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TN Academicians appeal to the public on the eve of Elections 2019

TN Academicians appeal to the public on the eve of Elections 2019

*Vote for Constitutional Values, Diversity and Inclusive Society
*Prevent Suicidal Increase of Economic Inequality
*Vote for creating a Healthy, Rational and Scientific Tamil Nadu and India

Dear Friends,
In a few weeks from now, we would elect the 17th Lok Sabha. This is an important duty that would determine our country’s future and that of the “Idea of India”.

We, as academics, work or have worked in institutions of research and learning. These institutions of learning and research are the places where different schools of thought have to contend, with freedom and without fear. In contrast, a climate of fear has been created in institutions of higher education that discourages questioning and critical thinking.

From the systematic attacks on independent academic functioning in highly regarded universities like JNU to what has been described as the institutional murder of Rohith Vemula at the Central University of Hyderabad, central universities are being obstructed when discharging their academic duties. From unacceptable threats to criminal physical assault, a range of coercive measures have been unleashed by the elements seeking to destroy pluralism, secularism and diversity which are so central to the idea of India. Atrocities against religious minorities, dalits and women in the name of upholding “nationalism” have been witnessed in other universities too, including in Delhi, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Jadavpur, Allahabad, the BHU and the AMU and many other places

These atrocities, deplorable as they were, are known to have happened under instigation and support of the ruling party at the centre and its ministers. The elements executing these atrocities have unfortunately been protected and encouraged by the ruling dispensation.
While these above events are visible, a surreptitious attempt is going on to change the character of our institutions, in various ways: by appointments of heads of institutions, by curbing funds, by ensuring promotion of obscurantist ideas, etc.
The NCERT has taken up the task to promote the RSS’s pet projects to introduce in the text book, topics of dubious provenance and has recently removed chapters that include accounts about peasants and farmers and class and caste relations and struggles. In the area of higher education, the appointment of a person known for his links to the RSS, as the Vice Chancellor of the prestigious Jawaharlal University is a prime example of the ruling government’s assault on higher education. It is to be noted that 93% of the JNU faculty had protested against this Vice-Chancellor’s undemocratic methods.
The system of higher education is being greatly weakened by the promotion of obscurantism, irrationality and aggressive communalism by the ruling dispensation.

Equally important, the regime’s policies involve the most aggressive privatization, centralization and corporatization of education, as seen in their New Education Policy and the HECI Bill, both of which have met widespread public protest. These lay bare the plans to place academic bodies at the mercy of the government.

An appointee of the NDA government, Chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research targets eminent intellectuals critical of the wrong doings of the regime just as the finance minister the other day accused more than a hundred distinguished economists seeking greater credibility and transparency of government statistical bodies of being “fake” economists.
Senior researchers as well as doctoral scholars get little funding for quality research. This is true not just in social sciences but also in natural and physical sciences.

The government makes tall claims of India being made a Superpower but does not spend even 0.6% of the GDP on Science and Technology.
Beyond the world of academia, the regime’s economic policies have caused massive destruction of livelihoods in the informal sector which accounts for more than 90% of our workforce and more than 40% of our national output.

The draconian act of demonetization and the ham handed introduction of GST have caused havoc. They have led not only to a decline in the rate of growth of GDP, but a massive growth in unemployment by destroying the employment-intensive informal sector. Unemployment is soaring, as revealed both by the most recent government survey report (the release of which has been blocked by the government) and the private agency the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE).
More than a hundred people died in the aftermath of demonetization while not a penny of black money was recovered. Across rural India, the agrarian crisis has worsened, with a steep fall in prices of agricultural produce even while farmers in hundreds of thousands have marched across the nation seeking justice and an end to policies that compel famers to commit suicide.

In the past five years the ruling dispensation has subverted the constitution and various democratic institution rights from Supreme Court to RBI. Even the election commission has not spared. The ruling party has used the colonial law on sedition to surprise voices of dissent.
While the situation is grim, it is not without hope. The struggles of the farmers, the massive protests of various sections of employees and workers, both in the states and at the all India level, of women, of dalits and the scheduled tribes, of religious minorities under murderous attack from goons patronized by the ruling dispensation – all these give us hope in the resilience of the Indian people. But we cannot be complacent.

