Recently, I attended a very informative workshop at IIT
Madras Research Park. We had this fantastic, knowledgeable professor managing
the business. He has fantastic voice modulation and affirmative demeanor to
command one and all. He was at his poetic best while explaining science.
Centre has fantastic research centre hosting Saint Gobain
research labs, incubation centre and many more. They are coming up with
international centre for clean water. The centre in its brick & mortar
form- have only under construction workstations, seminar halls, wires lying
here and there at this moment. However, our respected professor shepherded all
of us a strong 100 delegates squeezing into 4 lifts, given instructions where
to be clicked and how many times, also forcing us to visualize what they were
building. I am not really sure, and many were of my kind, what was there to
see.
Over break, I was discussing with my colleague, why all of
us went to see that under construction part of building which he kept referring
as Taj Mahal. And there was a tentative agreement this was coz of IIT enigma
and technology folklore that our society has perpetuated over generations. Giving
primacy of science specially technology over all other disciplines
collectively.
That brought me to the next question- can we possibly create
same glamour for social science or possibly community work. Not sure I can say
yes. The last celebrated community worker so to say, who went on becoming
famous was Mr. Obama. He supposedly decided to do community work over normal
law practice.
Social Science folks did have some enigma and fair share of
folkloric status. I did manage to visit Tagore's house and did see where Amartya
Sen used to live and did go with all curiosity to JNU academic block or Dhabas.
And those are mostly history and that does grip you and transport you in life
and times of iconic people.
But I am not sure, a professor in best of the social science
institutes in India or outside could take for a guided tour to show only under
construction building to 100 odd strong crowd, mostly very qualified and
scientists.
Interestingly spaces where we operate need community work to
be more glamorized inviting smart young people to join and talk with the same
sense of fulfilment, assertion and authority. Wish we could be same diligent in
reporting every data points, every emotions, that we encounter while we work
with community.
Someday, we get to the point asking discovery or invention of
another technology is not the answer of the technology which failed due to lack
of community work.
Incentivize community work better. And possibly that can
make it glamorous as well.
