Evolution, Science & Education in India

I have always admired how Indians seemed to have accepted and understood evolution better than most developed nations. I used to attribute it to Indian belief systems being more flexible and not as bound by scriptures.

But then the country’s education minister said this yesterday… “Nobody, including our ancestors, have said or written that they ever saw an ape turning into a human being.” and later called for removal of evolution theory from textbooks! #FacePalm

So thought of penning this quick note.  Hope to soon enhance this piece or write a new detailed piece based on my understanding of evolution. Read more

Learning From History – At Peace With History (The Sceptical Patriot)

Just finished reading “The Sceptical Patriot”, a book that examines the veracity of popular “India Facts” like Invented the zero, Sanskrit is the best language for computers, India never invaded another country, India was once the most prosperous nation, Plastic surgery was developed in India … The author deals with several such “facts” that gets bandied over email, facebook, dinner conversations and more. He deals with them in a layman-friendly and mildly-funny text of 200 odd pages.

The aim of the book and also this post is not to mock, belittle or ignore India’s past achievements but to take a realistic view based on the evidence available. Read more

Spare The Tree – This Gudhi

Happy Gudhi Padwa! The new year day for many Marathi households and also the day when thousands of mango, neem trees and many other plants get ripped of their leaves and flowers for a symbolic Gudi decoration.

The leaves and flowers are supposed to make the Gudhi more appealing. but maybe it is time to consider if the leaves and flowers are better off ‘alive and well’ on the plant or ‘dead’ on the Gudhi? Maybe the tree could be your Gudhi (put a silver pot over it for a day the tree wont mind 🙂 Or even better, maybe we could welcome the new year by planting a sapling?

As students of science, shouldn’t we also be examining customs and beliefs in the light of the science of the day and with the context of the times we live in?

गुढी पाडवा आणि नवीन वर्षाच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा !

Wish you a Goody Gudi Padwa 🙂

I Believe In Dr. Narendra Dabholkar

DabholkarI have been volunteering for Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (Maharashtra Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith), usually referred to as Anis, for over 3 years and was fortunate to be closely associated with Dr Dabholkar over that period. I write this in great shock, disbelief and sorrow.

For over two decades, Dr. Dabholkar fought against rampant superstitions in our society and for the cause of rationalism and humanism. While radicals and those with vested interests regularly tried to malign him and project him as someone opposed to religion, that was never the case. Read more

What Is Scientific Temper? What is the Scientific Method?

Article 51A(h) of the Indian constitution says: “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform“. 

However the reality on the ground is that despite rising prosperity and literacy rates, there are no signs of Indians adopting a scientific temper. Orthodoxy, superstitions & pseudo sciences continue to be an integral part of an Indian’s life.

Science is mugged up during exams, and technology is used to earn a living and ease everyday living. However we are a long way from embracing science and adopting the scientific way of logic, reason, critical examination and evidence-based beliefs.

In this talk, I look at a) What is Scientific Temper b) The evolution of the idea of Scientific Temper c) How does one adopt a scientific temper? d) What is the scientific method of Observation, Hypothesis, Prediction and Experimentation e) How we can nurture young analytical minds and pull India out of the quagmire of superstitions and towards a scientific approach to life.

The talk “Scientific Temper : The Forgotten Duty” was delivered at the Takshashila Shala conference held on 29th May 2011 in Pune, India.

Related:

Our constitution says that “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. However the fact on the ground is that even with rising literacy rates, there are no signs of Indians adopting scientific temperament as a way of life.  India actually seems to be heading the other way, with orthodoxy, superstitions & psuedo sciences becoming an integral part of an Indian’s life.

In this talk, I will look at what scientific temper entails, what’s gone wrong & why there’s still hope that we can nurture analytical minds and pull India out of the quagmire of superstitions.

Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti – 20 Yr Convention

For the past 6 months or so, I have been associated with Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANS), an organization that aims to promote rational thought in society and works for the elimination of superstitions, blind faith & customs. Many social movements tend to peak in about 3 years since inception and then tend to die out in another 3-5 years. However the ANS has been at work for a remarkable 20+ years. Read more

An impatient’s guide to Knee Surgery – Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction and Meniscus Tear

The story begins many years back, on a beautiful sunny morning in 1997. I was playing cricket in the inter division cricket tournament in my college. I had bowled my quota of overs and we had kept the opposition down to a modest score. Later while batting we were within reach of the target with 10 runs to get and 8 balls to go. 8 balls 10 runs wasn’t easy but I did think we could make it. I took strike, the bowler bowled a delivery that rose to about waist height. I swung the bat in what is known as a pull shot, hoping to get a boundary. My bat moved, my chest and waist rotated in an attempt to generate max power, but my legs did not move. I heard and felt a snap / pop in my left knee and I was down in excruciating pain. I could not even think of getting up, let alone running. After a few minutes of agony, I was helped off the field. We later lost the match. Read more