We, the socially concerned academics, whose education has been made possible by the taxes that our working people pay when they buy any good or service, owe it to them and to ourselves to ensure that India remains secular and democratic and its higher educational system gets strengthened in its pursuit of science and critical inquiry. We cannot allow people who express dissent or question the system to be termed anti-nationals.

The first step in this process is to ensure that the coming elections result in a regime that stands by the Constitution of India. The Indian constitution, the product of our freedom struggle, proclaims in the preamble, India to be a Secular, Sovereign, Socialist, Democratic Republic.
The rise of organized regressive forces in the last several years – committed to destroying the Constitutional values – has to be challenged and stopped forthwith without any reservation.

List of signatories 1. Dr.M. Anandakrishnan, Former Vice-Chancellor Anna University, Chennai, Former Chairman IIT Kanpur. 2. Justice Hari Paranthaman, Former Judge of Madras High Court, Chennai. 3. Mr. M.G. Devasahayam, I.A.S (Retd), 4. Dr. S. S.Rajagopalan, Educationist, Chennai. 5. Dr.V. Vasanthi Devi, Former Vice-Chancellor, MS University. 6. Dr.M. Rajendran, Former Vice-Chancellor Tamil University. 7. Dr.K.A. Manikumar, Ex. Vice-Chancellor, Swami Vivekanda University, M.P. 8. Mr. R. Poornalingam, I.A.S (Retd), 9. Mr. P.Vijayashankar, Editor, Frontline. 10. Dr.S. Sathikh, Former Vice-Chancellor University of Madras. 11. Dr. Ponnavaiko, Former Vice-Chancellor, Bharathidasan University. 12. Dr. S.Theodore Baskaran, Writer. 13. Mr. P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, Educationist, General Secretary, SPCSS. 14. Dr.K. Nagaraj, Professor (Retd) MIDS, Chennai . 15. Dr. R. Ramanujam, Professor, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai. 16. Dr. Enakshi Bhattacharya, Professor, IIT Madras, Chennai. 17. Dr, Ayan Mudhopadhyay, Associate Professor, IIT Madras, Chennai. 18. Dr. Suresh Govindharajan, Professor IIT Madras, Chennai. 19. Dr.K. Jothi Sivagnanam, Professor, Dept of Economics, University of Madras. 20. Dr. Sridhar, Economist, Frontline. 21. Dr. Y. Srinivasa Rao, Professor, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappali. 22. Dr.V.B. Athreya, Economist, Professor (Retd) Bharathidasan University. 23. Dr.R. Kaleeswaran, Professor, Dept of Art and Literary, Loyola college, Chennai. 24. Dr. V.Jeevanandam, Environmental Activist cum Medical Doctor. 25. Dr. C.S. Rex Sargunam, Medical Doctor and President, Tamil Nadu Health Development Association. 26. Dr.Era. Natarasan , Science Writer and Educationist. 27. Mr.Su.Ki. Jayakaran , Geologist and Writer. 28. Dr.S. Janakarajan, Professor (Retd), MIDS. 29. Dr.T. Chandraguru, Professor (Retd) and Former Syndicate Member, MKU 30. Dr.S. Kochadai, Professor and writer. 31. Dr.G.C.Manoharan, Librarian (Retd), Mannar Thirumalai Nayakar. college, Madurai 32. Prof.S. Mohana, Professor (Retd), Palani Aandavar Arts college, Palani. 33. Dr. R. Murali, Professor (Retd) and Former Principal Madura College, Madurai. 34. Dr.V. Natarjan, Scientist (Retd), IGCAR, Kalpakkam . 35. Prof. S. Ramasubramanian, Writer, Professor (Retd), Government Arts College, Tiruvannamalai. 36. Dr.K. Ramakrishnan, Professor (Retd), Bharathiar University 37. Dr.Mu Ramaswamy, Dramatist, Professor (Retd), Tamil University. 38. Dr. R. Rukmani, Scientist (Retd), MSSRF, Chennai. 39. Dr. A. Sankarasubramanian, Professor (Retd), Government Arts College, Salem. 40. Dr. S. Sankaralingam, State Vice President, PUCL. 41. Dr.V. Sridhar, Scientist (Retd), IGCAR, Kalpakkam. 42. Dr.Mu. Thirumavalavan, Former Principal Government Arts College, Viyasarpadi, Chennai. 43. Dr.R. Usha, Professor (Retd), Madurai Kamaraj University. 44. Prof. P. Vijayakumar (Retd), Saraswathi Narayan College, Madurai 45. Prof. Prabha Kalvi Mani, Makkal Kalvi Eyakkam. 46. Prof.A. Marx, Writer, Chennai 47. Dr.R. Chandra, Professor (Retd), UD College, Thiruchy. 48. Prof. K. Raju, Editor, Pudhiya Aasiriyan. 49. Dr. V. Ponraj, Former Principal, MTT Hindu College, Tirunelveli. 50. Dr. A.James Willams, Professor (Retd) and Former All India President, AIFUCTO. 51. Dr. I.P. Kanagasundaram, Former Principal, District Institute of Education and Training. 52. Dr. P. Rathnasabhapathi, Retired Professor of Tamil, Chennai 53. Dr. P.Murugaiyan, Principal (Retd), Sivanthai College of Education, Chennai. 54. Dr. S. Jayshankar, Principal (Retd), Sri Vasavi College, Erode. 55. Dr. S.Hema, Professor (Retd), Holycross College, Trichy. 56. Dr. V.Murugan, Professor (Retd), Vivekanandha College, Chennai.

