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"Given the right support and investment
with the right approach, India will definitely grow big in twenty-years"
-Prof. CNR Rao, Honorary President of
the JNCASR
Pr of.
CNR Rao, scientist of world renown, has added yet another jewel
to his crown, the Karnataka Ratna Award for 2000. He has also
been conferred with the Padmashree and Padma Vibhushan by
the President of India, besides many other awards and honours. He
is the Honorary President of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced
Scientific Research (SJCASR), Bangalore, and the President of
Third World Academy of Sciences.
Bangalorebest.com spoke to this eminent son of Karnataka on the
changing face of the technologically driven world and its impact on
society.
Your life has been a string of achievements. Could you share some
of the memorable ones?
When you are in science, you are bound to come across new things and
discoveries and all that can be termed as achievements. It is like
being in a world where every aspect is a thrilling one. When it comes
to major achievements, I would like to quote the discoveries done
in nano-electronics at JNCARS, which got a mention in the Nature magazine.
Similar thrills are experienced whenever major papers and books come
out.
Why did you choose solid state, materials chemistry and surface science
for your research?
Though I work in other areas like spectroscopy and molecular structure,
I concentrate more on these two as they are directly linked to the
well being of human kind and the future of the world. It is all about
materials, which one can see all around. It may be conductors, semiconductors
and magnetic materials, which all have a direct effect on future technology.
What has been your role as the President of Third World Academy of Sciences?
There are several things involved as the President of that academy.
First, we're trying to take the message of science to the most backward
parts of the world like Africa and Asia. We also want to set up
institutions and centres of excellence so that the poorest of the
poor can get in touch with science to make use of its advancements.
There may be hundreds of Einsteins and Newtons in rural parts of
India lacking opportunity. It is certain that India statistically
has a lot of hidden talent in its population, and we are trying
to identify them. Apart from this, we regularly convene seminars,
symposia and honour enterprising scientists.
What are your comments on the technological advancements happening
all around?
India is doing well in some areas. It needs to gear up to the future
rather than concentrating on some limited areas. At this point, we
should ask ourselves about our own innovations. Unless we support
Indian industries with our science and technology, it will be difficult
to grow. We should see that majority of Indians are not left behind.
India should chalk out its own strategies without blindly following
what other countries do.
How do you manage time?
I plan for half-an-hour to an hour every morning about my day's work.
It helps a lot in organising myself. It facilitates me in doing things
right the first time. Most people face uncalled for situations during
work and get deterred by it. This should not happen and will not happen
when you manage time well. One should conserve every minute of life
to maximize it. Time is everything in life. Unfortunately many don't
realize it at the right time.
What is your message to the youth of today who live in a world
that is transforming into a digital one?
Information Technology is given undue importance over oth er
aspects like science, technology and engineering. The real future
lies in mainstream science and engineering. I feel children should
be inspired to take up challenging careers without concentrating merely
on IT, so that they can do something interesting or even thrilling.
It is very difficult to tell children, so it is up to parents to understand
this and to encourage them accordingly.
What are your comments on the neglect of moral values in Education?
Moral values exist when life becomes balanced. It is a way of life;
it is about asking yourself how you are living, how can you be a role
model to others. Moral value is the result of the totality of the
society. It is the responsibility of parents, teachers and politicians
to impart and induce moral values. On the contrary, they are all prioritizing
money. Money has become the deciding factor of who's who.
What are your plans for JNCASR?
JNCASR is doing very good work in many frontiers of science including
advanced materials, malaria, epilepsy, AIDS and other areas. We are
popularising science in institutions by bringing out books and multimedia
packages on several subjects. I want many of our young people to become
world-famous through science. We at JNSACR also plan to impart science
education to the needy to see that India progresses in the right direction.
How do you visualise India twenty years down the line?
Given the right support and investment with the right approach, India
will definitely grow big in twenty-years.
More
on Prof.CNR Rao.
More
on JNCASR.
-Charan
CS
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