Hyderabad: Hyderabad is regarded as a leading science city in India and its journey to becoming one spans over a century, said columnist-author Dr Dinesh C. Sharma.
Speaking on the third day of the Indian Science Fest at Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet to mark its centenary, Delhi-based Dr Sharma, who studied in Hyderabad, painted a picture of the city’s history that is intertwined with technology in modern India.
In his talk titled ‘Hyderabad Kaiku?’, he began by describing Charminar as a symbol of the power of knowledge and science, as its construction needed expertise in several fields — design, engineering, material science, chemistry and architecture.
He cited Ronald Ross’ discovery of the science behind malaria transmission and the setting up of Nizamia Observatory as a landmark in the city’s science journey. He also cited the foundation of the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) as a watershed moment that seeded software and IT revolutions.
Young students check a science project during the final day of the India Science Fest at the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. (Photo: DC)
Currently, with a concentration of scientific institutions, universities and academic bodies, private R&D companies and technology-based industries, Hyderabad is regarded as a leading science city in India.
“Hyderabad’s S&T contributions have touched the lives of millions of Indians — affordable medicines, lifesaving vaccines, digital products. Another invention from Hyderabad that strengthened our democracy is the electronic voting machine,” Dr Sharma said.
Another panel, titled ‘India, where are your books on science?’, saw columnist Devangshu Datta, founding director of Science Gallery in Bengaluru Jahnavi Phalkey and author Ananyo Bhattacharya discuss the lack of books on science in the country.
Datta said that science fiction was a way to foster interest in science, citing examples of such works by working scientists and the need for larger public consumption of the same. He also called for better translation systems to make regional languages available to all.
He also spoke about ‘Rocket Boys’, a partly fictional web series on the lives of Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, citing it as an example of arousing public interest in sciences.
The three-day centenary celebrations of the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, ended on Sunday, with a musical performance by the Symphony Orchestra of India, which is a 45-member orchestra established by the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai, in 2006.
