Will the real scientists please stand up? It’s high time that the wakeup call has to be blown atop the scientists and educationists of the state who are in deep slumber, completely oblivious to the degenerative progress of nature, science and surroundings in the state.
Maybe they are so good that their one move will echo through the ages. They surely look like the lot who will never blow their guts out over a bunch of cotton buds and pads but over something having more monstrous impact and to last through time oblivion.
Guess this is where the statement prevails, “Do no waken the sleeping giant les he may devour everything in his path”. The so called scientists of this state are yet to take an active part in state affairs.
Time and again, issues have come to the fray that demanded immediate attention and solution to keep public unrest at bay.
Let us simply consider the ‘mysterious’ death of thousand of fishes along Ranikor River. With eminent scientists and professors of every stream adorning institutes, the case remained unsolved for a long time and finally just ‘two’ Assistant Geologists, K B Surong and Ms E Nongbri visited the river, analysing it in their area of speciality to give the public an answer and help the Minister of Mining and Geology issue a statement.
In any case, there can be two approaches to a solution. What if the fish population being wiped off was not a consequence of mining waste but extinction owing to things more dramatic? Amusingly, the scientific faculty of the state who should have taken an initiative were eagerly waiting for some news in a paper! The politicians of the state are well versed of scientific matters that the scientists themselves and can issue a release before the samples reach a table.
One statement and one report in the newspaper to close the file! Neither will the public question nor they themselves research in the matter to enumerate it, analyze and conclude in a befitting manner.
One fails to understand the reason why we have a bunch of educated and smart professionals simply pottering about with lab coats in their confinement. When will research be done in the pretext of benefitting the state? Let’s not brag about allocation of bombastic funds and the siphoning of rupees after rupees. There lies nothing constructive done at the end of the day.
In the recent case of discolouration of the Lukha River, Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner, T Dkhar, informed that the Sub-Divisional Officer, Khliehriat Civil Sub-Division was asked to enquire into the matter of discolouration.
It is understandable that we look at the Government as our ‘guardians’ but the simplest of sense that prevails will tell us that more than the Government and Officers, it is the class of ‘rat-experimenting’, ‘chemical-analysing’, ‘protective gear-wearing’, ‘look-at-me-make-an-invention’ section of the society that needs to be pressed into service.
Well, won’t all this be a hassle if once again, ‘work has to be done’ for that remains as one little thing we really don’t want to come in touch with…work. Surely, the easy way out is increasing the power in those lenses and ogle at that one little change under the microscope than avert a disaster in the vicinity of the microscope!
Bellowing out those endless yellowed pages of notes in the boundaries of a classroom makes more sense than incorporating updated research in the curriculum.
In the truest sense, it is ‘Re-search’ and not ‘New-search’ that needs to be practiced here. We need old ideas being pondered upon for that is the only thing that jewels the shelves in a dusty library. Why do we have to come up with break through scientific developments? That is just so not Indian!
As in every case, nobody wants to see Shillong make an inch of a progress. Let’s keep aside snail pace, we want ‘no pace in any case’. Matters should never reach a solution and to aid that, we should go ahead with the current plans of not involving researchers of the state in its affairs but lead them to pursue developments that have already been deciphered in the west!
We don’t want a discovery that will contribute immensely for we have full faith that the last contribution from Indians died when the nobles passed away years back. What we want now is ‘work, enough to sustain’!
Publications, to move from rank to rank will attract applauds but solutions to an issue will attract cheers and crazy fanfare (hope it helps in some decision making!)