Appeal Move Initiated By: 57. Dr. S. Krishnaswamy, Senior Professor (Retd), Madurai Kamaraj University. 58. Prof.P. Rajamanickam (Retd), Saraswathi Narayan College, Madurai and General Secretary AIPSN 59. Dr. N. Mani, Professor and Head, Dept of Economics, Erode Arts college, Erode. 60. Dr.T.R. Govindarajan, Professor (Retd), Institute of Mathematical Sciences Chennai.

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More than 150 Scientists Appeal to Citizens

https://www.newsclick.in/More-150-Scientists-Appeal-Citizens

More than 150 Scientists Appeal to Citizens

 

An atmosphere in which scientists, activists and rationalists are hounded, harassed, intimidated, censored, jailed, or worse, murdered, is not the future our country deserves.

Indian Cultural Forum

 

03 Apr 2019

The upcoming election is a crucial one. It asks for a re-affirmation of the most fundamental guarantees our Constitution gives us: equal rights to faith or lack thereof; culture; language; association; personal liberty and freedom of expression. These rights, even as they accrue to each of us individually, can only exist if they accrue to all Indian citizens — without partiality or discrimination.

To defend these rights, we must reject those who lynch or assault people, those who discriminate against people because of religion, caste, gender, language or region. Again, we must reject those who encourage such practices. We cannot endorse a politics that divides us, creates fears, and marginalises a large fraction of our society — women, dalits, adivasis, religious minorities, the persons with disabilities or the poor. Diversity is our democracy’s greatest strength; discrimination and non-inclusivity strike at its very foundation.

An atmosphere in which scientists, activists and rationalists are hounded, harassed, intimidated, censored, jailed, or worse, murdered, is not the future our country deserves. It is not the future we want to give our youth. We want them to awaken to a country that sees science as a means of democratic empowerment through sceptical, open-minded questioning, rather than just a commercial enterprise. We must put an end to the denigration of rational, evidence-based public discourse; only then can we create better resources and opportunities for jobs, education and research.

We appeal to all citizens to vote wisely, weighing arguments and evidence critically. We appeal to all citizens to remember our constitutional commitment to scientific temper. We appeal to you to vote against inequality, intimidation, discrimination, and unreason. These are inimical to the values of our Constitution, whose promise is best reflected in Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s famous words:

