By: Pranab Kr. Deka
As the Science day draws close and this time in an ambience of multiple concern arising from the pandemic and its gradual recovery, the widespread disasters and economic breakdown on a local as well as on a global level, news on GDP drop, contradicting feelings of hope and despair engulf the thoughts. For a respite I seek refuge in the saying “when nothing works, go back to the basics”. Now, it’s definitely not that nothing is working and life is quite moving as I see all around with development as well. But I quote “nothing” simply, because, I’ve not come across any quote on something less severe than “nothing”. Nevertheless, basics are something which are always workable in any degrees of the situation and the basic which I fall upon or look forward to is definitely the implementation of Science (and off course technology) given the state of living we are into.
As I browse through various updates on economy and markets, sneaking on the updates on technologies, science partially for personal concern and partially for social concern, a theme for the national science day I come across for year 2023 is “Global science for Global Wellbeing”. Captured by this cache, I am set thinking the relevance of global science to my local well being for its integration to the global one, for it would be in all sanity to expect Global wellbeing as an integration of local wellbeing. Then how to downstream or upgrade to global science staying at my home, my community. How to bring global science to me and my neighbours, my friends benefit? Global Science primia facie would be as vast and varied as the globe itself. The one way to integrate with it will be to read global – apply local and think (or work) local – export global. Thereby achieving a fusion of global trends and localised/customised applications.
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Reading and speaking all this is fast and easy, implementation is lengthy and cumbersome. The trends of the time will be reaped best by those whoever would be prepared in advance. Societies that are information driven develop fast and to brain storm, sensitise and prepare action ready community, the role of Science journalism comes forth. Science journalism refers to the kind of activities based on research to reach out on the issues that need a studied analysis, filtered outputs to inspire action on areas of common concern. This is a kind of journalism that involves real time report of the ground on common perception, the opinion of an expertspool, to be cross examined for local viability.
Science journalism is not an alternative of domain consultancy by a few science journalists such as health benefits of a food or extract or a list of solution to the problem of local wetlands contamination. Science journalism is the process of channelizing the consciousness and the pros and cons, to create awareness on the need to consult specialists, draw opinions and invite global trends being followed elsewhere, projection of the threats or benefits looming over the span of a decade and the possible mitigation or harvesting the opportunities. How to gear up for things and how to identify the mega trends in the making and orient the habits and culture towards that least one is left behind. Science journalism needs to be an interactive process of where views and cross views are presented and processed and filtered towards a consensus for action. It need not be a hand book on the issue, but eye opener on the issue, a window that would identify and highlight an issue, list of experts working on that, organisations and bodies helpful to that cause and their reachability and contacts, bureaus and funding source and abridged reports of similar eventualities.
Science journalism should be more towards focus and prediction oriented rather than surgical solutions by its own. The objective is to create an eco system of awareness and information without being judgemental and the best way is to initiate presentation and delegation. Identification of region specific issues, identification of resource pool and leveraging information on outcomes, remedial measures etc and sensitisation and above all, initiating feedback.
There’s an urgent need for a national forum with district level chambers with the primary focus on to local information and invite national focus and thereby follow up with action plan involving local participation, that would interact actively with other cultural and socio economic forums to sensitise and cooperate on issues of concern. Developing the scientific resources for economic utilisation and commercial development and maintaining minimal carbon footprint. We are a nation known for our Cultural sensitivity, so let cultural organisations take up the cause of scientific awareness and Science journalism can utilise this as a resource.
There are off course, other Govt/Govt Sponsored bodies that are active into science communication such as the DST, CSIR NISCAIR/ICAR through its various outreach programmes, various renewable energy mission, etc. However, for a revolutionary scale, delegating is necessary and these bodies need to have a pool of accredited writers and communicators or recognised associations to take up the massive dissemination as well as issue identification to ensure a two way traffic of ideas particularly for the fur flung and interior regions of India off course, with the pros, there are some cons to the moot and as I already wrote, being judgemental is one thing to be severely guarded. It is to be monitored that the flow of ideas is harnessed and down streamed to developmental activity, but the Science journalists do not become sponsored or puppet idea advocates. The road forward will be to have a consultative cell as regards the Governmental policies and funding/ sponsorship available towards the Science journalism in every district comimisionerate and authorities such a agriculture/water and sanitation.
A noteworthy fact is that the world federation of Science journalist has around 70 member association from across the world including some from Africa and one from Bangladesh. Notably and ironically, the association of science journalist, India was formed only by 2021 and is to my knowledge in a nascent stage although still doing good in environmental issue awareness. This is of course not saying that Govt sponsored outreach programs are not delivering, but for a more science conscious and dynamic society build-up, Science communication is to be given impetus as national focus and opened up for freelancing with financial assistance and recognition to start with.
Yes, Conclaves, symposium conferences are held everyday, but these are limited to a few privileged and insiders, and the matter of coverage also exhaustively subjective. For an avalanche scale of awareness, a systematic forum of Science journalism would channelize the information on best practices adopted worldwide, the state of the art tools and resource developed and how they can be customised to community projects, all theses will feature in Science journalism Community Science journalism should be encouraged at the school level and a national recognition scheme should be constituted. For a purposeful agenda of a developed nation and a global resource, spending on the universities and national institutes will not suffice towards the creation of a knowledge based society and with no knowledge society; half the developmental programme will go underutilized. True well being will spring up from a conscious community. Thereby for a well being of a community in the holistic sense of the term an efficient vehicle will be the fruition of science journalism, a professional as well as an amateur filed that needs to be considered seriously.
