4. Priorities and Problems in Science Communication: An Indian Perspective 'India,' said Somak Raychaudhury of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Puné, 'is a microcosm of the world in its cultural, linguistic and socio-economic diversity.' Dr. Raychaudhury's presentation illustrated the 'formidable task' that confronts the communicator of science in India. One the one hand, a section of the Indian population equal in size to the population of Europe is complacent in its affluence, having a buying power worthy of multinational markets. On the other hand, twice as many people have neither the luxury of domestic electricity nor available drinking water within two kilometres of where they live. 'We have several levels of science communication to worry about.' he said. Dr. Raychaudhury said that the problems of science communication in India are in many ways similar to the problems that science communicators face anywhere in the world as they attempt to reach people across cultural and national boundaries. 'Yet the complex relations between religion and mysticism and political struggle give rise to situations that are unique to the region.' Dr. Raychaudhury's presentation discussed the example of Indian astrology, which is very different to Western astrology, despite having the same origins. 'The horoscope has been made more complicated, possibly in the interest of the astrologer', What is often not appreciated is the intimate connection astrology has with the jewellery industry, and how it is actively funded and exploited by the latter.' In India, an astrologer does not merely write columns in the Sunday newspaper. She or he foresees unpleasant happenings and prescribed gems and metals that are worn in rings and bracelets to counteract the evil forces of the planets. 'Most jewellers nowadays offer the services of their resident astrologer.' said Dr. Raychaudhury. 'An alarming fraction of the Indian population - urban and rural, poor and rich - ungrudgingly invest a significant fraction of their earnings in the astrology industry.' Other influences are also felt in India, such as the notion of Vedic science, a 'political invention' which claims that much of modern science and technology was known to India in ancient times. This doctrine, said Dr. Raychaudhury, is associated with the rise of the Hindu Right, and is 'being used formally to legitimise obscure forms of "traditional knowledge"'. With respect to religion, Dr. Raychaudhury said that there was 'no reason why science and religion could not co-exist in complementary roles in human life'. In practice, however, fanaticism and economic and political interests make the issue far more complicated. 'The role of the science communicator,' he said, 'should be at best that of giving the uninitiated the access to relevant scientific information and of inspiring the mentality to put it in the context of their own outlook to life.' Science needs to be perceived as an integral part of every culture, and ingrained in our behaviour, and in the way we think and react to things. The experience in India has shown the power of television, other visual media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to reach particular groups of people in a country where 48% of the population is non-literate. Science communicators base their activities around the idea that 'the first necessary step in the de-mystification of science and technology lies in demonstrating that anybody can be a scientist by attempting to think rationally, and that the untutored mind can often make 'scientific' decisions if it imbibes certain attitudes.' Dr. Raychaudhury argued that although traditional knowledge systems are important, the relation between these kinds of knowledge and modern science is a complex socio-political issue. The focus, he said, should be on the encouragement of research on the scientific bases of these traditional knowledge systems before enthusiastically endorsing them.
|