Science in India did not get much projection in the West. Science in China did, thanks to Joseph Needham. A British scientist-turned-science editor, who died in Wales in April, could have, given circumstances, made a contribution because of his great interest in India. He visited India several times and had close contact with some of India’s top scientists. In a blurb that he contributed for a general survey of science and technology in India, he wrote:

“India’s well-wishers have long been puzzled that a literate country that has done all the right things since independence, creating a network of vigorous public research laboratories and driving engineering education to the highest level, should have reaped so little benefit from its investments. L K Sharma’s volume shows that the tide has begun to turn, and why…. The projects and programmes described in it show that there is more to come.

Sir John Maddox, died on April 12 at the age of 83.

He was best known for establishing science journalism in Britain as a very credible and sought-after enterprise. His revival of the journal Nature which was in a bad shape when he took over as editor in 1966 won him numerous admirers in the scientific community as well as the publishing industry. What he did amounted to almost a relaunch of Nature. He introduced a peer review system for articles and developed the Nature-Times News service. After six years of teaching theoretical physics at the University of Manchester, John Maddox switched to journalism as science correspondent of the Manchester Guardian.

His prematurely old face showed no signs of hostility. It did not betray any emotions at all. His voice also discloses anything. He spoke as if he was reading news on the Door Darshan.

The village barber had diffidently asked the visitor if he could take two minutes. He needed no permission because he and the visiting journalist sat on the same bench for three years in the village primary school before the barber dropped out.
But, the income divide creates a wide chasm in society and many people deny friends marooned on the have-not side. The journalist could not but acknowledge the friendship for more than one reason.

The barber’s father was horse-carriage man of a buggy owned by his doctor father. The barber’s mother was the Dai (a class of women who assist pregnant women at the time of delivery and then for days to come look after the infant) who was present at the visitor’s birth.

Yet, the fragile man sought permission to speak. The visitor nodded a wordless yes. The people seem to think that the scribes knew more than what they are telling.

The village barber, wearing a shirt with a torn collar and pyjama displaying loose endings of his customers hair-cut, began his quizzing in a matter-of-fact tone.

Was it true that the visitor had done well in his life? The visitor mumbled non-commitally: Cannot complain.

The villager returned the serve rather quickly. He said: Well, better than he had. The scribe essayed an affirmative, puzzled about the drift of the chat.

There came a query like a good length ball that often makes a batsman lose his wicked.

The Congress, derisively dubbed as Budhiya-Goodiya, ought to thank the disparate trimurti of Mr. Prakash Karat, Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mr. Narendra Modi for their unintended contribution in ensuring a clear mandate to the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls for the next five years.

Their onslaught during the eyeless electioneering failed to convince the electorate that Mrs. Sonia Gandhi-led Congress, and by implication the United Progressive Alliance, was the villain in India’s slow development march.

The anti-Congress parties exhibited their complete failure in reading the pulse of the people. Poverty eradication and jobs matter. Ram Mandir and nuclear deal with the USA appear to be remote issues. While what the communists want are policies considered failure as symbolized by the melting of the Soviet bloc, the Bharatiya Janata is yet to discover economic thinking of its own. What it has as socio-economic policies is a khichdi of ideas ranging from Gandhian to Golwalkar, with other tit-bits thrown in as chat masala.

Again the BJP does not have a Gujarat-like stronghold even in the Hindi heartland. Look at its performance in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.