The 2023 edition of Vigyanika — Science Literature Festival was organised at DBT Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI)-Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) Campus Faridabad on 18 and 19 January 2024 as a part of the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023. The two-day Science Literature Festival witnessed insightful discussions, workshops, scientific sessions, and student engagement activities, successfully accomplishing its primary objective to facilitate in-depth discussions and dialogues for effective science communication.
Around 350 delegates, including students, science communicators, and science enthusiasts from India and abroad, attended the event. CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF), and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) were the coordinating organisations for Vigyanika 2023.
The inaugural ceremony on 18 January 2024 began with the welcome address by Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR, New Delhi. Prof. Aggarwal highlighted the importance of scientific temper and CSIR-NIScPR’s commitment to fostering scientific awareness. Emphasising the importance of science communication in Indian languages through diverse mediums like puppetry and poems, she highlighted Vigyanikas’s role as a networking platform among scientists and science enthusiasts. Dr Dinakar M Salunke, Former Director, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi; Dr Subhra Chakraborty, Director, National Institute for Plant Genome Research, New Delhi; and Shri A Jayakumar, Vijnana Bharati, were the distinguished guests of the inaugural ceremony.
The first scientific session on “Science and Technology Public Outreach in India” was chaired by Prof. BN Jagatap, Senior Professor at IIT Bombay. During the session, the experts emphasised the need to extend scientific research from labs to the general populace, emphasising the historical contributions of Indian scientists. They also discussed the importance of handling the communication of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence or vaccinations, highlighting the significance of providing science communication trainings.
Prof. Dinakar M Salunke delivered the keynote address, whereas Prof. Uma Kumar, Professor, AIIMS, New Delhi; Prof. KC Bansal, Former Director, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi; and Prof. Gobardhan Das, Director, IISER Bhopal, were the other experts in the session.
Panellists, during the first-panel discussion representing various Indian languages, participated in the discussion titled Apni Bhasha Apna Vigyan: Strengthening Science Communication in Indian Languages. This stimulating session was chaired by Shri Chamu Krishna Shastry, Padma Shri, and Chairman Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti.
During the session, experts stressed the importance of scientific communication in Indian languages in order to cross language barriers and strengthen communication. The panellists for the session were Prof. VPN Nampoori, Cochin University of Science and Technology, for Malayalam; Dr Neelima Jerath, Former DG, Pushpa Gujral Science City, for Punjabi; Dr HB Singh, CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat for Manipuri; Dr Uthra Dorairajan, Dwaraka Doss Goverdhan Doss Vaishnav College, Chennai for Tamil; Dr Mantu Bhuyan, CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat for Assamese; and Prof. Saroj Kanta Barik, Former Director, CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow for Odiya.
The panel discussion was followed by the release of an Assamese magazine, Bigyan Lahar, a collaborative initiative by CSIR-NIScPR and CSIR-NEIST, and then the release of a flip book, “Treasures of Indian Tradition: A Journey through Scientifically Validated Indian Traditional Knowledge” in Tamil as a part of CSIR-NIScPR’s SVASTIK initiative.
There was also a parallel session on “Workshop on Popular Science Writing” by Shri Hasan Jawaid Khan, Former Chief Scientist, CSIR-NIScPR, and Dr HS Sudhira, Director, Gubbi Labs, Bengaluru.
The second scientific session was chaired by Dr Paresh K Joshi, Reader from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research-Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (TIFR-HBCSE), Mumbai. Selected delegates from across the country presented their insights on “Science Communication in India: Current Trends, Opportunities and Challenges”.
Along with the scientific sessions, there was an exhibition where CSIR-NIScPR, the National Book Trust, India and the Commission for Scientific & Technical Terminology showcased their publications. CSIR-NIScPR’s flagship programme, #SVASTIK, also participated. The event concluded with a cultural programme on the confluence of arts and science.
On day two, Dr G Mahesh, Head, DG’s Executive Directorate (DGED) and Science Communication and Dissemination Directorate (SCDD), CSIR HQ, chaired the second panel discussion on “Creative Science Communication through Films, Podcasts & Social Media”. The panellists discussed how adopting creative ideas can excite the audience’s mind while ensuring scientific accuracy and how using different Indian languages for science communication can help amplify the reach to a broader audience. Shri Pallava Bagla, science journalist; Prof. BS Balaji, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Dr Maan Bardhan Kanth, Associate Professor, DY Patil International University, Pune; Shri Kollegala Sharma, Former Chief Scientist, CSIR-CFTRI; and Ms Neha Tripathi, science journalist; were the panellists.
A drawing and quiz competition was also held in a parallel session in which about 140 students and 12 teachers from four different schools of Delhi/NCR — RPS Public School, SD Secondary Public School, Universal Public School, and Jain Bharati Mrigavati Vidyalaya participated.
The subsequent panel discussion on “Challenges in Traditional Knowledge Research & Communication” had speakers discussing the rich Indian traditional knowledge systems across various disciplines and the complexities in researching and communicating such knowledge to a wider audience. Chaired by Prof. Vasant Shinde, CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Former Vice-Chancellor, Deccan College, Pune, the panellists of this extremely engaging discussion included Prof. Ganti S Murthy, National Coordinator, Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) Division and Professor, IIT Indore; Dr Rashmi Sharma, Scientist F and Head, SHRI, DST; and Prof. Virendra K Paul, Professor, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
“Vigyan Kavi Sammelan,” among the significant attractions of Vigyanika, included distinguished poets and shortlisted participants of the “Vigyanika: Science Poem Writing Competition,” who recited fascinating science poems in English, Hindi and Telugu languages. The distinguished poets were Ms Shubhrata Mishra, Dr Rajesh Kumar, Dr Anu Singh, Ms Swati Amol Yadwdakar, Ms Radha Gupta, and Shri T SRS Sandeep. Dr Madhu Pant, Former Director, National Bal Bhawan, New Delhi, chaired the session. This was followed by the release of the Vigyanika theme book.
A Special Session on “Science Communication for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” chaired by Prof. Ramesh V Sonti, Director, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, was also conducted under Vigyanika. The panellists included Shri Sanjeev K Varshney, Head, International Cooperation, DST; Mr Marc Prensky, Internationally-acclaimed author from USA; and Dr Sharmila Binti Md Salleh, Chief Executive Officer at Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia (YIM), Malaysia. The panellists discussed global challenges of science communication and how they can be managed by cooperation and knowledge exchange among different nations.
The session was followed by valedictory and summing up the two-day programme where Dr Arvind C Ranade, Director, NIF and Chief Coordinator, IISF 2023, graced the occasion. Dr Paramananda Barman, CSIR-NIScPR, Coordinator Vigyanika, presented a brief report on the sessions to conclude the two-day event.
