Indian Science Congress Research Articles

Correspondence between South African geologist Alex L. du Toit and Birbal Sahni concerning Gondwana Palaeobotany (1925–1944)

Birbal Sahni (1891-1949) was well known as the first Indian palaeobotanist, and he established the Institute that was named after him, now the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences. Alexander L. du Toit (1878-1948) was the most famous South African geologist, known internationally for advocating the idea of Continental Drift, and for his work on Gondwana geology and palaeobotany. Du Toit was introduced to Sahni by Albert Seward, who was Sahni’s mentor at Cambridge University. They started a correspondence in 1925, involving the exchange of papers, books, and samples, which lasted at least until 1944. Du Toit and Sahni met in 1938 at the Indian Science Congress in Calcutta. Their preserved letters deal with the palaeobotany, correlations, and age of the Rajmahal beds, and later with the palynological investigations of Karoo Dwyka samples sent by du Toit to Sahni, which were worked on by D. D. Pant, who had been a student of Sahni. This correspondence reveals in detail just how these geoscientists involved with problems of Gondwana palaeogeography tackled these questions in spite of the long distances, and slow communications of the time. Information, especially that published in local journals, was disseminated by means of sending reprints, proof copies, and sometimes by handwritten lists of fossils. Although, initially, Sahni had obtained South African and Australian fossil material through the British Museum in London, he later obtained South African samples specially collected for him by du Toit. Samples were also exchanged between South Africa, England, India and Australia.

Peer review Declaration

All papers published in this volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series have been peer reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.• Type of peer review: Single-blind CONSILIO enforced a strict non-plagiarism policy. We are of the strong belief that academic research work should be original and published only once. We followed a very strict reviewing process to maintain the quality of the conference and its publication as in previous conferences. Single blind peer review of all papers was carried out by subject experts; average 2 reviewers per paper.• Conference submission management system: All the papers were submitted online through Easy Chair system https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=consilio2021• Number of submissions received: 285• Number of submissions sent for review: 259• Number of submissions accepted: 38• Acceptance Rate (Number of Submissions Accepted / Number of Submissions Received X 100): 14%• Average number of reviews per paper: 2• Total number of reviewers involved: 298• Contact persons for queries (a) Prof. Vipin Tyagi Past President : Engg Sciences Section, Indian Science Congress Association, Jaypee University of Engineering and Technology, Raghogarh, Guna (MP ) INDIAdr.vipin.tyagi@gmail.com(b) Dr. Mayank Singh Consilio Intelligence Research Lab, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Indiadr.mayank.singh@ieee.org

A few hours in the Seychelles with Alex du Toit in 1938

Alexander Logie du Toit (1878–1948) was South Africa’s most famous geologist during his lifetime, having authored five books which brought him world renown. In December 1937 to January 1938, accompanied by his wife Evelyn, he visited India in order to attend the Jubilee Indian Science Congress in Calcutta and to do field work in coal and diamond mines. On the return journey to Africa by ship, they stopped for a few hours in Port Victoria on Mahé Island in the Seychelles archipelago. They also passed by Silhouette Island. Du Toit recorded his activities in a diary, and his geological observations in a notebook, where he also drew a sketch of Mahé, and recorded steep structures on the east coast of Silhouette. Although he had not visited the Seychelles before, his deep understanding of the problems of Seychelles geology resulted from his comprehensive research on Indian Ocean geology for his 1937 book Our Wandering Continents. He made remarkably accurate observations on the geomorphology and structure, some of which were only confirmed decades later when the Seychelles were mapped in the 1960s to 1990s. His bold and prescient ideas on the breakup of the Gondwana continent, and on the formation of the Indian Ocean, have been amply confirmed by modern studies, especially by those of Lewis D. Ashwal and his collaborators.
 Significance:
 
 South African geologist Alexander Logie du Toit’s impressions of the Seychelles in 1938 are recorded for the first time, based on entries in his diaries. His observations of structures on Mahé and Silhouette Islands were prescient. His deep understanding of Seychelles geology was the result of his research for his 1937 book Our Wandering Continents. His bold conjecture that the Mascerene Ridge, made of continental crust, was the nucleus of Mauritius, was finally proved in 2017.

3rd International Conference on Current Scenario in Pure and Applied Mathematics (ICCSPAM - 2020)

Dr. V. KOKILAVANI Convener - ICCSPAM 2020Head, PG & Research Department of MathematicsKongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous)Coimbatore - 641 029, Tamil Nadu, India.Email: iccspam2020@gmail.comThe PG and Research Department of Mathematics of Kongunadu Arts and Science College organized the 3rd International Conference on Current Scenario in Pure and Applied Mathematics (ICCSPAM-2020), sponsored by the University Grants Commission (under autonomy scheme) and Indian Science Congress Association, Coimbatore Chapter from 30.01.2020 to 31.01.2020 in the College premises. The Organising secretaries of this conference were Dr.M.Venkatachalam, Dr.L.Vidyarani, Dr.C.Ravichandran and Dr.S.P.R.Priyalatha. List of Chief Patronsare, Chairman, Convenor, Organizing Secretaries, Organizing Committee, Editorial Board, Scientific Committee and Reviewers are available in this pdf.