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

1 A. Mani 53 Geetha Venkataraman 105 Ramesh Awasthi
2 Aaloka Kanhere 54 Gyan Prakash 106 Ramkumar Sambasivan
3 Abha Dev Habib 55 Harita Raval 107 Ramya T. N. C.
4 Abhijit Majumder 56 Harjinder (Laltu) Singh 108 Riddhi Shah
5 Adish Dani 57 Imrana Qadeer 109 Rohini Karandikar
6 Ajit M. Srivastava 58 J. G. Krishnayya 110 Rohini Muthuswami
7 Akash Gautam 59 Jagat K Roy 111 Rupali Gangopadhyay
8 Amala Bhave 60 Jayashree Ramadas 112 Sabyasachi Chatterjee
9 Amit Apte 61 Jayashree Sen Gupta 113 Saman Habib
10 Amit Bhaya 62 Joby Joseph 114 Samriddhi Sankar Ray
11 Amit Misra 63 Jyotishman Bhowmick 115 Samudrala Gourinath
12 Amitabh Joshi 64 Jyotsna Dhawan 116 Saroj Ghaskadbi
13 Amitabha Bandyopadhyay 65 Kapil Paranjape 117 Satyajit Mayor
14 Amites Dasgupta 66 Karthikeyan Vasudevan 118 Satyajit Rath
15 Aniket Sule 67 Kartik Shanker 119 Shailaja Sopory
16 Anindita Bhadra 68 Kumarjit Saha 120 Shanta Laishram
17 Anirban Mukherjee 69 L. S. Shashidhara 121 Shivprasad Patil
18 Ankan Paul 70 Madan Rao 122 Shobha Madan
19 Anna George 71 Madhavi Reddy 123 Shraddha Kumbhojkar
20 Anup Padmanabhan 72 Madhulika Srivastava 124 Shubhi Parolia
21 Argha Banerjee 73 Manisha Gupte 125 Sitabhra Sinha
22 Arjun Guha 74 Mayank Vahia 126 Smita Krishnan
23 Arnab Bhattacharya 75 Mayurika Lahiri 127 Sorab Dalal
24 Asha Gopinathan 76 Medha S. Rajadhyaksha 128 Spenta Wadia
25 Atindra N. Pal 77 Mercy J Raman 129 Srikanth Sastry
26 Aurnab Ghose 78 Mihir Arjunwadkar 130 Sriram Ramaswamy
27 Avinash Dhar 79 Mohan Rao 131 Subhadip Ghosh
28 Ayalvadi Ganesh 80 Mrinal K Ghosh 132 Subhadip Mitra
29 Ayan Banerjee 81 Mugdha Karnik 133 Subhash C. Lakhotia
30 Bidisa Das 82 Mundur V. N. Murthy 134 Suchitra Gopinath
31 Chayanika Shah 83 Nandita Narain 135 Sudeshna Sinha
32 Chetana Sachidanandan 84 Naresh Dadhich 136 Sudipto Muhuri
33 Chinmayee Mishra 85 Nisha Biswas 137 Sugata Ray
34 Chinmoy Chatterjee 86 Niti Kumar 138 Sugra Chunawala
35 Debabrata Ghosh 87 Nixon Abraham 139 Sumeet Agarwal
36 Debashis Ghoshal 88 Pallavi Vibhuti 140 Sumilan Banerjee
37 Debashis Mukherjee 89 Partho Sarothi Ray 141 Surendra Ghaskadbi
38 Debashish Goswami 90 Prabhakar Rajagopal 142 Swapan Chakrabarti
39 Deepak Barua 91 Prabir Purkayastha 143 Tapan Ghosh
40 Deepika Choubey 92 Pradip Dasgupta 144 Tapan Saha
41 Devaki Kelkar 93 Pradipta Bandyopadhyay 145 Tejal Kanitkar
42 Dibyendu Nandi 94 Prajval Shastri 146 Tushar Vaidya
43 Dinesh Abrol 95 Prakash Burte 147 V. S. Sunder
44 Dinu Chandran 96 Pranay Goel 148 Vidita Vaidya
45 Dipshikha Chakravortty 97 Prasad Subramanian 149 Vijay Chandru
46 Dipti Jadhav 98 R. Ramanujam 150 Vineeta Bal
47 Divya Oberoi 99 Raghav Rajan 151 Vivek Borkar
48 Gagandeep Kang 100 Raghunath Chelakkot 152 Vivek Monteiro
49 Gaiti Hasan 101 Rahul Roy
50 Gauhar Raza 102 Rahul Siddharthan
51 Gautam Menon 103 Rajiva Raman
52 Geeta Mahashabde 104 Rama Govindarajan

 

