Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee |
25.2.24
Indigenous
Technology for a Developed India
That
is the theme for this year’s National Science Day to be celebrated on 28
February to commemorate the discovery of
“Raman Effect” by Indian physicist C.V. Raman
(Sir Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman, 1888-1970). The
Raman Effect is the process of scattering of light particles by molecules of a
medium. A difference in the wavelength of light as it reaches the medium causes
scattering. He was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize in
physics for this, which had multiple applications in different fields from
identification of food fraud and food adulteration to quantification of
biomolecules, hyper spectral molecular imaging of cells and tissue, medical
diagnosis, and others.
This year’s theme foregrounds the importance of
indigenous technology for development of a country with a long history of
engagement with science. What is indigenous knowledge in technology?
Indigenous
knowledge (IK) and indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) refer to knowledge
and knowledge systems that are unique to a given culture. It can be
different from modern scientific knowledge system. It is centred on local or indigenous peoples and
their beliefs and practices. It is generally tacit in nature, passed from generation
to generation through practice, stories, legends, etc. It is hardly
academically codified like the modern science does.
Indigenous science plays a crucial role in the development of
science and technology. It provides
rich contexts for understanding the relationship between sociocultural life and
environmental ethics, Linking indigenous
knowledge and technology use can effectively engage communities in their
contextual development process and contribute to building strong partnerships
between communities and development institutions at local, national and
international levels.
If
India harvests its rich indigenous knowledge and technology and syncs with
modern technology- it’ll augur well for the country.
Guilt
I often
see working parents, especially young parents succumb to all demands, whims and
fancies of their kids. Instead of reprimanding the kids in situation that
warrants that, the parents give in. As a result the kids gradually become
arrogant.
I
confronted some such parents, talked to them at length, and I found they suffer
from a sense of guilt for not being able to give enough time to the kids. Guilt
is a demon. A betal sitting on every
working parent’s back.
“Just
because we had to go out to earn our livelihood and cannot devote time to our
kids, we suffer form that guilt. As compensation we bow down to every whim and
fancy of our kids. We pamper them. We fail to chastise them when it should have
been done. As a result our kids become arrogant and demanding. They know our
week points and blackmail us- emotionally or otherwise.”
My advice
to the young parents: don’t do that. You are spoiling your kids and making them
arrogant brats who will grow as bad human beings.
Law
At Sambalpur railway station I
saw a bunch of young transgender - teen aged and early twenties. I overheard
one of them saying, “What do we do if the TT asks for tickets?”
One of them with garishly
coloured lips clapped the way transgender usually do and said, “They will not
dare to ask tickets from us.”
His/ her confidence set me
thinking: what gives people this kind of confidence in breaking the law? .
Tailpiece:
Logical Boy
Boy
(aged four): Dad, I’ve decided to get married.
Dad:
Wonderful; Do you have a girl in mind?
Boy:
Yes; Grandma! She said, she loves me. I love her, too… and she is the best cook
and story teller in the whole world.
Dad:
That’s nice, but we have a small problem.
Boy:
What problem?
Dad:
She happens to be my mother. How can you marry my mother?
Boy:
Why not? You married mine!
(Courtesy: Social
Media)
Tailpiece:
Just Thinking
When butterflies are in
love, do they feel humans in their stomach!
(Courtesy: Social
Media)
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