. The present Congress ended in Mysuru with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for a framework for the scientific audit of science departments and institutions supported by the Government. If the Modi Government is serious, then many of our state-funded laboratories will be in serious trouble.
Universities are venues for most editions of the Congress arguably because they are considered to be epicentres of basic research and innovation. The pre-independence era witnessed the flowering of modern science in India through great minds like SN Bose, PC Ray, JC Bose and CV Raman to name a few. However, post-independence, none of our universities are known for any pathbreaking research in science.
One of the major errors of our science-planners was the creation of parallel institutions of research (the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for instance) at the expense of universities. Universities got the leftovers — hence, the dilapidated buildings, antiquated equipments. and uninspiring faculty. Basic research became the casualty.
Yet, universities are where young minds are awakened, trained and moulded. Parallel institutions of research were narrow in their objectives: No teaching, no students to be trained as the fountainhead of future science and technology. Many failed to deliver their goals.
When German physicist Arnold JW Sommerfeld visited India in the 1930s, soon after CV Raman had won the Nobel for physics, he noted that the level of theoretical physics in India and Europe was the same. But what is the situation todayIJ
Policy planners seem to shy away from debating the far reaching reforms that are badly needed to rejuvenate the university system. Over 90 per cent of our skilled man power that runs the country, not only in the realm of science and technology, but also in other domains, come from State universities — not the institutions of national importance or Central Universities.
Instead of strengthening our university system by providing world-class infrastructure and facilities, recruiting the best faculty and implementing robust governance, policy planners seem to have written off universities, arguing that they cannot be reformed for political reasons.
The very same mistake of creating new institutions dedicated to scientific research, such as the recently launched Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, is projected as a panacea for the ills plaguing fundamental research in the universities.
With less than one per cent of the GDP channelled into research, miracles cannot be expected. Red tape and bureaucracy also stifle the high degree of creativity required for research and innovation. Science congresses over the years have addressed the myriad of issues throttling research and innovation in the country as their annual reports testify.
It is a different matter that policy makers have not taken note of many of its recommendations. But, that is no reason for the ISC to be discontinued. At least the celebrations should go on.
(The writer is a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras)