Science,in Urdu

From Bt crops to cloning to hygiene and health to Earth Day and atom — the magazine has touched upon a plethora of subjects in its cover stories. Besides,the 53-page journal has sections such as ‘Tell me why’,dictionary of scientific terms,mathematical quizzes,and even reviews of science fiction. For the last 10 years,the cover page is being printed in colour.

While lack of funds has been the main hurdle since the very beginning,Dr Parvaiz finds it satisfying that from the first till the latest 220th edition,there’s never been a dearth of original write-ups on science in Urdu. In fact,a couple of the regular contributors,mostly teachers,have published compilations of their articles. “Our writers are spread across the country and even overseas,and till date,we have not published even a single translation,” says Dr Parvaiz. A matter of pride,he says,is the fact that over the years a number of his young contributors have become doctors and teachers.

Dr Parvaiz has been personally in touch with many of his readers as he visits madrasas regularly,interacting with students and explaining scientific nuances with the help audio-visual aids.

Initially priced at Rs 8,Science is currently available at Rs 25. While advertisements are very few,the subscribers for the little magazine are growing in number. Besides being sold on stand,it reaches around 500 institutions — from Leh in J&K to Tamil Nadu. The magazine is sent to vendors through VPP (value payable post) with a condition that unsold copies will be their responsibility. And that makes circulation a difficult feat. But for Dr Parvaiz,it is more a passion than anything else. His early education was in Urdu medium,and his interest in science goes back to a time when as a school student he had set up a laboratory at home.

“I know first hand that there’s a lack of reading material on science in Urdu,” he says. A botanist,he has been lecturing on ecology and environment for the last 20 years and has played a pivotal role in founding the Anjuman Farogh-e-Science in 1992. His 1995 lecture on Islam and ecology at the Harvard University was acclaimed widely. Since 1982,he has been regularly writing articles on science in Urdu newspapers.

The goal behind starting the magazine is to fight dogmas and misbeliefs,and promote scientific temperament. “Do you know the correct meaning of ilm is science? And Islam says it is the duty of every human being to acquire knowledge and use it for the greater good of people. But a majority of people read scriptures without understanding them. So,whenever some hardliner tries to question science,I quote and explain relevant verses from the Quran to counter him,” he says.

Dr Parvaiz has more plans for his magazine: an audio-visual launch on YouTube.