Farm science stems the flow

SERIOUS hitchhikers to the galaxy swerve off the Pune-Nashik highway into a forest of parabolic wire-mesh dishes, each the size of a small swimming pool. The stars don’t know it yet. But when they chatter, even as far away as the edge of the observable universe, a group at the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) listens in. A very small group. ‘‘I am very disturbed. We built the GMRT with our blood and sweat. We have an average of just five PhD students,’’ Govind Swarup, professor emeritus at Pune’s National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) told The Sunday Express. The showcase of Indian astrophysics is the world’s largest radio telescope at meter wavelength, dotting the hills of Narayangaon 80 kms north of Pune. It’s an achingly beautiful and sophisticated laboratory waiting for people who know how to use it best. ‘‘Anywhere else in the world the GMRT would have been over-subscribed,’’ says NCRA director Rajaram Nityanand. In October 2001, the TIFR council formally invited the world to buy time to use GMRT, considered one of the most challenging experimental programmes in basic sciences taken up by Indian scientists and engineers. Ever since this open skies policy, 50 to 60 international applications arrive every six months for sanction from the GMRT’s Time Allocation Committee. They say yes to almost all. Sometimes they offer double the time that the applicants request. ‘‘If someone asks for three hours, we offer six. All available time is being utilised,’’ says Nityanand. Every year, India adds four or five new users qualified to make optimum use of the GMRT. ‘‘It would be healthy if the figure doubled. We have to make radio telescopes more user-friendly,’’ he says. Swarup touched base with seven national research institutes in astronomy and astrophysics for manpower data. ‘‘All seven institutes totalled an average of just 13 new PhD students each year from 1999-2002,’’ he says softly. Till March this year, 124 proposals had been cleared by the time allocation committee — one-third to institutes affiliated outside India. The NCRA director says he is not pessimistic. There are plans — like a two-year MSc in astronomy, space science and electronics at Pune University — and imaging workshops every alternate year. There’s room for generous hospitality. Groups from schools and TIFR research students who do not specialise in radio astronomy also walk in, eager to understand the language of the universe. — RP