Comcom: How did you leave a coveted carrier as a Senior Engineer in the leading Petrochemical firm like NOCIL and dedicated your entire life for Science Popularising work?

A.P.Deshpande:The institution, Marathi Vidnyan Parishad was started 34 years back. I took part in the activities of the Parishad by speaking, writing and reading material on Science Communication. Members, looking at my interest wanted me to be the Honorary Secretary. I established the North-East Mumbai Chapter of Marathi Vidnyan Parishad, in the year 1973.

Comcom: Are you the founder member of the chapter?

A.P.Deshpande:Yes, I was the founder member and the Honorary Secretary.

For the past 25 years I have been working for the institution and it is really amazing how this 25 years have passed. I have been engrossed in working on a variety of programmes for the rural, the urban, for the children and the grownups - addressing various social and other issues.

I have been helping other Science Writers in the terms and terminology in Science article writing and also getting their writings and other creative work published in the media like Newspapers, Magazines, TV and Radio.

As on now, Marathi Vidnyan Parishad has become Premier Science Institution and due to this fact, we get frequent calls from popular media like Television and Radio for new Science Programmes. Radio calls us to design programmes & conference - addressing the Rural Issues. These types of give and take approach, in the Social Problem exposure, have made even Government institutions to provide help to the injured as a post effect. Injured definitely need help from the government, I don't deny that. But, it should be more of a give and take situation, there by, Society will get benefited appropriately.

Comcom: Now we are coming to a very personal and specific question, Shri. Deshpandeji, you have sacrificed your lucrative carrier to work for Marathi Vidnyan Parishad on a full time basis. What was your carrier and what made you to take such a drastic step?

A.P.Deshpande:As elaborated, I am a double Engineering Graduate - Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. I have been working in various Petrochemical firms. I worked in the industry for 35 years and I had 5 more years of service.

When I took voluntary retirement 5 years back from a lucrative carrier as you have put it, I was holding the post of Asst. General Manager, in a leading Petrochemical industry, rathe/r the first of its kind in India viz. NOCIL.

As per our Indian tradition, I felt that the money I would be getting from the organisation from the voluntary retirement would be sufficient enough to meet the needs for the next 15 or 20 years of my left over life.

There is no end to the wants of human. If one has a cycle, the feeling may be "why not a car", if one has a car "why not a BMW". There is no end to the wants and desire. A job in my hand that is of Marathi Vidnyan Parishad overtook all the other things to the back seat and I got engrossed into it fully. The institution is demanding, "Why not I get involved in it full time?".

Comcom:Now you are stepping up into global arena and make Marathi Vidnyan Parishad or Shri Deshpande as a global figure. Can you elaborate on this?

A.P.Deshpande:In 1996 we have conducted/ hosted a National conference for Science Writers in Mumbai. Two hundred Science Writers representing thirteen Indian languages participated in this seminar. In this conference a decision was taken to establish a center for Science communicators. This center was established on 1st January,1997.

While doing a variety of jobs in this center, we felt the need and have hosted an International Conference recently in Pune for Science Writers i.e. during 27th to 30th January 2000. This was concluded successfully and many Scientists and Science communicators participated in the conference.

There was representation of Ten best foreign Science Communicators in this conference. In this conference a demand is made to set up an International center for Science Communicators. Today the leading Scientists of our country like Dr.Vasant Gowrikar, Prof. Narlaker, Dr.Masalkar and Prof. Udgonkar feel that in another 10 to 20 years India will lead the world in science. This particular conference demanded to give the lead to establish such an international center.

Cooperation among the scientists is the need of the hour to achieve such a leadership. We are glad that the leadership has come to India. Let us help each other to establish the International Science Communicators Center to provide a Network to link the Science Communicators at a global level.

Comcom: Such an activity at an international scale requires money as the major input and the right manpower as the resource to achieve the desired results. Don't you feel these are essential and also very difficult to gather and how are you managing it?

A.P.Deshpande:The society is great. Whatever money we need for running the institution, we get it. Even though 25% of the required finances come from the government and the rest of 75% comes from the public, the subscribers, the advertisers, and other voluntary organisations, philanthropic personnel and institutions. Once you do good job money comes in; no doubt you have to put in the required efforts. We never felt the difficulty in gathering resources.

Comcom: We congratulate you once again for winning the National Award for Best Effort in Science Popularisation and also our best wishes to you to get many more international awards, thank you.