THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite having 17.5 per cent of the world’s brains, India accounts for only 2.7 per cent of the world’s research output, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday. Indian brains are being used elsewhere, he said calling for more focus on research activities.
He was speaking at the lecture series titled ‘Future of Higher Education in India’ at the Kerala University Researchers’ Fest. The Thiruvananthapuram MP commended the University of Kerala for organising the fest, considering the growing disconnect between research and research opportunities.
Tharoor also praised the university’s research activities and highlighted the impressive research gallery, showcasing a wide range of subjects from hydrogen production methods to palm leaf texts. However, Tharoor expressed concern over the challenging situation faced by educational institutions, students, and researchers in the post-Covid era.
He lauded the University of Kerala’s research department for producing inventions that enhance India’s reputation commercially, considering the current circumstances. Former minister Mullakara Ratnakaran shared his perspective, stating that for the mind to remain vibrant, social sciences should grow alongside science and technology.
He emphasized the profound impact even small changes in the body or mind can have on humanity. Ratnakaran emphasized that knowledge becomes meaningful when it is applied and related to society.
“Family plays a major role in imparting social knowledge. Mothers in the old joint family system are the repositories of social knowledge deeply rooted in values. That is why Vivekananda said that there are cultural heroines in every house in India,” Ratnakaran said.
He said that science, technology, language, and history should be combined with the values that are imparted to us. The event also featured speeches by Kerala University Syndicate members A Ajikumar and S Naseeb, Head of Aquatic Biology Department A Biju Kumar, Dean of the University Sajad Ibrahim, and writer Sunil P Ilayidom, who addressed the fest in the evening.