Science in crisis

The 91st annual session of the Indian Science Congress decided to observe 2004 as the year of scientific awareness. Prime Minister Manmohan ...

The 91st annual session of the Indian Science Congress decided to observe 2004 as the year of scientific awareness. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been appealing to scientists at every Science Congress meet to encourage the community to develop a rational and scientific approach to work for the downtrodden. It is also being emphasised that there is a need for radical reforms to reverse the brain drain and bring our scientists back to our country.

Yet our politicians continue to depend on quackery and superstition. They consult astrologers, yogis and swamis and live according to auspicious days and times. The recent move to introduce Vedic astrology courses in universities has been questioned by the scientific community as this would cause grave damage to developing a scientific outlook. Astrology is a pseudo-science. Such a retrograde step needs to be challenged forcefully because it promotes blind faith and superstition.

Nehru emphasised the scientific spirit. He was keenly interested in eliminating primitive beliefs. The present move encouraging dependence on astrology negates this dream. At an earlier Science Congress conference, it was projected that India would be free from poverty, hunger and malnutrition, and would become an environmentally safe country by 2020. It8217;s impossible to achieve this goal without a rational attitude. So-called 8216;special8217; days and times have a severely retarding effect on the economy.

Science Congresses have been held every year since 1914. They have been very valuable in the past. But recently, they have become flop shows, an annual ritual, simply a mela where a few thousand scientists gather without any useful deliberations. The 2004 session has gone without much notice. The meets are now venues simply for politicking or to establish monopolies on the scientific establishment or build competitive 8216;8216;empires.8217;8217;

The fact that India has been able to produce only one science Nobel laureate in the last century despite having over 250 universities is an eloquent testimony to the decline of the scientific spirit. Professor C N Rao, a distinguished Indian scientist, has painted a despondent picture of our research community. He commented that political interference and personal animosities have been impeding creativity and innovation. Younger generations have become less and less interested in science. He recommended that scientific literacy be built among citizens, politicians and administrators.

No wonder we continue to depend on foreign know-how. A committed and creative cadre of scientists could have become a tremendous resource for the poor and contribute crucially to development needs. Unfortunately, the dominance of politics in the science community has made scientists power-hungry and materialistic, anxious only to ascend the professional ladder. There is a greed for bureaucratic power, personality cults and elements of sycophancy have crept in. Bureaucratisation of our scientific establishments has ruined scientific activity. The sphere of science and technology has not been encouraging. Scientists must once again remember the ideals of their profession, that they exist to serve the poor, to wage war against hunger and malnutrition, that they are Nehru8217;s standard bearers.

The writer is former principal scientist, IMARI, New Delhi