Science Is Bigger Than Scientists
Today marks the birth anniversary of Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, one of the principal architects of modern Indian science. His contributions extended far beyond physics. Through the Tata Institute of...
Can Science Predict What It Will Discover?
Science can set ambitious goals and justify public investment, but the most important discoveries are often the ones no research proposal could have predicted. Voyager 1 had a defined mission,...
A Scientist’s Hierarchy of Needs
We often ask whether a scientist has enough funding, equipment, students and laboratory space. We rarely ask whether the scientist has enough security, belonging, recognition, freedom and purpose. Yet the...
Let Scientists Do Science: Unshackling India’s Research Potential
India cannot become a scientific power by funding laboratories while burdening scientists with the very bureaucracy that prevents them from using them effectively. Indian science presents a curious paradox. We...
The New Independence
AI generated image During the global semiconductor shortage, production of cars worth lakhs of rupees was disrupted because manufacturers could not obtain tiny chips costing a fraction of the vehicle's...
The Invisible Campus
AI generated image Walk into the faculty room of any university during a tea break and listen carefully. The conversations are rarely about ideas. They revolve around delayed promotions, committee...
How Scientists Should Publish
AI generated image Every profession has its own measure of success. A lawyer wins a case. An entrepreneur builds a company. An athlete breaks a record. A scientist, however, succeeds...
Where Scientists Publish
In 1924, Satyendra Nath Bose sent his groundbreaking paper on quantum statistics directly to Albert Einstein. Recognising its significance, Einstein translated it into German and secured its publication, laying the...
Why Scientists Publish
Science was not created to produce papers. Papers were created to advance science. AI generated image Scientific publishing occupies a central place in modern research. Publications influence careers, funding decisions,...
Engineering Begins Where Jugaad Ends
India’s journey from a developing nation to a developed one will depend on building institutions that deliver reliability, precision and scale. AI generated image The title may sound unfair to...
