Dear Editor,
The efforts of establishing myths as facts by some participants of the 106th Science Congress is nothing but vashikaran or taming of whatever scientific temper we have had. The Science Congress has gifted us with a bouquet of myths! One vice-chancellor discovered test tube babies in the Kauravas and 24 types of aircraft and guided missile technology in the possession of Ravana. I am afraid that after some years, we have to accept stories like Shaktiman as a real one and it will be incorporated in the text books.
It is pertinent to recall Satyajit Ray’s film, Joi Baba Felunath (The Elephant God) which fetched best feature film award in the 1979 Hong Kong Film Festival. In the film, a boy asked an idol maker whether Durga riding on a lion fought with Mahisasur was true. The idol maker replied that how he could say that it was untrue since it was written by big sages. This made the boy come to the conclusion that every character be it Mahisasur or Hanuman or Tarzan or Phantom was a real one!
It is a matter of grave concern that our science teachers in the platform of Indian Science Congress have been giving statements which are totally against Article 51A (h) of Constitution of India that says ~ “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. Since this has been enshrined in our Constitution as the Fundamental Duty of every citizen of India, a scientist is therefore supposed to be an embodiment of it rather than a violator of the same.
We have already been suffering from the consequences of the spreading of myths. Given that advertisements for vashikaran for taming a person are mushrooming day by day, they are undoubtedly doing a brisk trade. This means that the umpteenth number of our brothers and sisters have been slow poisoned in the name of vashikaran or taming! How long are we to consume poison?
Sincerely,
Sujit De, Kolkata