India will soon join the league of a few advanced nations to boast of a dedicated military satellite. An ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) project, the satellite will be launched by the end of this year. The satellite, capable of capturing advanced imagery, will be dedicated to military surveillance. This will surely add to India’s military might. It also speaks volumes about the advancement India has made in the field of science and research.
However, with the current generation completely ignoring pure science at graduation, there is going to be a severe crunch of brains in the field of research in the long run. Real development of a nation – for example, construction of dams, production of high yielding crops or sending satellites into the space – is inextricably linked with the advancements in the fields of science and research.
Students are flocking to lucrative career options as engineering and management that are simultaneously less brain-taxing but more rewarding. Such is the system in our country that a B.E. grad can bag a handsome job after 4 years of study whereas, after years of toil a P. hd research scholar is not sure whether he will get one. It is time the govt. did something to make research an attractive career option. Last time I read in newspaper the central govt. has allocated extra funds and taken steps to make the general courses and research more attractive. But these are surely not enough to attract the best brains.
Also, the work environment in government institutions is not at all conducive to work. Amartya Sen could not work in Jadavpur University due to dirty politics. A great historian (I am forgetting his name) has written in a series entitled Bangalnama in Desh magazine about his bitter experience as the HOD in Delhi University. Cheap politics and nepotism filled the air of DU. Unless the environment is rendered clean and free from all sorts of politics how can the best minds be lured to research?