Tribute to Vikram Sarabhai

When I was very young, I remember people doing balloon experiments in the Indian Institute of Science campus, Bangalore. It was young Sarabhai with Homi Bhabha carrying out cosmic ray experiments. Vikram Sarabhai officially had registered for the Ph D degree of Cambridge University under the supervision of C. V. Raman, but his immediate guide was Homi Bhabha. Though I could not have known him at that time, I got in touch with him in 1961 when he was the President of the Physics Section of the Indian Science Congress. He had invited me to give a talk on Spectroscopy in Chemistry. After that meeting, we became good friends and met each other on different occasions.

Research Integrity in the Context of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) Framework

In April 2017 the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, organized a national consultation on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). Five key issues aligning in the RRI framework were discussed in the meeting, which are namely public engagement, open access, gender equality, science education, and ethics. As pointed out by the expert panelists, the aspects of ethics in research and academia include the research integrity, minimization of research misconduct and plagiarism, besides a few others. Recently launched “RRI-Practice Report from National Case Study: India”, extensively analyzed the public policy instruments facilitating the governance of responsible research in India. The fundamental tenets of responsibility in research and innovation are to be based on the ideas of Access, Equity, and Inclusion (AEI), as identified by the said country case study. On the other hand, the idea of Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) was advocated by the Prime Minister of India in lines with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) during the 104th Indian Science Congress, 2017. RRI framework addresses many of the critical issues related to SSR. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges in the RRI Framework while ensuring the research integrity in India. This paper includes the highlights from the INSA Policy Statement on "Dissemination and Evaluation of Research Output in India" (2018), UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations (2018), and RRI-Practice’s “Report from National Case Study: India” (2018).

Role of Indian Science Congress Association, 1914-1947

Role of Indian Science Congress Association, 1914-1947

Arun Kumar Sharma (1924–2017)

Professor Arun Kumar Sharma, former Sir Rash Behari Ghosh Professor and Head of the Department of Botany, founder Programme Coordinator of the Centre of Advanced Studies in Cell and Chromosome Research at the University of Calcutta, and Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow and National Professor of the University Grants Commission, INSA Golden Jubilee Professor, President of the Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences India, and General President of the Indian Science Congress Association, a distinguished alumni and recipient of the best teacher award of the University of Calcutta, and the founder and editor-in-chief of the international journal Nucleus (Springer Nature), breathed his last on 6 July 2017 in Kolkata. Whereas the Sharmas (A. K. Sharma and Archana Sharma (AS)) did not have any biological progeny, they are survived by a large number of students (who consider themselves as their surrogate sons and daughters), admirers and academic beneficiaries spread across the globe.

The Roles and Dimensions of Science and Technology in India’s Foreign Policy

The new millennium perspectives on science and technology and its role in India’s foreign policy can be ascertained from a variety of instances. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his visit to the US in September 2000 talked about the ‘repositioning’ of India in regional and world affairs. In January 2015, during his address to the Indian Science Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about a growing trend of international collaboration in research and development that India should be able to take advantage of. It was primarily for this reason that PM Modi had placed science and technology at the forefront of India’s diplomatic engagement. The fact that this address was made at the Indian Science Congress and not at a meeting of Indian ambassadors was in itself significant. Besides, the recent discourse in newspapers on India’s membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) has been led by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), rather than by the country’s scientific community. This substantive involvement is indicative of the noticeable diffusion of science and technology into India’s foreign policy-making.

Indian Science Congress - A Circus or a Forum for Showcasing Hard Science?

The recent comment of Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Nobel laureate of Indian origin and President of the Royal Society of Britain, about the Indian Science Congress (ISC), 'It was a circus. I find that it's an organization where very little science is discussed', triggered a lot of debate on the seriousness of the organization and deliberations in ISC. Perhaps, the same is relevant for meetings of some other societies in different branches of sciences in India. The media reactions varied from strongly endorsing Ramakrishnan's views to the defence of the status quo and the manner in which ISC is conducted.

Climate Change in the Indian Perspective and Its Societal Impacts

Various symposia/plenary sessions/panel discussions/popular plenary lectures, and sectional activities spreading over 14 different sections were organized as part of the 102nd Indian Science Congress (ISC).

Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013: outline of a coherent strategy for translating it into action

Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2013, announced in January 2013 during the centenary session of the Indian Science Congress held in Kolkata, declared in no uncertain terms that the science, technology and innovation (STI) system would be the driving force for a faster, sustainable and inclusive economic growth of India. In the past we have witnessed successful applications of science and technology (S&T) in addressing societal problems in India, in the Green Revolution, the White Revolution and in space and communication science to name a few. This has helped improve the quality of life of a large part of our population and strengthened our economic independence. We have also before us, the examples of war-ravaged Japan, which resurrected its economy post World War II and systematically went up the technology ladder by virtue of its reliance on strength of S&T. In the recent past countries like South Korea, have emerged as technological giants in the competitive world. In this backdrop, our new STIP appears to be most appropriate. It is absolutely necessary to launch policy initiatives simultaneously in different spheres to create an enabling environment for successful implementation of the different aspects of this STIP. This article attempts to draw an outline of such a coherent strategy.