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People’s Manifesto on Literacy and Education of AIPSN and BGVS

People’s Manifesto on Literacy and Education

Please see here in English , Hindi , Odiya , Tamil , Telegu

of All India People’s Science Network and Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti.
AIPSN and BGVS have been doing an all India campaign by conducting Jan Shiksha Samvad (People’s Education Dialogue) at village, Panchayat, Block and District level in 23 States of India.
The State Level Samvad will be 10 th 14th April in State Capital of 23 States.
Individuals and organisations are requested to endorse the Manifesto.
President and Secretary   President and Secretary
BGVS                                     AIPSN
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Peoples Health manifesto-2019 by Jan Swasthiya Abhiyan (People’s Health Movement India)

Peoples Health manifesto-2019 by JSA

As the General Elections-2019 are fast approaching, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan activists are pushing the political structures to address the issues plaguing people’s health by releasing a ‘People’s Health Manifesto-2019’

The manifesto demands increasing the public expenditure on health to 3.5 per cent of the GDP in the short-term and absorbing the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme—based on the discredited ‘insurance model’—under a strengthened, well-funded public health system and a right to health act which includes a patients charter.

Click here to read and download the People’s Health Manifesto-2019 in English

Click Here to read and download the People’s Health Manifesto-2019 in Hindi

Click Here to know about Jan Swasthiya Abhiyan (JSA) – People’s Health Movement India

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SDHD Ask How campaign

All member organizations are requested to organize SCIENCE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE campaign activities in your state

April 11th Jyothiba Phule birthday
April 14th Ambedkar birthday 

National Workshop : Science and Social Justice Bengaluru 16,17Feb 2019

National Workshop for Hindi-speaking States including Maharashtra and Odisha

at Delhi, 10-12Feb 2019

26th Jan 2019

Subka Desh Hamara Desh:
Ask How Campaign

In Defense of the Republic and Constitution:
Mr. R. Krishnamurthy Lawyer High Court speaks

Tamil Nadu Science Forum (TNSF)
6, Kakkathoppu Street, Madurai-625001

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Ask How Campaign 2019

Subka Desh Hamara Desh:

Ask How Campaign

The Ask How campaign  brings awareness to people about the rights that are enshrined in our constitution and how these constitutional rights are to be safeguarded from fundamentalist and neoliberal onslaught. 

 In Defense of the Republic:

Remembering Bose, Nehru, Ambedkar and Gandhi

The Constitution of India was passed in the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, and came into effect on 26th January 1950. The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality and liberty, and endeavors to promote fraternity.

This meant that all sections of people – irrespective of race, religion or caste – had full rights to the nation, including the right to a decent standard of living, embedded in the Indian Constitution. It was for a secular India that Mahatma Gandhi was martyred. The secular republic, and democracy, both social and economic, are under threat today.
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, in his speech to the Constituent Assembly made clear that democracy meant both social and economic democracy; without this, democracy would only be in name. He stated in his Address to the Constituent Assembly, 1949:

“In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In Politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions?”

It is this vision of economic democracy that united Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose with Dr.Ambedkar. In their vision, planning and building a public sector was an absolute necessity not for just industrial and agricultural regeneration of India, but also re-distributing the benefits of development to all sections of its people. It is only by state intervention in the economy that an independent India would be able to free India from absolute poverty, famine, abysmal life expectancy and illiteracy that the British colonial rule had imposed on India.

Let us remember all the four stalwarts of our Republic – Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Ambedkar, and Subhash Chandra Bose – in the week of 23rd January, Subhash Bose’s Birthday, to 30th January, when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Godse. It is important for us to remember these four leaders for what they represent:  a truly democratic, secular republic. Particularly, when we see violent attacks on minorities and dalits, with tacit or, open support of the government. The All India Peoples Science Network will campaign with the people on the promise of secular democratic republic that the national movement had created, and oppose all attempts to derail it.

We see repeated attempts to pit Ambedkar, Bose, Patel and Gandhi against Nehru. Sections that do this, believe that our memories are weak, and that we have forgotten our past. Yes, of course all these leaders had differences among themselves. They were leaders with strong views, and were willing to disagree, sometimes sharply with each other, on the direction that the national movement should take. But unlike leaders in the RSS–Hindu Mahasabha, the ideological founders of the BJP, and the Muslim League, they all fought against the British for an independent India.

