Topic of the day:- Life Of Science: On Indian Science Congress
“The Science Congress Needs New Ideas, And Not A Mix Of Myth And Pseudoscience”
The Indian Science Congress (ISC) — its 107th edition is underway in Bengaluru — has served as a reminder of the status accorded to science and technology in the early years of the Indian republic. Though the formation of the congress pre-dates the Indian republic, it was the intellectual nursery of modern science in the country. Early ideas of how science and technology could aid the development of the new nation were incubated at this coming together of scientists. It is for this reason that the congress, normally held in the first week of January, is inaugurated by the Prime Minister. The years since have seen the nature of the congress change: from one where scientists, in the era of postal communication, congregated to exchange scientific ideas to one today where it has become a ‘science mela’. The prime purpose of the ISC now is to draw school and science college students to hear Nobel Laureates and Indian-origin scientists from abroad to lecture about their work and the future prospects of science. The other draws are science projects and innovations by schoolchildren and stalls showcasing scientific work being done in key national laboratories and institutions.But there is an unmistakable decay, achoreographed ennui, that has set in. In recent years, the congress often makes news for becoming a forum for pseudoscience and less for interesting scientific ideas or demonstrations. Speakers — some holding distinguished positions in leading universities — have tended to mix mythology and science and publicise far-fetched assertions: that the Kauravas were born from stem-cell technology and the Vedas discussed avionics. While this has eroded the congress’s public image, the government itself does not seem too keen to vitalise it. The exhibits at several scientific laboratories are re-runs from old congresses, or from similar and past science fairs. Many laboratories showcase their work as ‘posters’ rather than actually showing demonstrations or working inventions. Several luminaries of India’s science establishments — the Principal Scientific Adviser, secretaries from several ministries, the chiefs of major organisations such as ISRO or the Department of Atomic Energy, who have been fixtures, or have at least had their organisation present a dedicated talk or session, were absent this year. It is inevitable that traditions change over time and the relative importance accorded to institutions wax and wane. However this must make way for inspiring new ideas, or new models of taking science to the public. A rising trend in science displays, at museums or exhibitions in many places, is to mix science and art as well as make interactive displays that encourage audience engagement. A rebirth, and not a creeping requiem, is what the congress needs.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1.Under Way
Meaning: having started and in progress; being done or carried out.
Synonyms: Going, Happening , Undergoing
Antonyms: Latent, Prospective
Example Sentence: “recruitment is well under way”
2.accorded
Meaning: give or grant someone (power, status, or recognition) / give or grant someone (power, status, or recognition).
Synonyms: Give, Grant, Approval
Antonyms: Take, Deny, Disagree
Example Sentence: “the powers accorded to the head of state”
3.intellectual
Meaning: relating to the intellect / appealing to or requiring use of the intellect / possessing a highly developed intellect.
Synonyms: Very Smart, Rational, Creative
Antonyms: Foolish, Ignorant
Example Sentence: “you are an intellectual girl, like your mother”.
4.aid
Meaning: help, typically of a practical nature / financial or material help given to a country or area in need / a source of help or assistance.
Synonyms: Assistance, Benefit, Help, Support
Antonyms: Damage, Hard, Hindrance
Example Sentence: “he saw the pilot slumped in his cockpit and went to his aid“
5.incubated
Meaning: give support and aid the development of (a new small business) / (of a bird) sit on (eggs) in order to keep them warm and bring them to hatching
Synonyms: Breed, Nurture
Example Sentence: “the samples were incubated at 80°C for 3 minutes”.
6.inaugurated
Meaning: begin or introduce (a system, policy, or period) / admit (someone) formally to office / mark the beginning or first public use of (an organization or project) with a special event or ceremony.
Synonyms: Begun, Initiated, Introduced
Example Sentence: “he inaugurated a new policy of trade and exploration”
7.congregated
Meaning: gather into a crowd or mass.
Synonyms: Assemble, Come Together
Antonyms: Disperse, Divide
Example Sentence: “some 4,000 demonstrators had congregated at a border point”
8.prospects
Meaning: the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring/ a mental picture of a future or anticipated event / chances or opportunities for success or wealth.
Synonyms: Outlook for the future, Delve.
Antonyms: Ignore, Miss
Example Sentence: “the poor prospects for the steel industry”.
9.decay
Meaning: (of organic matter) rot or decompose through the action of bacteria and fungi.
Synonyms: Breaking Down, Collapse
Antonyms: Brighten, Delay
Example Sentence: “the body had begun to decay”
10.ennui
Meaning: a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.
Synonyms: Boredom, Apathy
Antonyms: Cheer, Joy
Example Sentence: “he succumbed to ennui and despair”
11.far-fetched
Meaning: unlikely and unconvincing; implausible.
Synonyms: Bizarre
Antonyms: Believable
Example Sentence: the theory sounded bizarre and far-fetched
12.assertions
Meaning: a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief.
Synonyms: affirmation
Antonyms: Quite
Example Sentence: his assertion that his father had deserted the family
13.eroded
Meaning: gradually wear away
Synonyms: corrode
Antonyms: Build
Example Sentence: the cliffs on this coast have been eroded by the sea
14.vitalise
Meaning: give strength and energy to.
Example Sentence: yoga calms and vitalizes body and mind
15.luminaries
Meaning: a person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere.
Synonyms: Celebrity
Antonyms: Nobody
Example Sentence: one of the luminaries of child psychiatry
16.fixtures
Synonyms: accessory
17.inevitable
Meaning: certain to happen; unavoidable.
Synonyms: Imminent
Antonyms: avoidable
Example Sentence: war was inevitable
18.wane.
Meaning: undergo alternate increases and decreases.
Synonyms:Abate
Antonyms: Brighten
Example Sentence: green sentiment has waxed and waned
19.creeping
Meaning: growing along the ground or other surface by means of extending stems or branches
Synonyms: Dragginmg
Antonyms: Standing
Example Sentence: creeping ivy can do damage to the wall surface
20.requiem
Meaning: A Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead.
Synonyms: Elegy
Example Sentence: a requiem was held for the dead queen