Jung in India by Sulagna Sengupta

Author Evangeline Rand, whose book A Jasmine Journey deals with identical subject matter, responds to Jung in India by Sulagna Sengupta. Although the two books complement each other, emerging from opposite sides of the world, this particular reflection focuses on the historical work of Sulagna Sengupta and her gathering of newly discovered archival materials from Jung's momentous journey, its purpose and contexts, and the change in consciousness that Jung underwent owing to his experience of India, in particular, the Calcutta fulcrum point of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Indian Science Congress Association. From Sengupta's gathered threads, Rand finally hints at the aesthetic appreciations of Jung that developed until his death, and which seem to have been promoted by his earlier contacts and experiences of some of the astonishing, monumental, and intimate arts in India.

India Poised to Join Hunt for Gravitational Waves

India intends to host the third detector in a U.S.-based array known as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced on 3 February at the Indian Science Congress in Jammu.

Foreigners in the pursuit of science in India

At the 101st Indian Science Congress this month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced grand plans to bring back leading Indian scientists working outside the country. Nature India analyses a parallel new trend — that of foreign scientists trickling in to work in Indian labs. At the 101st Indian Science Congress this month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced grand plans to bring back leading Indian scientists working outside the country. Nature India analyses a parallel new trend — that of foreign scientists trickling in to work in Indian labs.

Editorial

Editorial

2013 IFSI Honorary Fellowship awarded to Dr. M. Munawar, President and Chief Editor, AEHMS

The Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society (AEHMS) is very pleased to announce that our President, Dr. Mohiuddin Munawar, has recently been awarded the 2013 Honorary Fellowship by the Inland Fisheries Society of India (IFSI). Dr. A.P. Sharma, President of IFSI and Director of Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) announced that, “This award is in recognition of the scientific activities of Dr. Munawar on behalf of AEHMS that have been held in India or focussed on India” (award letter included below):AEHMS’ first steps in India were a collaboration in 1999 with the National Institute of Ecology (NIE), India, to co-sponsor a conference entitled ‘Aquatic Ecosystem Health of Tropical and Temperate Regions: Health & Management,’ recognizing that India itself has ecosystems ranging from tropical to temperate. A special issue of Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management (AEHM) was published in 2001 based on the papers originating from that conference.In 2006, another symposium was co-organized by AEHMS, this time with Patna University, India, on “The Majestic River Ganga: Health, Integrity and Management.” This symposium attracted a large number of researchers from across India to focus for the first time on the past, present, and future research on River Ganges.The scientific cooperation with Indian research organizations continued with the convening of a special session on climate change as part of the International Tropical Ecology Congress (Dehra Dun, India, 2007) with H.N.B. Garhwal University, and a special symposium focusing on “Ecosystem Health of Indian River Systems” at the 8th Indian Fisheries Forum in Kolkata (2008), co-sponsored by CIFRI and AEHMS. This meeting resulted in the establishment of a working group for the publication of a compendium of 5 research articles (AEHMS, 2010).AEHMS’ collaboration with CIFRI for the Indian environment experienced a boost with the arrival of its new director, Dr. A. P. Sharma. Subsequent researchers from across India were invited to present their research at a workshop (April 2012) in Barrackpore entitled ‘Ecosystem Health of Major Rivers of India.’ Based on its success, a symposium was organized in conjunction with centenary celebrations of the Indian Science Congress at Kolkata in 2013, at which approximately 40 papers were presented dealing with the ‘Health and fisheries of the major river ecosystems of India with emphasis on River Ganga’. The above events have produced high quality papers on Indian rivers which have been divided into two publications: “Ecology of the Mighty Ganges: Health, Fisheries and Management”: special issue of AEHM (this issue).“Health and Fisheries of the Major River Ecosystem of India”: a peer reviewed book to be published under the Ecovision World Monograph Series of the AEHMS in 2014.This history carried out during the past 15 years provides a record of the remarkable vision, energy, and long term dedication of Dr. Munawar to the international presence and impact of AEHMS in India, with the support of his highly committed AEHMS staff, and scientific colleagues. Yet the reach of the AEHMS' influence, with its aquatic ecosystem health and science-based management, extends not only to India but also to include Africa, China, Malaysia, the Middle East, Europe, North and South America, and other regions of the world. It is therefore gratifying that the AEHMS has been invited by CIFRI to convene its upcoming 12th biennial conference in Kolkata, India.

The 100th Indian Science Congress

The 100th Indian Science Congress

Bold strategies for Indian science

When an Indian prime minister publicly admits that India has fallen behind China, it is news. Manmohan Singh's statement last January at the Indian Science Congress in Bhubaneswar that this is so with respect to scientific research, and that “India's relative position in the world of science has been declining”, has rung alarm bells. Singh was not springing anything new on Indian scientists; many of us will admit that things are not well1. Recognizing the problem is the first step towards reversing this slide.

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