"Science" in India

[Swaminathan Madhuresan]

Dear Dr. Shan,

Thanks for the beautiful words of Anna. Margaret Jacob's book is
a must read for us Indians.

Scientific Culture and the Making of the Industrial West
"This book seeks to explain the historical process by which in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries scientific knowledge became
an integral part of the culture of Europe and how this in turn led
to the Industrial Revolution. Comparative in structure, Jacob
explains why England was so much more successful at this
transition than its continental counterparts."

Sincerely,
SM

 The current mudslingers might like to know an Indian view point on Science
 in India:

 [Anna's portrait of present day Tamilworld {as illustrated by Nandivarman}]:

 "There is no other country that neglects science as this country. Here I am
 in front of a microphone and when I speak the loudspeaker amplifies my
 speech in all directions and makes it audible for many to hear.
 Just try and explain how the loudspeaker works! Find out how the Meddur Dam
 was constructed! Despite its heaviness explain how the ship floats! Tell
 them how the aeroplane flies! Or any scientific phenomenon!
 Tamils will not show surprise. Wonder in these will not become manifest.
 They may listen for a short time and soon forget these wonders. Confidence
 in and value of the power of wonder are absent in them.

 They have no respect for science. Because they have not toiled hard to
 invent scientific devices. If, my father invented the pencil; my brother
 invented the atom bomb, the radio by my grandfather, and electricity by my
 ancestors, then the full worth will be significant. The sleepless nights,
 ignoring oppositions; unmindful of   people poking fun and their
 condemnations; fearless of the dangers; without any thought to such
 conditions as confusion, blindness, deformity, Westerners have given so much
 thought and worked hard to develop devices. That is why westerners praise
 science; it is worthy of their admiration; their respect for science is
 profound. But Tamils did not suffer to invent devices. Is there gain without
 pain? As a result names of inventors of devices such as the aeroplane do not
 jump out. Names of men behind the train do not stir any memory. Science in
 this country is an exercise in futility. Like snow in the desert, dangling a
 pearl necklace in front of the blind, music to the deaf, science commands no
 respect.

 A valuable commodity losing its value is not good. Students must work hard
 to give science its respectability. Students should go out to the people and
 remove the taint from their minds. Before lecturing on science, help the
 people to remove any unwanted dross and teach the power of reasoning. It is
 then people will understand things clearly and value knowledge, give up
 spiritual ignorance, trust in truth, and abandon fallacy."

 Excerpts from my interpretation of a speech by Nandivarman on the Late
 'aRignar' - Learned C. N. Annadurai- Founder and a former Chief Minister of
 Tamil Nadu at http://www.eelamnation.com> under KNOWLEDGE.


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