What a comic affair the 95th Indian Science Congress in Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) has turned out to be! Nobel Laureates are treated like film stars without a word of what they said being understood, and sessions are featuring recycled presentations, in many cases straight downloads from the Net.
The 95th Indian Science Congress in Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) potrayed what Indians are known for best -- over-excited lot of jokers, when it comes to science and technology. More of noise than anything else.
Take the sessions, for instance. Each of the sessions were nothing but idiotic normative analysis, when its should have been scientists telling people what new things are being done that are applicable as solutions to instant problems indians face in every corner of the country.
That is not to be. Sadly, the event's theme -- ''Knowledge-based society using environmentally sustainable science and technology'' -- is too broad-based for any long-lasting impact made by the five-day event on any specific area of science.
In keeping with such a chaotic event, scientists appear to be just rambling off presentations that have been made over and over again in the past. So much so, that even the much celebrated Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists made a mediocre presentation on the second day when they told a motley group of delegates about the power of space technologies in solving the mess that Indian educations lies in.
No prizes for guessing what the space scientists had to say -- that satellite-based technologies are a sure-shot solution for reaching out to school drop-outs in remote villages, that the space technology could also help in increasing the number of PhDs and MTechs who are short by as much as 30,000 and 40,000 respectively, and of course in helping doctors in a remote village be connected with specialists in the respective field to operate upon hapless persons needing to go under the knife urgently.
It is a lop-sided effort.
What these technologies do not do is convince school drop-outs to return to school. How can a student determined to begin working by stopping school to earn his family some (lots!) money be convinced by space technology to attend classes that are relayed via satellite links?
Or, how are people expected to just walk into a room where space tech is bringing material to help people complete PhDs and MTechs, when in the first place those very people are voluntarily looking at more lucrative professions, not to end up as lecturers and professors with meagre incomes in comparison with what MNCs have to offer?
The Science Congress is like a ''wide ball'' bowled by an erratic bowler. A systematic tackling of the ''lack-of-interest-in-science'' issue should begin by making science teaching an interesting exercise in schools. That requires expert teachers who have the ability to hold rapt attention of the students through unique teaching methods.
Unfortunately, what is holding the rapt attention of students today is the process of making a quick buck. Nothing scientific about that.
ISRO's chairman Madhavan Nair once rightly said only those who have a passion for research would survive being in the scientific community despite the lure of attractive pay packages offered by MNCs.
But how do you find those kind of people?
I think the science congresses should first focus on this issue -- generate more people with passion for research. Only then such events would fill up with people who come with solutions, or who have already come up with solutions for the masses.
Only then would science congress mean a more interesting event attracting more youth to its folds. This in turn would be able to popularise science, which is the very objective of the Indian Science Congress Association.
Otherwise, just forget future science congresses that have the blessing of the Union Government through a Rs 1 crore grant that comes its way every year.
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