Karnataka scientists hit out at 'Akash Tatva' meet

BENGALURU: Scientists have hit out at several government departments, including the India Space Research Organisation (ISRO), for a conference that will include teachings on ‘Panchabhootas’, the five basic elements proposed by ancient scriptures.

The Karnataka Chapter for the India March for Science (IMFS) hit out at the organisation and departments involved in the conference for promoting aspects of ancient science as modern science. “Today, science is an international activity. Though we are all proud of our ancestors and their contributions to overall human development, there is nothing to be gained by projecting their teachings as totally equivalent to science. We reject the concept of Panchabhootas – the sky, earth, water are not elements. Such concepts have been deleted from science books a long time back,” they said in a statement.

The two-day conference ‘Akash Tatva’ is a joint collaboration between ISRO, the Ministry of Science and Technology and Vijnana Bharati, an organisation that aims to link traditional and modern science. 
In response to the conference announcement, R L Mauryan, IMFS Karnataka convener, appealed to the government to conduct its moral duty in spreading awareness on science and fostering a scientific temper.

“In these days, when there is a serious financial crunch in the government money allotted to science, and science awards are being eliminated, the money spent on such trivial events should be curtailed and used to disseminate the principles of modern science,” he said.