Author: Debobrat ghose
BIRTH ANNIVERSARY / 2 AUGUST In the 21st-century India, reaping the benefits of three decades and more of economic liberalisation, one of the coolest professionals amidst us are those that we know as Science Entrepreneurs, those who have created Science Startups. These are new terms that have found their way in our daily lexicon since the rise of science entrepreneurship, on the strength of whose shoulders this country is going to elevate its status from a developing economy to one of the largest in the world, with a GDP of more than $5 trillion in near, foreseeable future. But are…
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – PSA Prof Ajay K Sood The current era of rapid technological advancement and innovation in India has not only energised the scientific community but renewed general interest in the country towards a culture of scientific enquiry, innovation for social good, and a desire to create and produce at par with the leading scientific nations of the world. A big push for this ambient atmosphere continues to come from the government that is paying attention to long neglected areas, such as high-impact research, through tangible funding, and inspiring young people to help convert India from a service nation…
Dr Shankar Tatwawadi: An Intellectual Lighthouse It was precisely 11.20 pm on 30 March 2024 in Thane. After a daylong session of Vijnana Bharati’s Vividh Aayam meeting and post-dinner, I retired to my room to have a glimpse of the day’s newspaper. Suddenly my mobile phone beeped. “Namaste Debobrat ji…Shankar Tatwawadi bol raha hoon. Kya hum mil sakte hain? Kuch charcha karni thi.” (Shankar Tatwaadi speaking. Can we meet? Want a discussion) This was the first time ever that Tatwawadiji called me in person. Otherwise, we had met during a few events and had informal chat in general. It was…
Image Courtesy: PIB Giving impetus to research, development and innovation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has allocated Rs 20,000 crore to the Ministry of Science and Technology (S&T) for Research, Development and Innovation initiative in the Union Budget 2025-26, aimed at “investing in people, the economy and innovation” in India. This will be a step forward in boosting private sector-led research and development in India. Additionally, over the next five years, 10,000 PM Research Fellowships will be awarded for technological research in IITs and IISc (Indian Institute of Science), with increased financial support. There is a focussed attempt to bring together…
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Dr SUBBA RAO PAVULURI, CMD, ANANTH TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies Pvt Limited (ATL) has become the first private company selected to build, launch and operate a geostationary communications satellite in the country. India’s space regulator, the Indian Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) made the announcement on 2 December 2024, granting ATL access to the country’s orbital resources, marking a significant milestone in advancing private sector participation in the space sector. All Images Courtesy: Ananth Technologies ATL will undertake end-to-end management of the project, which includes the development, launch, and operation of a multi-beam high-throughput…
The month of November, in the past few years, has come to be very closely associated with the news on diabetes as 14 November is annually observed as the World Diabetes Day and India has a high incidence of this chronic disease. According to the estimates of a study published in 2023, a staggering 101 million people are suffering from diabetes in India, which is approximately 11.4% of the nation’s population (making us the second worst affected country in the world). But the most shocking revelation that is increasingly coming into spotlight is that our susceptibility to diabetes is closely…
Ahmedabad-based octogenarian architect Chandrakant B Sompura might have gained global traction for designing the architectural marvel of Ram Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, but he is already an established name in the field of temple architecture in India. With many feathers in his cap, Sompura has a long list of aesthetically crafted temples to his credit in India and abroad. To name a few are Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar; Swaminarayan temple in Mumbai; Birla Mandir in Kolkata; Sun temple in Gwalior; BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London; North American Hindu Union temple in Pittsburg, USA, and many more. He…
Image Courtesy: Flickr Delhi was listed as the most polluted capital in the world last year and the third most polluted city in the country. Though the World Air Quality Report 2023 had listed Delhi as the most polluted capital in terms of PM (Particulate Matter) 2.5 levels, the national capital suffers from other sources of pollution as well, which are no less dangerous than the air pollution. In fact, the other sources of pollution add to the air pollution. Adding to the woes due to the existing air pollution, the untreated municipal solid waste and landfills have emerged…
While the world’s most populous democracy, India conducts its biggest Lok Sabha election, the editorial piece in the reputed science journal Nature – ‘How India can become a science powerhouse’, means a lot for the current dispensation, the Narendra Modi government and its work. However, not delving into its political aspect, let’s see this headline through the prism of science. It is welcoming and satisfying that the international journal of science, Nature, has prognosticated in its edition of 18 April that India has the potential to become a leader in science. If we take a deep dive into our…
Prakritik Chikitsa, Yog aur Diabetes Dr Rajiv Rastogi Shivank Prakashan, 2023 Rs 295 Long years ago, people in India led far simpler lives than what is the norm in the country today. They ate simpler foods, their lifestyles were more in tune with the circadian rhythm, and ‘lifestyle disorder’ was a term that had not yet been applied to India. And then, economic liberalization took place, and the rest, as they say, is history. Of course, pinning every ill of the society today — including lifestyle disorders — on economic reforms of 1991 and their consequences, would not only be…