The marches need to be completely non-partisan and non-political

On April 22, 2017, “Earth Day,” almost a million people across 600 cities in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and even the Antarctic, marched for science. It was a non-partisan celebration of science that called for the use of evidence-based policies by the governments and in the public’s best interest. Scientists and “commoners” asked for increased governmental belief in, and funding for, science, and for transparency in action.

When American scientists first held a “Rally to Stand up for Science” in February, it was criticising the Trump government’s denial of climate change and policies that go straight against scientific evidence. But it soon took on a non-partisan, beyond- the-US rally that highlighted our belief in science and the value of science in human development. When it was announced that this March for Science will be held on Earth Day, our colleague Subbaiah Arunachalam asked several of us in the Indian science academies whether we too would March for Science. I believe we should.

Friends with science

We in independent India have used science and technology for our national development. Former Prime Minister Nehru gave the clarion call: “let us make friends with science.” And we did so in several forms, in the form of technology and the application of science for human development. A country devastated by the wounds of partition, poverty and pestilence, rallied together through the application of science and technology. We rid ourselves of smallpox and polio, jumped our food grain output from 50 million tons to 270 million in a matter of 60 years. Today, India contributes almost a third of the world’s supply of childhood vaccines. We supply affordable drugs to the rest of the world. We provide midday meals to schoolchildren. We undertake to launch satellites for several “developed” nations. We have gone beyond aiming for the Moon and Mars.

The Aadhar card movement for personal identification and supply of benefits is one of a kind in the world. Recall that soon after the WWII, over 80 countries became free of colonial bondage and began to rule themselves. Among theses, India alone declared that it will make friends with science and built “modern temples” for human development, and this policy has borne fruits. It has been policy and not prayers. Prayers are for personal fulfilment, policies are for the population.

And yet, over the years we have fallen below what we could achieve. Cholera is not gone. Malaria, which we fought 60 years ago, has come back with vengeance and we need new and more science to fight it. Swachh Bharat, a noble initiative, is not getting anywhere because the people do not abide by its suggestions. Open defecation leads not just to illness, but stunted development of children, our future generations. Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, has shown how to solve the problem, and we need to learn from them (Down to Earth, April 1-15, 2017, pp 18-19). Our school and college systems of education are a scandal. We know that the best way to control population is through education and awareness, yet are not correcting the errors. And here we need to learn from Finland, which has the best schooling system in the world.

Stop being passive

We are right now witnessing the effect of the global warming across the country this summer. We in India do not deny climate change, yet we do not adopt methods that help reverse it. Four thousand trees are planned to be cut in West Bengal to make room for a highway, and 180 trees are to be cut in the KBR Park in Hyderabad, again for an express highway. Logic tells us that newly planted trees takes decades, even centuries, to grow to their full size, yet we do this. We know that coal-based power houses contribute to global warming, yet permit more coal mining. These cannot be! Our March for Science will thus be a march for rational thinking and action, by the people and the politicians. Science is common sense.

The litany can go on. But we can attempt to find solutions in a rational, evidence-based way. It is here that a March for Science in India would be of value. But it cannot be a one day affair. We have our annual Indian Science Congresses, India Science Day (February 28), Technology Day (May 11), Education Day (Nov 11), Children’s Day (Nov 14) and several more. Let us March for Science on each of these days, year after year, suggest and demand that appropriate policies are put in place through the use of science and technology for the common good. These marches cannot just be tokenisms with people wearing T-Shirts and golf caps. They need to be completely non-partisan, non-political, and led by scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers and common citizens. Let these demand far higher budgets for science, health, education, and conservation. Let us request funding from private, non government sources (companies, individuals, foundations; see how they do so in the US); the government cannot do everything.

Such marches should show examples of success obtained through proper planning (such as the success of IITs, IISERs, IIMs, vaccines, ISRO, Amul, Delhi Metro….), point out pitfalls and ways to correct them, persuade the public, politicians and policy makers. They have to be non-partisan and rational to the core, not confrontational but persuasive. It cannot be a one-shot affair. We need to do this over and over again. It will be a long march, let us tie up our shoelaces.

dbala@lvpei.org