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Prof Raza talks on the ‘scientific way of life’ in India

Prof Raza talks on the ‘scientific way of life’ in India

Understanding the way of life in India, using a scientific method to question, discuss and argue formed the main topic of discussion at the public lecture organised by the Faculty of Applied Sciences. The public lecture was given by international, visiting Professor Gauhar Raza, which was held at the DUT Hotel School Conference Centre, Ritson Campus on 14 September 2015.

Professor Raza was born in Allahabad, UP, India. He completed his BSc Engineering at Aligarh Muslim University in 1979 and Mtech (Power Apparatus & Systems) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

An electrical engineer by profession, a scientist by designation, a communicator and poet by passion, Prof Raza initiated research on the understanding of Science in India and he has conducted large-scale PUS surveys. His published work includes books, research papers, monographs and public understanding of science, science communication, cultural studies and indigenous knowledge of systems.

He has produced and anchored a number of popular science serials for television channels, including Kasuati (The Touch Stone), Scientifically Yours and Eureka (A weekly programme currently on air at Rajay Sabha Channel).

The lecture was titled: Scientific Temper in Indian Identity and Prof Raza discussed the meaning of scientific temper which describes an attitude and involved the application of logic.

India’s former Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was the first to use the phrase in 1946. Prof Raza added that Nehru envisioned that the spread of scientific temper in India would be accompanied by a shrinking of the domain of religion and was of the strong opinion that science alone would be able to solve the problems of hunger and poverty, superstition and of vast resources running to waste.

“The term scientific temper was used infrequently in literature during 19th and 20th century, it did not ever gain popularity among the intellectuals in the west. In India it was used for the first time by Jawaharlal Nehru, in his book, Discovery of India. Out of 581 pages only about 15 pages are devoted to Religion, Philosophy, and Science, where Nehru deals with the notion of scientific temper. The debate that followed the publication of his book was intense, for three reasons. Firstly, Nehru, politically the tallest leader of freedom movement, himself popularised the phrase and used it often during his speeches, secondly, the growing scientific community found an opportunity to expand and participate in building the future country, and thirdly, the notion was sufficiently nebulous and could be used politically to oppose the superstitious reactionary-unscientific ideas prevalent in the society,” he added.

He also said that science communication also suffered from a lack of a proper feedback system and the promotion of science through communication projects had not quite matched up to such high ideals.

“In India the debate continued even after the independence to set the direction of development and the nature of scientific infrastructure that future India should build. For this a consensus around the notion of scientific temper needed to be built in political, intellectual and public arena. History shows that building scientific temper became the bedrock on which Indian Identity was constructed. Curiously, it has been arena of consensus as well as contestation. Whenever, the Indian democracy has faced aberrations the discourse on scientific temper has intensified. Today India is once again at the cross-roads and needs to reinforce our commitment to scientific temper,” stressed Prof Raza.

Professor Raza is a Professor at AcSIR, Chief Scientist and Head, Science Communication through Multi-Media (SCM) Division, National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), CSIR, India. He is also the Editor of Journal of Scientific Temper and Fellow of Mapungubwe Institute of Strategic Reflection, South Africa. He is also a member of the Science Communication Committee, JHC, University of Lorraine, France and member of the National Committee for Evaluation of Science Communication Projects, NCSTC, DST, in India.

Pictured: Prof Gauhar Raza talks on the scientific temper in India, at the event.

–Waheeda Peters

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