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Everyman’s Science VOL. XLI NO. 4, Oct. ’06 — Nov. ’06 EVERYMAN’S SCIENCE Vol. XLI No. 4 (October’06 – November ’06) EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD EDITORIAL BOARD Dr. S. P. Mehrotra (Jamshedpur) Editor-in-Chief Dr. D. Balasubramanian (Hyderabad) Prof. S. P. Mukherjee Mr. Biman Basu (New Delhi) Dr. Amit Ray (New Delhi) Area Editors Prof. D. Mukherjee (Kolkata) Prof. P. N. Ghosh Prof. Dipankar Gupta (New Delhi) (Physical & Earth Sciences) Prof. Andrei Beteille (New Delhi) Prof. S. P. Banerjee Prof. P. Balaram (Bangalore) (Biological Sciences) Dr. Amit Ghosh (Chandigarh) Prof. H. S. Ray Dr. V. Arunachalam (Chennai) (Engineering & Material Sciences) Prof. C. Subramanyam (Hyderabad) Dr. Suraj Bandyopadhyay Prof. Nirupama Agarwal (Lucknow) (Social Sciences) Prof. C. M. Govil (Meerut) Prof. K. R. Samaddar (Kalyani) Convener Prof. Avijit Banerji COVER PHOTOGRAPHS General Secretary (HQ) Past General Presidents of ISCA 1. Sir U. N. Brahmachari (1936) 2. R.B.T.S. Venkatraman (1937) Editorial Secretary 3. Prof. Rt. Hon. Lord Rutherford Dr. Amit Krishna De of Nelson *(1938) 4. Sir James H. Jeans (1938) Printed and published by Prof. S. P. Mukherjee 5. Prof. J. C. Ghosh (1939) on behalf of Indian Science Congress Association 6. Prof. B. Sahani (1940) and printed at Seva Mudran, 43, Kailash Bose 7. Sir Ardeshir Dalal (1941) Street, Kolkata-700 006 and published at Indian * Lord Rutherford unfortunately passed Science Congress Association, 14, Dr. Biresh Guha away before the Science Congress and Street, Kolkata-700 017, with Prof. S. P. Mukherjee Sir James H. Jeans presided over the as Editor. Congress in his place. For permission to reprint or Annual Subscription : (6 issues) reproduce any portion of the Institutional Rs. 200/- ; Individual Rs. 50/- journal, please write to the Editor-in-Chief. Price : Rs. 10/- per issue 209 Everyman’s Science VOL. XLI NO. 4, Oct. ’06 — Nov. ’06 CONTENTS EDITORIAL : 211 ARTICLES : Presidential Address : On Research in Chemistry in India Prof. J. C. Ghosh 213 Divine Proportion : The Mathematics of God Ayon Ghosh 226 Theories of Aging in Animals Amrit Kaur 231 Food Allergy (Hypersensitivity) B.P. Mohanty, S. K. Gupta & S. Mohanty 234 West Bengal Forest Scenario : A Geographical Review Sisir Chatterjee 240 Maslow’s Motivational Theory of Need Hierarchy S. N. Sinha and Aparajita Sinha 247 Iron & Steel Making : How We Reached Here 249 SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT Gecko (Tiktiki in Bengal and Chhipkili in Hindi) and Nano Science H.S. Ray 255 SHORT COMMUNICATION Silken Snare of the Spider D. Balasubramanian 256 KNOW THY INSTITUTIONS 259 Life Sketches of General President and Sectional Presidents 94th Indian Science Congress, Annamalai Nagar, 2006-2007 268 MEMBERS OF ISCA COUNCIL FOR 2006-2007 285 PROGRAMME OF 94TH INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS 286 CONFERENCES / MEETINGS / SYMPOSIA / SEMINARS 288 S & T ACROSS THE WORLD 289 ANSWERS TO “DO YOU KNOW”? 290 210 Everyman’s Science VOL. XLI NO. 4, Oct. ’06 — Nov. ’06 EDITORIAL KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY AND THE STEEL INDUSTRY In recent times there has been much talk about steel which was marginally more than that of China. strengthening the science base to help India emerge But today steel production figure for China has as a knowledge society. As is well known, better risen dramatically to over 300 million tonnes which financial rewards and other opportunities have been is about a third of the total world production. luring students away from scientific pursuits. Although our planners after Independence had Planners and thinkers have, therefore, correctly envisaged a production target of 75 million tonnes recommended establishment of newer scientific by the year 2000, our actual production is only institutions, upgradation of facilities in the existing about half of this even now. Thus we are producing ones, as well as better incentives to brighter students about a tenth of what China is producing. The steel to attract the student community towards careers in industry of China is driving its economic growth. science. There are, however, encouraging signs now and, The knowledge society envisaged will, however, with the wind of liberalisation blowing in India, also need a technology base to ensure a prosperous many investors have come forward with proposals economy. The large fundings necessary for to- to set up new steel plants in various locations, day’s scientific education and research necessarily particularly Orissa, Jaharkhand and West Bengal. require a thriving economy based on technological L. N. Mittal is no exception. These new plants will achievements to make available the infrastructure. have to be necessarily more environment-friendly The iron and steel industry will have a vital role in and in the basic sciences will play an important this. role too. Perhaps the