Bose mentions contemptuously how the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League were pro-British, and kept themselves out of the national struggle. He and Nehru believed in planning and in science to lift India out of its desperate poverty. Both drew inspiration from the socialist experiment in Russia, which in two decades, had lifted it out of extreme backwardness, and turned into a modern nation. They were both deeply secular and socialistic in their outlook. Nehru, unlike Bose, was clear about the threat that fascist forces represented to the world. Bose saw the Axis powers as an enemy’s enemy – the British was his main enemy – and was willing to ally temporarily with them. But unlike the RSS–Hindu Mahashba, they were united in their vision of planning the economy, economic democracy and science in a free India. Not in mumbo jumbo science, which our council of ministers led by the PM, seems to believe.

The Planning Commission carried forward the vision of the Planning Committee, set up by Bose as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1938, and headed by Nehru. Its winding up and replacement by a think-tank called Niti Ayog, is an indication that economic democracy is no longer on the agenda of the current BJP-led NDA government. Lest we forget, Bose, as much as Nehru, was an ardent believer in planning, and talked about the need for a Planning Commission to guide the government in an independent India.

The other two planks of Indian national movement and democracy were its outlook to religious minorities and dalits. Ambedkar, Bose, Nehru and Gandhi, all believed that India must be a secular republic for all its people. Let us not forget that the Indian constitution was opposed bitterly by the RSS that had argued that India should have a constitution based on Manusmriti – India’s ancient legal text. That Manusmriti is the basic text of a caste divided society, and incorporates inequality between castes, and men and women in its core. The RSS and the Jana Sangh ridiculed Ambedkar, calling him a Lilliput, while extolling Manu and Manusmriti. The Organizer, the mouthpiece of the RSS, had stated in its November 30, 1949 issue:
“The worst about the new constitution  of Bharat is that there is nothing Bhartiya about it. The drafters of the Constitution have incorporated in it elements of British, American, Canadian, Swiss and sundry other constitutions… But in our constitution, there is no mention of the unique constitutional development in ancient Bharat. Manu’s Laws were written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia. To this day his laws as enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity. But to our constitutional pundits that means nothing.”

It is not surprising that the other development of the Indian Constitution of affirmative action, namely reservation, in education and employment, was opposed by the RSS. Even today, the RSS leaders speak against reservation, that it promotes separatism and how it should be wound up.

The recent attacks on minorities and Dalits, the movement to project the lives of cows being far more important than that of human beings, is an attack on our secular and democratic values. It is the same forces that attack minorities that also attack reservation, women’s right to love and marry freely, and the way we want to live. Every facet of our culture and democracy is today under attack, from freedom of speech to the right to practice our religion and our culture.

This is not just an attack on our minorities. These attacks are taking place when India has again become as unequal as it was under the British; or what the French economist Piketty called it: from British Raj to Billionaire Raj. When crony capitalism is ruling the country; where 1% of people own wealth equal to 73% of Indians. There is an attack on the fundamental constitutional values of the republic – social and economic democracy, and no discrimination against any section of society based on caste or creed. This is what we have to fight against, this is our battle for a sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic that our forefathers fought for during the independence movement.

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Sabka Desh Hamara Desh Campaign

SDHD2 Materials

The All India People’s Science Network (AIPSN) at its All India People’s Science Congress in Bangalore in May 2015 had decided to launch an All India campaign that addresses the twin threats posed by the neoliberal and religious sectarian assault on people’s lives in India.

The contours of the programme were discussed and finalized at a national level cadre camp in July 2016, organized in Panchmari, MP. The campaign, Sabka Desh, Hamara Desh, was launched on November 7th, 2016. A National Advisory committee consisting of eminent personalities drawn from the fields of Science and culture has been formed. The campaign is conceived as a nationwide mass contact programme with a distinct political content.

