Science shall lead the way
“Science knows
no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which
illuminates the world. Science is the highest personification of the nation
because that nation will remain the first which carries the furthest the works
of thought and intelligence.” Said Louis Pasteur, the famous French
microbiologist. This is indeed true. We are fortunately living in a world where
science, reason and rationality are fast replacing ancient and twisted
religious ideals and illogical rituals that shackled a large section of the
Indian society not more than a few decades ago. This beacon of light that has
lead us from the darkness of doubt to glory of knowledge shall indeed be the
driving force behind the future development of India.
Science
encompasses nearly infinite amount of topics. From the golden rays of light
during a beautiful sunset to a rocket accelerating to escape velocity to launch
into outer space, science surrounds us and plays a vital role in every aspect
of our lives. When James Watt, the boy who played with the kettle, invented the
steam engine, little did he realize that he started a chain of events that
would take us from the embers of the great Renaissance to the revolutionary
Industrial age. As industrialism and subsequently, urbanization, spread across
the globe, the people who lived until then as peasants who tilled the land
started transforming into workers of newly established activities belonging to
the secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy. Science has helped us to
dispel hoaxes, rise above and beyond limitations, and has truly unlocked the
true potential of the human race.
India has a
similar story to tell, although it was the colonisation by European powers that
lead to the scientific development of India. We have definitely come a long way
from the introduction of the first printing press at Goa in 1556, as now high
rise malls and shopping complexes, several internationally renowned companies
with multi-billionaire CEO’s at their helm, sprawling software parks and high
skilled education centers are becoming common in India’s urban centers. India’s
space missions are a testimony to just how much we can achieve, and to how much
we can compete with international superpowers.
While
development in India has by no means been stagnant, the bitter truth is that it
is far from the levels achieved by European and American countries. The
previously mentioned religious and caste-based stereotypes and the shockingly
huge amount of population who still believe in such things have played a major
role in hindering the nation’s development. Conservatives are getting it wrong
on almost all facets, and are irrationally supporting worn ideals that form an
obstacle to development.
All this means
that it is past time that India has awaken to face the obstacles that has
manifested itself as underdevelopment, poverty and inequality, crippling
India’s development rate.
First and
foremost, we should discard all baseless practices and believes, which is by no
means limited to caste and religious ideals and also include inefficient
economic processes and unreasonable laws of division and inheritance, and
embrace change and science. We should try out new technologies being evolved
and made available in the ever-expanding market. Spread of education and
computer literacy will go a long way in promoting change and development in
rural areas. Computers and the internet, which are increasingly taking over
every aspect of our lives, can play a major role in development of our nation.
Provision of smartphones and making internet access available all across India
deserves nearly as much attention as improving agriculture and proper
redistribution of land. Integration of satellite services into primary
activities and using scientific research to develop bleeding-edge tech that can
greatly simplify various processes and vastly improve the efficiency of various
methods needs to be on the forefront of scientific development.
If our nation
fully utilizes its potential and uses science as the basis of development,
science will surely turn out be the force, as Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase goes
in the Toy Story movies, that takes us “To infinity…..and beyond.”
Article written by Aswin G
