Science, Technology and the Shifting Imperatives of National Politics

Science, Technology and the shifting imperatives of national politics-Gandhi , Bose and Nehru • were significant debates on the question of linkages between science and technology, on one hand, and, Indian society, on the other, among the national political leadership even before India attained independence • The discussion on the economic, historical and cultural dimensions of science and technology that figured in Science and Culture, on one hand, and, of various collected works of political leaders of the Indian National Congress (INC), viz., Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose • The question of modern science and technology elicited a variety of responses, that ranged from questioning the potential of modern science and technology in the process of nation-building, to acknowledging the transformative potential of modern science and technology Mohandas Karamchand Ganidhi’s Perceptions of Science • During and after the World War I, the programme of the Indian National Congress (INC) of reviving and restoring traditional industries and crafts was not only going on but also parallel developments favourable to the advancement of modern science and technology were also set in motion • On a global scale, the aftermath of the World War I and the achievements of Socialist experiments in the erstwhile USSR unveiled the immense potentialities of science for mankind in terms of the economy and material progress • Moreover, the global economic crisis in the form of the Great Depression 1933 and the subsequent crisis of the bi-polar world compelled the leadership to have a fresh look at each aspect of society - be it social, economic political. • In the process, the earlier INC policy, as a whole, and the 'Gandhian philosophy', to a great extent, gave way to new • The term, 'Gandhian philosophy' needs to be explained here. Under the leadership of Gandhi, the INC accorded prime importance to cottage industries and Khaddar during 1920-35. As Gandhi (quoted in Tendulkar 1960: 20) put "Khadi, to me, is the symbol of unity of Indian humanity, of its economic freedom and equality and, therefore, ultimately, in the poetic expression Jawaharlal Nehru, 'the livery of India's freedom'." It involved technology based on animate sources of energy • Health, hygiene and sanitation together with indigenous systems of ? medicine - Ayurveda and Unani - were given a high place in the Gandhian scheme, in particular, and, Congress programmes, in general. • The world was then gasping after being ravaged by the horrendous crimes and casualties perpetrated during World War 1 • The national economies of most countries were in shatters. • International trade touched the lowest ebb. • Probably, the repercussions of World War I forced the INC to go for these indigenous systems of medicine. • Gandhi also practised naturopathy. • Meanwhile, Gandhi maintained a hostile indifference to modern science, attacked modern civilization and looked upon machines as an evil • Traditional industries and Khaddar formed the basic content of the Congress policy. • As late as 1938, the party remained preoccupied with evolving a system of National Education, which was then envisaged in a system called Basic Education. • None of these exercises, however, offered any prospect for the advancement of science and technology. • As a practical tool, the INC succeeded in wielding national unity and patriotism, but it utterly failed to cope with the changed material conditions. • In this context, Gandhi had reservations in opposing science in the first two decades of the twentieth century, but he tried to relocate modern science and technology in a new fashion during the 1920s and 1930s. • The time and context, of course, are of supreme importance, which reflect a deep-rooted 'Gandhian philosophy'. • In this regard, Gandhi maybe quoted - "If India copies England, it is my firm conviction that she will be ruined.... Civilization is not an incurable disease, but it should never be forgotten that the English people are at present afflicted by it (Gandhi 1938: 34, 38)." • Before the mid-1930s, opting for modern science and technology was definitely a progressive step. • But, being possessed of it was far away from reality. • During this period, people were illiterate, superstitious and were rooted in tradition. • In such a situation, traditional industries promised wider acceptance, feasibility and self-reliance whereas modern industries implied immediate dependence on the West. • A sudden shift from technology based on animate sources of energy to technology based on inanimate sources of energy was L perhaps not possible. • That was why both INC leaders and eminent Indian o scientists of the time, emphasized general material progress as well as education at the lower level, for creating a more favourable condition for the growth of modern science • began to express his reservations about science and modern machines as early as 1909, in Hind Swaraj, but it was only around 1920 that Z launched the attack with full vigour. • Thereafter, he attacked them both in and action. • However, he started reconsidering the whole question almost at the same time. • He compromised on the question progressively and eventually found machines not entirely useless Jawaharlal Nehru: "Future Belongs to Science and to those who Make Friends with Science..." • A new generation of the Congress leadership, led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, articulated a position that was in contrast to that of Gandhi. • Nehru stood for modern science, heavy industrialisation and socialism. • Both industrialisation and socialism stood on the foundation of modern science and technology. • In his presidential address at the annual INC session in 1936, Nehru declared: "I am convinced that the only key to the solution of the world problems lies in Socialism, and when I use this word I do so not in a vague humanitarian way but in the scientific, economic sense.... I believe in the rapid industrialisation of the country and only thus I think will the standard of the people rise substantially and poverty be combated " • In his message on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the Indian Science Congress he proclaimed: "... Congress represents science, and science is the spirit of the age and the dominating factor of the modern world. Even more than the present, the future belongs to science and to those who make friends with science and seek its help for the advancement of humanity" • The above celebratory proclamation reflects an unflinching penchant on the part of Nehru for science as a means for advancement of humanity, in general, and, of India, in particular, and becomes a conscious invitation to science as a defining feature of the INC - of both the present and the future. • That apart, the above epigraph involves within it an explicit reference to the inevitable success to be achieved by science as a means of development through the INC as a political weapon, if employed. • Hence, the INC would strongly advocate both the , acquisition of scientific knowledge and its application in all productive domains • This faith is based on the advancements already made and the future e promises in science and technology ahead. • Here, both nationalism and modernity can be realized, as one finds the causal linkages between modern - science and technology, and socio-economic transformation being articulated. • Science was an essential, indeed, basic cultural element of the India which Nehru m sought and worked so hard to build. • Nehru fully realized that modern science and technology were as necessary for a highly developed agriculture as for industry. • He argued that the cause of the growth of agriculture in many other countries was because of the application of science and technoloy • In Nehru's vision, modern life depended so much on science and technology, that we must seize hold of them, understand them, and apply them. • He saw the essential role ? of science in its historical perspective, not only in transforming the material environment, but also in transforming man • Not only Nehru, but erudite scholars and engineers, and the best planners of the country, like Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, shared Nehru's vision and perspective, and D exercised their influence in shaping the science policy in post- colonial India Subhas Chandra Bose:"No Escape from the Industrial Revolution“ • Subhas Chandra Bose's (1897-1945) ideas had a very important Indian nationalism. • He saw himself as a student of Swami Vivekananda. • He was Gandhi's rival within the INC. • He was anti-British and very militant in his ideas. • He was opposed to Gandhi's inclination towards indigenous technology, and, of course, Gandhi's method of non-violence. • He supported an aggressive o revolt against the British. • He was also opposed to the liberal democratic ideas of Z Europe, but rather supported the Communist ideas of the erstwhile USSR. • The historic October Revolution of 1917, the emergence of anti-colonial nationalist - struggles in India, and the rise of Nazism in Germany under Adolph Hitler were the broad circumstances that influenced Bose to wage war against the imperialist British. • Bose was interested in the application of science to the reconstruction. • Bose's understanding of national reconstruction, India's industrialisation and introduction of modern science and technology to the Indian soil, have to be placed in the ideological context of anti-colonial nationalism. • The movement for Indian emancipation had reached a stage

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