Continue reading →

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All India Childrens Science Festival (AICSF) Dec-28-30, 2018 at Madurai, Tamil Nadu

All India Childrens Science Festival (AICSF) Dec-28-30, 2018 at Madurai, Tamil Nadu

See full report with pictures

Organized by

  • Thulir Science Centre,
  • Tamil Nadu Science Forum and
  • Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College, Madurai-4

 All India Coordination by

  • All India People’s Science Network and
  • Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, New Delhi

 Supported by

  • Vigyan Prasar, DST, New Delhi &
  • TNSCST, Govt.of Tamil Nadu, Chennai

A brief Report:

All India Children’s Science Festival,  Organized by Thulir Science Centre (TSC), Tamil Nadu Science Forum (TNSF)  and Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College (MTN), Madurai-4 with the all India Coordination by All India People’s Science Network (AIPSN) and Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), New Delhi Supported by Vigyan Prasar (VP), DST, New Delhi & Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology,

(TNSCST) Govt.of Tamil Nadu, Chennai was held from Dec-28 to 30, 2018 at Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

The specialty of the programme was the interaction of Tribal children of other states and local children of Madurai by science and cultural activities to understand the diversity. And also the children of Madurai hosted the children of other state by taking them to their homes during nights for two days to understand the day today lives of the locals.

To conduct this programme a theme paper was prepared and an organizing committee and a festival committee was formed and several meetings were conducted to organize the programme. A special committee is formed to prepare and conduct the science activities with University, College and School teachers. The activities were planned on the theme of “Enjoying Science and Childhood”. The main focus was to make them to observe the science in the home and the backyard thus making them to observe daily

The three day programme included

  • An Inaugural session on 28th FN (1/2 day) with the participation of the Thirumathi Amutha, Madurai District Educational Officer, PA to Chief Educational Officer, Dr.S.Chatterjee, President, All India People’s Science Network, and Former Scientist of Indian Institute of Astrophysics, and Dr.Kashinath Chatterjee, Gen. Secretary, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samity attended as Chief guests in the inaugural Session. Dr.Vasudevan, Fortune Pandian Hotels, Dr.A.Santha, former Head, Dept.of Journalism and Communication, MK University, Dr.H.Shakila, Prof.of Biotechnology, MK University and Prof.P.Rajamanickam, Gen. Secretary, AIPSN, A.Amlarajan, Gen.Sec. TNSF, and Dr. Nehru, Principal, MTN College also participated
  • Group activities 28th AN 29th FN and 29 AN on Science and Childhood (11/2 day): The group activities were conducted by forming 9 groups with nearly 20 students in each group and were engaged in three sessions of two hours each:

Science in home: Kitchen and Health Science

 

Science in the Backyard: Trees and Birds

Light and Vision: Principles of Light and Light and Optics

  • A cultural and heritage tour on 30th (1/2 day) : this cultural and Heritage tour was flagged off by Additional Divisional Railways Manager on 30th at 9AM in front of the junction. The students and their guides went in six buses to 4 different buses , Yanamalai, Alagar Koil, Keelakkuyilkudi and Gandhi Museum. This half a day heritage and nature tour was organized by which students were exposed to the ancient history, culture and existing habitats in around Madurai.
  • And a valedictory session on 30th AN (1/2 day) A souvenir with the drawings of children and multilingual songs on Science released by Madurai SBOA Principal and a special address by Dr.S.Nagarthinam, MK University.

Around 77 tribal and other children (46 Boys +31Girls) from Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka, Kerala and other districts of Tamil Nadu and  79 children (42 Boys +37 Girls ) from  Madurai and nearby villages participated  Around  19 Teachers and Guides  (11 Male +08 Female ) from other states participated and  15 teachers and guides  (12 Male +3 Female ) participated. A total of 40 Resource Persons and Activity Educators participated

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AIPSN news updates

Read the Statement by Kerala doctors

Read Press Note by AIPSN On the arrest of Jacob Vadakkanchery

A self-styled “natural healer” Jacob Vadakkanchery was recently arrested, in Kerala, for campaigning
against the use of a medicine, doxycycline at a time when the state is recovering from devastation, caused by unprecedented rain.

Some have criticized this move, as an infringement on his right to express his opinion
about this drug.

Such criticism is uncalled for since Jacob Vadakkanchery’s pronouncements and actions
have posed a threat to the government’s and many medical practitioners, who have voluntarily come forward to mitigate the health risks that Kerala’s population faces, in the wake of the recent rain and floods.

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