Having completed more than a hundred sessions, the Indian Science Congress could not present any research paper of repute. The problem with the scientific community is that it is shackled by vested interests
A month after the 102nd Indian Science Congress session was hosted by the University of Mumbai, this columnist asked Professor Ashok Saxena, the General President-Elect of the Indian Science Congress Association, about the most important outcomes of the conference.
He was asked to name at least one scientific paper, presented at the five-day meet, which could help address some major problems being faced in India. Mr Saxena could not give a proper answer. The Indian Science Congress is the country’s largest annual congregation of scientific researchers. Every year, on January 3, the inaugural address is given by the Prime Minister, who always makes it a point to travel to the venue.
The only memorable event at the Mumbai conference was the speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Not a single scientific paper of international standard was presented. What one expects from the annual meet of the country’s scientific community is some encouraging news from their laboratories which can light up the hearts of billions of poor people in the country. Even after 102 jamborees, a research paper of that standard hasn’t seen the light of day in recent years.
The theme of the 102nd edition of the ISC was ‘Science and Technology for Human Development’. What was the congress doing all these 102 yearsIJ After completing a century of its existence, has the ISC only just realised that science and technology have some role to play in human developmentIJ
Forget about the number of Nobel Prizes won by scientists in India. What is the quality of research papers presented by scientists from Kanyakumari to Kashmir who constitute the official delegates of the eventIJ
Has any of these papers (thousands of them) been cited or cross-referred to by scientists in other countriesIJ Has any solution been provided by our scientists and technologists for the economic, social and scientific growth of the country during the last 100 sessions of the ISCIJ
The ISC session that was held in Chennai in 2011 saw a Tamil Nadu delegate presenting a paper titled “Impact of internet usage on self-esteem of the IT students”. This delegate had presented the same paper in 2010. At that time, it was titled “Internet usage and mental health”. After this was pointed out to Prof K Sarat Chandra Singh, the then head of the anthropological and behavioural science session of the 2011 edition at Chennai, the erring delegate was issued a stern warning and allowed to go scot-free.
Instances such as these have plagued the ISC throughout its existence. The Rs30crore annual jamboree has not benefited Indian science in any meaningful way. The craze for financially rewarding IT courses has made basic sciences irrelevant, with the best brains opting for careers in engineering and the computer science.
It is the shortage of scholars in the basic sciences which is delaying the country’s progress in many fields, like space science and nuclear engineering. There are no good teachers for the basic sciences in universities. Sure, there are some exceptions but a vast majority of the universities and colleges in India face a severe crunch of good science teachers.
The same is the case with persons heading various scientific bodies in the country. The Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Mr Rajagopalan Chidambaram’s, contributions to the field of science and technology needs an auditing or close scrutiny. Mr CNR Rao, the Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, claims to have authored more than 1,500 research papers and 80 scientific books. Both men are well decorated with all the honours and awards available in the country. I asked many top-notch Indian scientists about the scientific contributions of these veterans. “Please do not put us in trouble. Please do not ask such questions,” they were unanimous in their reply.
Why is India lagging behind in nano-science and nano-technology, even as markets in Japan and Korea sell fabrics coated with nano materialsIJ They need not wash the clothes because of nano materials which resist dirt and dust. Why we are yet to perfect nano drugs though the same is being used in other countriesIJ
The answer is that we do not have the right people for the right work. The world is agog with the news of “desktop nuclear reactors” which generates power without any kind of radiation. India is yet to take up research in this field because of the personal prejudices of top-notch scientists. Scientists are afraid to take up independent research in this field, lest they lose membership in various academies of science, of which there is no dearth.