Our first Prime Minister, and a great visionary, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru forge the term ‘scientific temper ’ in his book The Discovery of India, which was print out in 1946. Our constitution enlists that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India “To develop a scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform” as one of the fundamental duties. This not-so-well-known term holds great significance for all engineers on whose shoulders, rests the responsibility to propel India towards a bright prospective future.
Way of Life
Scientific temper is best acknowledge as a way of life, and it must involuntarily reflect in our thinking and actions.
- It is being curious and asking questions, the basic who, what, where, when, and why? It describes an attitude that consists of the application of logic.
- Discussion, argument, and analysis are various parts of scientific temper. It is far from objectivity and fosters creativity and progress.
Productivity
- IITs and NITs were inveterate with the aim of imparting technical education of the highest quality to produce engineers fully capable to man our industries and innovating at a level that our nation would witness a technological metamorphosis.
- The objective since Second Five-Year Plan has been to have these institutions churn out quality individuals to spearhead India’s progress.
- “Science is to Engineering as the Soul is to the Body; while all that is visible is the handiwork of the physical being, it is pop from the spark within.” Hence, it is clear that engineers without a scientific temper are mere robots. Instilling the spirit of inquiry to fuel creativity should be the foremost aim of all such institutions.
Objectives
Visualizing the problem is easy. Engineering institutions judge the quality of their ‘products’ on the parameters of CGPA ( as the test of intellect) and Placement package (a measure of a candidate’s worth). It is unfortunate that things like a research profile, or as a long shot, patent and intellectual rights applications never make it to the world of innovators and scientists but always find their aspirations impeded by the indifferent and cooperative attitude of the college authorities.
- It is human nature to stick to our comfort zones and call the unconventional and creative ideas germinating in curious young minds ‘impractical’ and ‘wacky’. Moreover, all this ‘inventing stuff thing’ needs some financial input.
- Getting TEPIQ grants for their brainchild sets innovators on a tedious trail of paperwork and that is where ideas crumble, determination gives way, and innovation seeks its untimely grave.
- If our engineering institutions are to ensure that the scientific temperament that the students keep alive mostly through their own efforts is not lost, there must be a kind of Contingency Fund in each Department to support such small projects and to ensure that finances never get in the way of ideas.
Problems
This is a problem on a national level where creativity and ideas are always mould to take the backseat.
- If the high hype and advertise scheme of “Make in India” is anything to get us excite, the first question is- Will we actually “Make” something using our ingenuity and creativity against the backdrop of our rich cultural heritage and ancient wisdom. Or will India be reduce to a production house where we “make” as companies puppeteer by multinational powers want us to make?
- Are we inspire to show our talent or are we just trying to idolize our neighbor China, eyeing with glee its ‘World’s Largest Manufacturer tag?
For Bright Future
India has not produced any Nobel Prize winner in Science in the last 85 years -largely owing to the lack of a scientific environment in the country, of which scientific temper would be an important component.
- It is when the wings of our young innovators are set free that we shall see our country soar toward a better brighter future. Curiosity is said to have kill the cat, but when curiosity is dead, everything is dead.
