The India International Science Festival sends a wider message that a nation’s scientific future is built not only in laboratories but in how enthusiastically its people embrace scientific thinking. AI generated image The India International Science Festival 2025 will be held in Chandigarh from 6 to 9 December, bringing together scientists, students, innovators, educators and citizens in a national celebration of science. In just a decade, the festival has grown into one of the country’s most visible platforms for public engagement with science. It is relatively young, yet it carries a historical aspiration that Indian science should not remain confined to laboratories, research institutes or specialist conversations. The festival was conceived to give this aspiration a national expression. Its founders, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Vijnana Bharati, envisioned it as a place where students, teachers, scientists, entrepreneurs, artists and citizens can meet in an environment that blends learning with curiosity and research with imagination. Scientific Temper India is a country of festivals, and in this vast celebratory landscape, a science festival stands out as something uniquely powerful. The India International Science Festival is not merely an event but a collective expression of scientific temper. Article 51A(h) of the Constitution of India explicitly calls upon every citizen to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform. IISF brings this constitutional expectation to life in a dynamic and inclusive way. It belongs to Bharat and to every Indian, reminding us that the pursuit of knowledge deserves the same joy, participation and national pride that we associate with our cultural festivals. This quality makes IISF distinctive and explains why its popularity has risen rapidly across regions and age groups. The first edition was held in 2015 in New Delhi. Its intent was clear from the beginning. India needed a major annual event dedicated not only to showcasing scientific achievements but also to nurturing scientific temper among millions of citizens. Over successive editions in New Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Kolkata, Goa, Bhopal and Guwahati, the festival evolved into one of the largest gatherings of scientific talent and public engagement in India. Participation expanded steadily, and the variety of activities widened. The 2024 edition held at IIT Guwahati, for example, drew around 7,000 delegates and more than 45,000 visitors over four days. One of the distinctive features of the festival has been its insistence that science must feel accessible, enjoyable and inspirational. The significance of the festival becomes clearer when viewed against the backdrop of India’s scientific ecosystem. The country has a vast network of research institutes and universities, and hundreds of scientific conferences, symposia and workshops are held every year across fields ranging from physics and agriculture to materials science and artificial intelligence. These meetings are essential for research progress and peer-to-peer exchange, but they are designed for specialists. Their discussions, technical vocabulary and formats are rarely accessible to the wider public. The India International Science Festival fills this important gap. It brings contemporary developments in science and technology to a broad audience in a form that is engaging, experiential and easy to understand. Its popularity reflects India’s shift from a publication driven view of science to a more innovation oriented and society-centred vision. The festival has grown during a period in which India’s scientific standing has expanded significantly. India is now among the top publishing nations globally. Patent filings have increased consistently over the last decade and the number of technology startups has crossed one lakh. Participation in the festival mirrors these trends. Students encounter role models and live demonstrations of technologies. Innovators gain visibility and mentorship. Government agencies explain missions and emerging opportunities to young people. Scientists engage directly with society, something they seldom get to do at academic conferences. For many young attendees, this is their first encounter with science as an exciting career possibility rather than a textbook subject. Across the world, science festivals wear different temperaments. Edinburgh courts families and classrooms with hands-on wonder; New York’s World Science Festival leans on theatre and public conversation; Genoa splices science with art and design; Washington’s version is a playground for schoolchildren and engineers-in-the-making. India’s International Science Festival, by contrast, has carved out a more overtly national purpose. With multiple ministries, research bodies, state governments, startups and universities in tow, it is a showcase of how science is meant to serve the nation’s developmental project. The themes of the festival have evolved with the changing priorities of the country. They reflect national aspirations such as Science for New India, Science for Transformation, Science for Self-Reliant India and Science and Technology Outreach in Amrit Kaal. The 2024 edition focused on transforming India into a science and technology driven global manufacturing hub. The 2025 edition in Chandigarh is centred on ‘Vigyan Se Samruddhi,’ emphasising how science and technology can contribute to national prosperity and self-reliance. This places students in direct contact with affordable technologies, AI models, medical devices, energy systems, water purification approaches, farm mechanisation tools and space technologies. Instead of reading about science, they witness it in operation. Inclusive Platform What makes the festival especially valuable is its inclusiveness. It brings together school children from remote districts, young innovators from small towns, eminent scientists who lead national missions, artists who interpret science creatively, teachers who nurture scientific curiosity and government agencies implementing major programmes. This mixture creates a democratic and optimistic energy around Indian science. For scientists, it is a reminder that public engagement is not peripheral to their work but central to building a scientifically aware society. As India aspires to become a major scientific and technological power, events like the India International Science Festival will play an increasingly important role. They also send a wider message that science belongs to everyone and that a nation’s scientific future is built not only in laboratories but in how enthusiastically its people embrace scientific thinking. (The author is the former Director, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune; Visiting Professor, IIT Bombay. Views personal.)
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