Science as a Panacea
While I thoroughly spoil myself by calling my prose art, and go about the realms of Internet wearing t-shirts spelling out “artist”, there are moments when I can’t completely separate from science - something I pursue everyday in my day job as a PhD student.
Such a moment is a natural result of viewing the TEDx lecture of Ms. Bose who recently won the Google Science Fair. Her enthusiasm, supported with a natural passion for making an impact, pours out of every word she wants her audience to hear. Her bubbling energy to pursue science, finding a cure for cancer in her case, is visible in her almost breathless talk. How many aspiring scientists like her do we have in India, one of the youngest nations in the world? The number is insignificant to those tuxedo clad fresh MBA’s desperately hunting for white collar jobs in banks and MNC’s, as they spend their life consulting the corporate.
Perhaps, that is why India, with it’s huge workforce and the so-called untapped potential, continues to lag on the global economic and human development index. China came out of its hole when it sought deeper reforms to its society - by improving the education sector and investing in scientific research, decades ago. Science - that is the answer to all problems. Science at every level, from the kindergarten to the university. Why don’t most of us or the policy makers see it? Why is there a lack of scientific knowledge in India? Because we are too busy running call centers and consulting firms?
Currently an undergraduate at Harvard, Ms. Bose may go on to be a reputed scientist in the United States in the years to come, her efforts to educate, research and disseminate can contribute towards a better India, a better world. But for that to happen, you need to spread the word. You need to show your kid and the neighbor’s kid the importance of science. That is the ultimate panacea.
Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012, and this post is the part of the Idea Caravan contest hosted by Indiblogger.