Magical Men Of 21st Century India

“The Key Selling Point Of The GodMen Is Their Talk About Things That Make No Sense”

Right from childhood, stories that had their foundation in magic and ‘chamatkars’ always appealed to me. I must have watched 10s of combinations of stories like – Ramu’s son is ill and no doctor is able to cure him; Ramu goes to a godman who whips up a magical powder; Ramu applies the powder on his son’s forehead and the kid is magically cured. As a child, I remember being in awe of the godman and thinking, “Wow! This man is amazing!”. Friends readily contributed their own stories of how the godman was indeed magical.

Read more

Blind Belief Brings No Relief

Herald Column 14 April 2007 - Blind Belief Brings No Relief

“We are complicating our lives with superstitions. Instead, let logic and science be our guide.”

Lately I have been spending some time looking for an office space. Apart from the sky rocketing prices, the other thing that has struck me has been the popularity of “Vaastu Shastra”. Vaastu compliance is mentioned as a key feature in many property listings and apparently is an important factor based on which people are buying property today.
In one recent interaction, I asked the owner of a place about the direction of a window, so as to figure out the light and wind that the room would get. In reply I got information on how the place was “Vaastu” perfect and how all previous owners and their families had prospered because of the Vaastu merits of the place.

For quite some time I was under the false impression that Vaastu Shastra only consisted of logical guidelines for construction. Although there are some practical aspects involved, Vaastu Shastra as it is practiced today also leverages religious beliefs; it claims that the changes suggested affect the health, wealth, marital success and even longevity of life of the owner. Vaastu suggestions are based on not only the building specifications, but also on things like the birth date of the owner and his/her astrological sign.

Vaastu Shastra’s claims about how it affects wealth, health, well-being, etc. have nothing to do with science or mathematics. However the feel given by the name and proponents of Vaastu Shastra is that it’s a complex topic that relies on precise science and mathematics.

If a person makes a decision based on which card a fortune teller’s parrot picks, he is well aware that there’s no science involved and he is just relying on superstition to help him make a tough decision. But with things like Vaastu Shastra, an attempt is made to make it seem like a science and so the ill- informed might actually rely on a Vaastu Shastra suggestion believing that it’s a precise science. Moreover,Vaastu Shastra claims to be based on the Vedas and most Indians tend to have blind faith in anything which makes such a claim.

People today are bringing down portions of their dwellings, redoing their interiors and going to remarkable lengths for Vaastu reasons. Look for Vaastu Shastra on the Internet and you will find a number of experts giving Vaastu advice that will solve problems ranging from debt, sorrow, stress, accidents, robberies and even untoward death. True believers I am sure can find some logic in most suggestions but it sure would be difficult to justify how robberies can be caused because my kitchen faces a certain direction.

Looking at current trends, architects who have studied the subject in colleges might soon become irrelevant. Vaastu Shastra experts will decide the layout of a building and the builder would then build it. Who needs architects? Vaastu Shastra however can be a great profession as you can become an expert without any specific qualifications.

Despite repeated efforts we still haven’t been able to pass any anti-superstition laws. So it would be far fetched to expect the government to pass some law that would regulate things like Vaastu Shastra. Many leaders right from the President of India talk of the need of a scientific temper, but on the ground we are further sinking in the superstition quick sand.
TV channels seem to have made a habit of contributing towards spreading superstitions rather than education. Not just the faith-based channels, but even mainstream entertainment channels are airing entire programs dedicated to Zodiac Signs, Tarot Card, Vaastu Shastra and what not. Believe it or not there’s even a book that claims to tell you how to develop websites which are Vaastu Shastra compliant!

There’s no denying that it is only human to seek divine intervention or help from super natural forces in times of calamity. However in today’s time when we are far more aware of the science inherent to nature and our surroundings, we need to try and take as best a scientific approach as possible. Science does keep changing and sure is still ignorant about many things; yet taking an approach in line with the science of the day is our best option.

Dr. Jayant Narlikar in his book “The Scientific Edge” talks at length about science in India and also a little bit about Vaastu Shastra. He says “Can Vaastu Shastra be called either architecture or science? Both the architects and the scientists reply in the negative. These rules have neither rational justification nor proof of their efficacy, but believers think that defiance could cost them their well- being”. “The Scientific Edge” is a must read for any educated Indian. One of the important learnings I took from the book was that it’s really up to aware citizens to stand up and voice their opinion against superstitions. If we keep turning a blind eye to superstitions, we are only contributing to the decline of Indian society.