annual steel product in India Some two or three decades ago the world will exceed the 100 million mark in 15 years. produced around 700 million tonnes of steel per This journal attempts to propagate the message year and the largest share of production was with of science in all its varied branches to its readers the developed nations such as the U.S, U.K and and through them to every one interested in science, Russia. However, for a variety of reasons, the Engineering and Technology. Generally, however, dominant players are now in the east e.g. China. Engineering and Technology oriented articles are Japan and South Korea. India is poised to enter this uncommon. To remedy this, a beginning is made in group. It should be noted that L. N. Mittal an this issue with an article on the iron and steel Indian passport holder, whose world-wide chain of industry. steel companies makes him the largest producer of steel, does not, as yet, have any steel plant in India. Technology Dissemination Centre (TDC) of The Indian steel industry is nearly a hundred R & D Centre for Iron & Steel, Steel Authority of years old. The earliest steel works were located in India Ltd. (RDCIS), has been publishing a quarterly Burnpur, Jamshedpur and Bhadravati (Mysore). technology bulletin “Technotrends” since 1994. However, at the time of Independence the country Each issue of Technotrends focuses on a specific produced anually only about 7 million tonnes of technology related to steel plants and it is described 211 Everyman’s Science VOL. XLI NO. 4, Oct. ’06 — Nov. ’06 in a reader friendly format with the aim of material to practising steel plant technologists, augmenting technological awareness in the academicians & students in technical institutes and Company. TDC has recently compiled the technical researchers. articles, published during the last 10 years, in the From this issue of “Everyman’s Science”, we form of a book “Steel Plant Technologies-An are reproducing a few selected articles from this Overview.” book for general awareness about steel industry. The book aims to provide a good reference H. S. Ray “Where is the knowledge we have lost in information ? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge” —T.S. Eliot 212 Everyman’s Science VOL. XLI NO. 4, Oct. ’06 — Nov. ’06 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS ON RESEARCH IN CHEMISTRY IN INDIA PROF. J. C. GHOSH*, D. SC., F.N.I. The Indian Science Congress meets today at As I recall today these great names, I feel Lahore for the third time. Those of us who attended weighed down by a sense of responsibility. To the meeting of the Congress held in 1927 know follow them is perforce to follow very far behind. well that in warmth of welcome and hospitality, Eleven years ago, Professor Simonsen was called and in providing a congenial atmosphere for our to this office, and in the course of his address, he deliberations, this city has few equals ; and I am suggested that the chemists of India should study sure that on this occasion also, she will live up to more intensively the wealth of natural materials that reputation. As President that year, we had Sir that lay at their doors, and devote less time to the Jagadish Chandra Bose, and I well remember the study of problems of only theoretical interest. In illuminating address in which he outlined some of the decade that has passed since Professor Simonsen his beautiful methods for probing the secrets of made this eloquent appeal, the organic chemists of India have made many important contributions to plant life. That voice is now stilled in death, but he our knowledge in this field. Only recently I attended will always be remembered with gratitude as the the symposium on this subject held at Bombay great Master and Pioneer whose work and example under the auspices of the National Institute of have revived the spirit of scientific enquiry in India Sciences. Distinguished visitors from Lahore, after centuries of stagnation. Bangalore and Calcutta joined in the discussion Last year, the Indian Science Congress celebrated and it looked like a miniature Science Congress. its jubilee with great pomp in the city of Calcutta, While not long ago, Professor Simonsen was the which had witnessed the birth of this Association solo-scientist in this field, we have now flourishing two years after her dethronement from the proud centres of research at Lahore under the guidance of position of the Imperial Capital. A brilliant galaxy Dr. J. N. Ray and at Bangalore under Dr. P. C. of scientists took part in the deliberations, and for Guha. Valuable work is being done in Bengal, by President we had elected the greatest scientist of Dr. P. C. Mitter, Dr. P. K. Bose, Dr. Khuda and Dr. the British Empire. The sudden death of Lord Guha Sarkar, in Bombay, by Drs. Wheeler, Shaha, Rutherford was a cruel blow, but it was some Venkataraman and their colleagues, in Madras, by consolation that he finished the writing of his Dr.