Opinion Peddling of anti-scientific beliefs by academia must worry us

The calendar is supposed to be based on research by the recently created Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge System at IIT Kharagpur, which strives to do inter-disciplinary research on various branches of the Indian knowledge systems. The areas of interest range from Indian history to advanced archaeological exploration; from Indian language systems to aesthetics systems; from Indian systems of geometry and mathematics to cosmology and positional astronomy; and from Indian constructs of ecology and ethics to systems of welfare economics and planning.

On the face of it, any such endeavor should be lauded. However, if the calendar is any indication, instead of genuine scholarship, the centre seems to be more focussed on fighting ideological battles. Among the many themes which the calendar explores is the “rebuttal to the Aryan invasion myth”. It lays out “evidence” that “the myth is not just erroneous but maneuvered and widely popularised! A large scholarship is needed now to erase the misinterpretation sustained by the colonial hangover!” The claim is that the historians and archeologists have been wrong in saying that the Vedic period followed the Aryan invasion, which was preceded by the Harappan civilisation. Instead, the claim is that the Vedic era extends far into antiquity and there was simply no migration or invasion from outside Bharatvarsh.

Anyone familiar with recent scholarship in the fields of paleo-genetics and DNA sequencing of existing populations would find all of this laughable. Several labs around the world have confirmed that there was indeed migration from the Eurasian steppe into north India around 4,000 years ago, around the time when archeologists believe that the Harappan civilisation was in decline.  All of this evidence is well-documented not only in scientific literature but also in popular books like those by David Reich and Tony Joseph, among others.

Why then would a centre that is supposed to carry out scientific investigation in areas related to ancient India bring out such a blatantly un-scientific document? If recent history is any guide, it seems that the idea was to provide support for the grand narrative which the government has been actively promoting, namely that of the greatness and antiquity of an indigenous Indian civilisation. Bizarre statements by those in important positions in the current dispensation regarding mythical scientific achievements of ancient India, rewriting of textbooks, active support of certain institutes and think tanks, funding of research into pseudo-scientific areas, among others, are part of this exercise. The capture of respectable academic institutions to serve this purpose is only the latest tactic being employed.

The case of the gentleman exorcising ghosts is not something we need to worry about. After all, the private beliefs of individuals are not something which should bother us as long as they are not imposed on others. There is no evidence to suggest that the person’s beliefs have impacted his capabilities as a researcher or an administrator. And if people who are superstitious or hold irrational beliefs were to be excluded from important administrative posts, then a large percentage of our bureaucrats and politicians would need to be superannuated. Even among the scientists, this dichotomy of professional and private spheres is widespread. The case of a famous scientist at a premier research institute in Mumbai throwing away food from his refrigerator after a solar eclipse is only one such example.

The promotion of anti-scientific beliefs and the use of academia to further a particular ideological agenda are things all of us should be worried about. Replacing robust scientific theories with pseudo-science in textbooks and using academic credentials for ideological purposes is the far more insidious exercise. The ghosts can take care of themselves. It is the former we need to be concerned about.

This column first appeared in the print edition on February 4, 2022 under the title ‘Tryst with unreason’. The writer is professor of physics and astrophysics, University of Delhi