Harsh Vardhan: We gave credit for many discoveries to foreigners

“We have always used our knowledge for welfare of mankind. Our scientists discovered the Pythagoras theorem, but we gave credit to the Greeks.

We all know that we knew beej ganit much before Arabs did. But very graciously we allowed it to be called algebra. I think this is the base that the Indian scientific community has maintained,” he said, addressing the 16,000 delegates present at the event held at Mumbai University’s Kalina campus.

“The first edition of the Science Congress was held in 1914 in Kolkata with huge enthusiasm to take science forward to help humanity. But the same year, we saw advances in science being used in the most cruel form to kill people. I am referring to the World War.

We can see the history of Indian Science Congress in the backdrop of good times as well as bad times. It can be associated with good things as well as bad things. Science can take us to the moon or to hell. It can take us to light or into an era of darkness. But all these years, India has stood like a rock.

We have never used our knowledge of science for negative or destructive purposes. Rather we have selflessly shared our scientific knowledge, whether it is related to the solar system, medicine, chemistry, or earth science, we have shared everything selflessly with the whole world,” said Vardhan.

He said the theme of the 102nd Indian Science Congress coincided with the vision of Modi. The minister spoke of Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Make in India campaign and stressed the need for science and technology to realise them. “When we say make in India, the PM doesn’t mean we want to convert India into factories.

But what we expect is that the scientific community should get us new technologies, better technologies and we can ensure better progress for various people,” he added.

Vardhan said the PM had given a call to scientists that India would produce its own helicopters, submarines and fighter planes. “We have so many of our future scientists in our villages who are so positive about it and are encouraged by this call. They said ‘we can do it’.

This is the change Modi has brought about in the scientific community. Earlier, we were losing many scientists to foreign countries. Time isn’t far when we will be able to restore the old glory and make our future brighter,” he said.

Vardhan said while the price of oil had fallen from $115 per barrel to $50 per barrel, what worried him was it had the potential to hamper research around the world. “We must research on other sources of energy. Modi has converted the deserts of Gujarat into sources of solar power,” he added.

Dr S B Nimse, general president of the Indian Science Congress, also made a mention of scientific research in ancient India. He said references to this were in the Rig Veda and Yajur Veda.

“These pertain to the earth being round and rotating on its axis, orbiting the sun; a concept that appeared in the western world much later. Indians in 500 AD calculated the age of the earth. Not only did the Vedas recognise the Sun as the source of light, life and warmth, the centre of creation, they also contemplated the idea of multiple suns (stars).

The concepts of zero and decimal are Indian contribution to the number system. Development of arithmetic is the gift of India to the world of mathematics. Historians of mathematics revealed that Kerala School of Mathematics developed rudimentary calculus long before Newton and Leibnitz,” he said.

With inputs from Tabassum Barnagarwala