EDITORIAL

Phenomenal growth in literacy ratio over the years, a higher level of general awareness among the people, and their growing participation in the decision making process have posed new challenges to science communicators in their tasks. With nearly three-fourths of the males and over half of the females being literate, the next step would be to help them understand and appreciate issues directly affecting their lives which may include issues like health, environment, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, appropriate technology, means of income generation and the like; and that too without any conscious effort to inculcate a scientific temper among them. In order to bring them into the national mainstream, however, it would be necessary to put in efforts to help them attain a level when they can read newspapers / magazines with sufficient ease.

When we read a newspaper, we can follow with ease, understand, and interpret news items related to education, sports, politics and so on. If we can understand with the same ease news items / articles on topics like PSLV and GSLV launches, genetically modified foods, use of CNG for transport, anthrax as a biological weapon and so on, it could be said that we are scientifically literate. It is then that one can actively participate in the decision making process. This, however, implies information on and understanding of recent scientific developments and working knowledge of gadgets we come across in our daily lives. It may also require familiarity with a few scientific principles and natural phenomena. For example, information about AIDS or Dengue and how they spread could help us keep them at bay. Knowledge and information about ORS (oral re-hydration solution) could help save lives of thousands of infants. The challenge before science communicators is then imparting information on and interpreting such items and issues in a language and manner acceptable to the people.

However, imparting or acquiring information alone would serve little purpose. It is necessary to help people learn to organize, analyze and apply the information to arrive at a solution and understand the environment they live in - physical or social. Whatever the topic and whatever the media, scientific approach must reflect in the articles we write or radio / television programmes we produce. This means balanced reporting with objective analysis of different news rather than one-sided view or a story with hype and sensationalism. Media are expected to act as a mirror - be it newspaper, radio or TV - and reflect the true picture of the society; but this is possible only if the mirror itself is not distorted.

Making people scientifically literate, however, does not imply reproducing articles from research journals in local newspapers alone or translating them into a language even a person well versed in that language may find difficult to comprehend! A major effort is therefore called for to simplify the language of communication and develop terminology with words and phrases employed in daily life. Sometimes it is desirable to retain the original terms as they are if they have already been accepted in the language of translation rather than attempt a contrived translation (say Vikiranadharmita for radioactivity or Gandhakamla for sulphuric acid). There is no gainsaying the fact that every region speaking a particular language will have to evolve its own language with local nuances for science communication whatever the media employed. What is more, we shall have to learn to think in Matri-Bhasha if we hope to communicate science and technology to the people effectively.

Original articles / books written in one regional language also may need to be translated into other regional languages. Maybe we shall need to set up translation bureaus for this purpose as suggested by Shri M. V. Kamath, well known journalist, and President, Vigyan Prasar, in a recent meeting on science communication in Marathi at Mumbai. It is heartening to note that leading scientists like Professor J. V. Narlikar and a few others have taken upon themselves the task of taking science to the people in regional languages with a missionary zeal, and have inspired a whole lot of the younger generation to follow the suit. Of late, there has been a discernible growth in publication of popular science books / magazines in the regional languages. Government agencies like NBT, NCSTC, Vigyan Prasar, and several non-Government organisations have also significantly contributed to accelerate the process.

Many of us scientists, science communicators, social workers, students, teachers, administrators, etc., have been actively engaged in a variety of societal problems in a bid to transform our country into a nation of not just literate, but scientifically literate and scientifically minded people. For this purpose, it is imperative that we start thinking and writing in Matri-Bhasha.