Indian National Science Day

February 28, is Science Day. On that day in 1928, Sir C.V. Raman announced the discovery of the Raman Effect. For this, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930. The Raman Effect led to the growth of a new discipline, Raman Spectroscopy, which has now become a powerful tool for a wide range of scientific investigations and industrial applications.

Raman was a genius. He finished school education at the age of 11 and graduated in Physics and English from the University of Madras four years later. At 17, he did his Master’s in Physics. Thereafter, he joined the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and was posted at Kolkata. But his love for Physics continued.

In 1915, he was appointed Palit Professor of Physics in the Science College of Calcutta University. In 1933, he moved to Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, as its Director. After Independence, the Government of India appointed him the first National Professor.

Raman was a compulsive and relentless investigator. He never stopped learning and doing research. After his retirement in 1948, he established Raman Research Institute at Bangalore and continued to work there till his death on November 7, 1970.

Raman was a die-hard nationalist. He never believed that good quality research could be carried out only with foreign-made instruments. He emphasised on self-reliance in science and technology. Raman also represents an era when the facilities for education and research were very limited. Yet a large number of scientists did research work of international level. Some of them were J.C. Bose, S.N. Bose, Meghnad Saha, Homi Bhabha, P. C. Ray and Birbal Sahni. It is now being acknowledged that J. C. Bose invented wireless, not Marconi.

Need for bold initiatives

While India celebrates Science Day and remembers the contribution of Raman, it is also an opportunity to take stock of the status of science in India. Such introspection is necessary as science and technology have become the most important drivers of the economy of a nation. Information Technology and Biotechnology are two live examples of knowledge-based industry. With globalisation and the WTO in place, those countries, which do not update themselves with the latest scientific and technological advancements, would fall behind. Technology has changed the business models of companies across the world.

Since Independence, India has travelled a long distance in research and development activities. Our scientific and technical manpower is amongst the largest in the world. Two scientists of Indian origin, Hargobind Khorana and S. Chandrasekhar, have won Nobel Prizes in Medicine and Physics. It is difficult to find a good university or research institute of repute in the US, where Indians are not working at the top positions.

There are, however, a few disturbing trends which need immediate attention. First, good students, undergraduate and graduate, have started moving away from sciences — Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology. Instead, Economics, Commerce, Engineering and Medicine are the coveted subjects. Those who do join sciences keep looking for a changeover at the first opportunity to more lucrative disciplines.

Not many go willingly for doctoral programmes. Jobs in sciences are few and pay packets low. Even after Ph.D., which takes about four years, and perhaps after another few years of post-doctoral research, the best prospect is a university lectureship fetching about Rs 15,000 a month. In comparison, a clerk in a good bank or private sector organisation would be getting a better deal.

Secondly, the universities have become teaching colleges, research having taken a backseat. As a result, students of universities hardly have exposure to frontline research work; they lack motivation to take up a career in research. Those who wish to stay in sciences prefer to go to research institutes for Ph.D. By contrast, in all the advanced countries, the universities contribute to good quality research. Most Nobel Prizes have been won by university professors. In India, however, most universities have shifted undergraduate teaching to affiliated colleges. Good teachers and well-known scientists can play a crucial role in shaping up the vision of the students.

Thirdly, research institutes also need improvement. They should be made truly autonomous and professionally managed with more accountability. An effective system of rewarding good researchers should be evolved. Some institutes should be converted into research universities with small undergraduate and graduate programmes, so that they can also contribute to manpower development.

Fourthly, the view that research in basic sciences is not important as it is of little utility to India is short-sighted. Good technology cannot flourish without good science. Fifthly, the universities face acute financial crisis. Some argue that higher education should not be subsidised, the quality of teaching is not up to the mark and there is considerable wastage in the system. The universities themselves are unable to raise resources by way of increasing fee and user charges. Governments are unable to support them to the desired extent due to budgetary constraints. The result: these institutions are unable to keep pace with the changing times.

Sixthly, there is a need to look at the structure of universities, most of them being affiliating institutions. They suffer from the huge drag of the affiliated colleges. The biggest casualty is quality of education. Should we not try to move towards the system of unitary universities?
And finally, the time has come for inter-disciplinary research and education. Our university systems have become water-tight compartments within a department and people do not interact amongst themselves. We continue to promote very specialised institutions such as medical colleges, engineering colleges, agricultural universities, etc., whereas the scholars of leading institutions elsewhere are trying to collaborate with each other and promote all branches of knowledge. For instance, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is well known for Physics, Economics, Biology and Medicine!

We need to bring about reforms in higher education. Research in basic sciences and technology should be liberally funded by the government. We should allow good private universities to generate competition for government-funded universities and research institutes.

Career scientists should be paid well and working conditions improved. We need to formulate a comprehensive strategy and implement it with vigour. India should also aim for at least one Nobel Prize during the next 10 years for the work done here. Let us pledge to repeat Raman.