I am no scientist but I don’t think it takes much science to see that a bathroom door can affect my health only if I accidentally bang into it. Vaastu Shastra is one example, but other fads like zodiac signs, numerology or Feng Shui are standing on just as shaky a foundation.

On a lighter note, there’s one way to make Vaastu Shastra beneficial to society. One house owner in my neighborhood recently brought down an unauthorized construction because it was improper as per “Vaastu Shastra”. So Vaastu Shastra achieved what the administration couldn’t in years. We can do wonders for Indian cities if somehow we can sneak in a tenet into Vaastu Shastra that says “If you build or stay in a structure that is not in compliance with the law of the land, it will lead to instant ruin of your health and wealth”.

Finally coming back to my search for office space, I am now considering if I should specifically advertise for properties that are fine as per architectural principles but are not “Vaastu Shastra” complaint. I might just be able to land a super deal.

(Continued… Click here “Blind Belief Brings No Relief” for the entire article). Published as part of my fortnightly column for the Maharashtra Herald)

Bachchan Temple Treks Are Disappointing

I used to think that Amitabh Bachchan was a great role model for Indians. But his regular  treks to temples across India are consistently eroding his stature in my eyes.

Ref- Bollywood’s Bachchan walks barefoot to pray

India is anyway full of religious fanatics and superstitious people who would believe and follow so called god men and waste their lives believing in some hocus pocus.

The biggest name in India acting in such fashion only makes things worse. I am sure thousands of Amitabh followers would soon imitate Amitabh and maybe even try to make the idols drink milk!

In today’s India it seems “Science” and “Scientific Temper” are topics meant only for speeches but never for actual implementation.

Religion in India – Faith vs Reason

In my previous post, I wrote about the absence of scientific temper in India and the need for those well informed, to voice their opinions against superstitions and customs that have chained our society.

India today seems completely at the mercy of ill-placed faith. Instead of individuals standing on the shoulders of faith and rising to a higher level, we find that it’s today working the other way round. As festivals, miracle babas and religious processions get bigger, they are further pulling down the person caught in it.

What’s worrying is that despite affluence and higher education getting to the cities, the queues outside temples on a so called auspicious day, just keep getting longer. Even youngsters are caught in this. What’s the sense in visiting temples on the day of an exam? Why would God be good to you only because you visited a certain temple on a certain supposedly auspicious day? Wouldn’t God find good deeds and behaviour, the only thing that mattered?

Astrology: The dates for most marriages are determined by astrology that has no logical or scientific basis. I unfortnately too complied with this and married on a day that was supposed to be auspicious. It wasn’t because I believed that marrying on that date and time would really make a difference, but more because I just played along with what the elders in the family decided.
I think that was a mistake and I should have refused to comply, as that would not only have helped me feel better about doing the right thing, but perhaps might have also built up some awareness at least amongst those close to me.
Vaastu Shastra: I saw a TV show about “Vaastu Shastra” (Art of Building) a few days back and the lady expert was confidently dishing out rubbish on live TV. If a person has come to a stage where he believes that the reason why his business is not doing well is that his toilets are facing in the wrong direction, then I think he needs immediate medical attention and not Vaastu Shastra.

The Scientific Edge and its conspicuous absence in India

I am almost done reading the book “The Scientific Edge: The Indian Scientist from Vedic to Modern Times” by renowned scientist Jayant Narlikar. I have had this book for an year or so but for some reason I didn’t quite get to reading it.

Maybe I expected to find the usual glorification of India’s past without any of the requisite scientific evidence.

That’s unfortunately how it’s usually done in India. Glorification of the past is the crutch that Indians routinely lean on, to somehow feel at par with the developed nations.

The problem with this approach is that we do not feel ashamed of still being so far away from being driven by science. Tradition and religion still determine a majority of things in the life on an Indian.

However Dr. Narlikar takes a refreshingly scientific approach to the subject. He does highlight and celebrate ancient Indian science that has solid proof to support it. However he methodically debunks all claims that are based on just hearsay.

Theories like “The reference to an aircraft in the ancient epic Ramayana, is supposed to be undeniable proof of ancient Indian science of building flying machines.”

He also delves into modern-day fads like “Vastu Shastra” and age old ones like astrology.

I had no idea that even the claim to “Vedic Mathematics” was so hollow and doctored.

I learned a lot about Indian science and astronomy from this book. However the most important realization for me has been to publicly voice my opinion against superstitions and in favor of the scientific approach.

I have always privately aired my views against things like astrology, vastu shastra, zodiac signs, etc. I now intend to be more vocal about it.