To raise the level of dissemination

Interview with Prof V.S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, DST.

Vigyan Prasar has taken a number of initiatives to promote greater awareness among the public about the progress made in the field of science and technology (S&T). But one area where it has yet to make a visible impact relates to media coverage of S&T news. Professor V.S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, and Chairman of the Governing Body of Vigyan Prasar, shared his thoughts on this and other issues relating to science communication with B.S. Padmanabhan. In his opinion, a team of trained science communicators together with a media willing to introduce news relating to S&T as one of its major contents would go a long way in raising the level of dissemination of S&T information. Excerpts from the interview:

The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) has been promoting science communication. What is the need for an organisation like Vigyan Prasar? What is the difference between the two?

Science communication is one of the mandates of the Department of Science and Technology. The NCSTC was formed with the idea of implementing programmes in science communication through other agencies. But as we moved along, it became obvious that there were not many organisations (doing this work). Vigyan Prasar is the outcome of the realisation that we must have a dedicated organisation with science communication as its mandate. Vigyan Prasar is an implementing agency whereas the NCSTC is a promotional agency. That is the basic difference between the two. Both have the same mandate. Vigyan Prasar is a totally autonomous organisation and the link between Vigyan Prasar and the DST is only at the level of funding.

What is your assessment of the performance of Vigyan Prasar?

It has been doing a good job. But certainly a lot more can be expected of it. It has been engaged in a wide range of activities, starting from preparing material for inclusion in newspapers to publication of popular science books and organising children's programmes around events like solar eclipses. But the number of people Vigyan Prasar has and the budget it has been allocated are nominal. Vigyan Prasar deserves a much higher level of support. Vigyan Rail is probably one single event with a budget of almost Rs.5 crores with contributions from other agencies. Vigyan Prasar has demonstrated that it can organise big events. The government has to take a decision on raising the level of support to Vigyan Prasar and also the level of its activities.

What new strategies would you recommend for Vigyan Prasar to achieve its objectives?

One strategy is to let the youngsters address their own problems. It should not be a typical teacher-student kind of one-way transfer of information and instruction. It should be participatory. You should give overall activity direction and let the student decide how it should be done. There are a large number of such programmes where Vigyan Prasar has shown that one need not be in the "teacher teaching mode" and that the teacher should give only the basic guidelines. In fact, I have heard students asking, `When will the teacher stop teaching and instead enable us to learn'? Students do not appreciate teaching as a one-way activity. In future, Vigyan Prasar will need to lay greater emphasis on people deciding what they want to do and how they want to do it and play the role of an enabler.

An important area relates to media participation in science communication, which is now low. Very few newspapers have dedicated pages for S&T. The media need to be convinced that this [science communication] is in the interest of the nation and there should be more thrust. The general complaint from the media is that they do not get enough material and the right material that would be of interest to the readers. It is for science communicators and organisations such as Vigyan Prasar to make available the material in the form in which the newspapers want. Vigyan Prasar has a programme for training youngsters in science communication. A basket of trained science communicators and a media willing to introduce science as one of their major contents would go a long way in spreading science. It is a good sign that the regional newspapers and television channels are interested in scientific topics. It shows that people are interested in these topics. The media have to sustain the public interest. The material that goes into the newspapers should be of interest to the readers. It is packaging that matters.

In this context, are you thinking of launching an exclusive science television channel on the lines of the Krishi Channel launched by the Ministry of Agriculture?

The Department of Space is planning a dedicated science channel on EDUSAT, the education satellite which is to be launched by ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation] later this year. We are in the process of discussing what this channel should contain and whom it should address. Vigyan Prasar and the Development Educational Communication Unit (DECU) of ISRO are working together on various aspects of running the channel. When it becomes a reality, the demand for science communicators would go up. We are also planning to tap the full potential of digital technology in broadcasting, say, with WorldSpace satellite radio. For this, we want the cost of digital radio receiver sets to come down to a level that the common man can afford. This would happen once the demand picks up and this in turn would require sensitising the prospective end-users about the advantages of digital radio technology. This is a technology that could revolutionise communication.

Vigyan Rail is reported to have evoked considerable interest among the public in the places it has covered so far. Do you feel the need for extending it beyond August 2004?

Although Vigyan Rail is scheduled to go round the country for almost one year, only some major cities have been covered. For instance, in Tamil Nadu the train covers only Chennai, Kanyakumari and Coimbatore. This is true of other States as well. That means the coverage is sparse. One idea is to take Vigyan Rail on a second round, with the exhibits updated, covering the places left out in the first round. Similarly, further rounds can be organised covering more places. The second idea, which is somewhat more difficult, is to take selected exhibits to places around the railhead on road. That will also be science exhibition on wheels, but on the road. The rail route does not cover the entire country and hence Vigyan Rail can cover only those places that are on the rail route. A sort of feeder service can help take a scaled-down version of the exhibition to those who could not come to the railhead. Both the proposals are being considered. Vigyan Rail has definitely created public awareness about the country's progress in S&T. It fulfils a unique requirement of people in far-flung places.