The Scientific Temperament of India
India as a centre of global learning, with the world's first
university and recorded scientific scriptures, stood in isolation of
superiority in its golden historical past. The development of a language such
as Sanskrit, with its grammar, has no parallel even till this date. The level
of accuracy in the fields of astronomy, arithmetic, geometry, metallurgy,
algebra, medicine and the contribution in these fields are worth admiring
knowing their limited technological resources of that era. The contribution of
zero to the world of calculations is worth recalling. The field of anthropology
was well established. There are abundant manuscripts written on politics,
economics, governance, social laws etc. Religions that grew from this land had
scientific reasoning in them. The society looked for a reasoning for every
belief, norm and more. Sadly time stood
still in this subcontinent, when Dark Age of scientific reasoning befall her.
She was beaten in her own game.
India again saw dawn of her lost glory and pride in the 20th
century. Pioneering works by her faithful children brought back the lost
confidence. Work done in the post independence years has given her a strong
footing to march into the new century. She has learnt from her mistakes,
observations and pursuance. She has learnt to be self sufficient and
independent. The new world of patents, technology transfers, sanctions, unequal
global policies have added to her arsenal. She is protecting her knowledge
resources. Usable protected knowledge creates wealth. She is no more dependent
on buying technology. She is making technology and converting it into wealth.
She has the power to bargain. The consistent efforts of the research
establishments, educational institutions and allied agencies are working round
the clock to build a secure India.
India needs innovators. In the words of Dr. R.A.Mashelkar,
Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),
"Innovator is a person who don't know that it cannot be done. One who sees
what others sees today, but think what other doesn't." . We have the
energy to do everything in this world; we just need to harness it. We need to
cultivate our minds to think non-linearly, a bit deviated from ritualistic path
of thought, to achieve it. India has the capacity and she will show it to the
universe.
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| Trijoy Saikia, 1999 |
Trijoy Saikia wrote these essays in between 1997-2001, when he was undergoing his engineering studies at Jorhat Engineering College,Jorhat, Assam. The views and opinion there in are not edited during restoration from archives. The views, affiliations and influences at the time of writing these essays may have evolved and changed over the period of time.
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| College Building where I studied Computer Science and Engineering |
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| Hostel No 4, Eagle's Nest, Room 404 where the author stayed from 1997-2001 |
