Breakthrough Science society abroad chapter

Indian science community CONDEMNS pseudo-scientific claims in a conference organized by R.I.E., Bhopal

Press release:

Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Bhopal is hosting an International Conference “Emerging Trends & Innovations in School Sciences” from 6 to 8 February 2019. The conference is attended by participants from different parts of India as well as a number of foreign participants. On the first day today, the conference had two parallel sessions on “Ancient Scientific Knowledge in Recent Perspectives”. As per eyewitness account of these sessions and contemporaneous notes taken by persons in the audience, several speakers giving contributed presentations in these sessions made a number of questionable claims. We list some of the examples here:

- Doing ‘pradakshina’ of the tulsi plant gives a cooling effect to body and improve immune system.

- Vedic knowledge does not need scientific scrutiny. It is correct because our grandparents have taught us that.

- Peepal tree uses maximum CO2.

- Sindoor helps in balancing blood pressure and stress.

- Gomutra is an antibiotic.

- Sleeping with head towards south helps in blood circulation towards the brain.

- Water falling towards the rising sun is good for the eyes.

- In the ‘namaste’ way of wishing, the top of all fingers is pressed, which keeps transitive viruses and bacteria away.

- By pricking of ears, blood circulation in the veins is controlled.

- When we apply ‘teeka’, acupressure point is pressed.

It is obvious that each of these claims is a perfect examples of pseudo-science. Scientists who have held march for science for the past two years precisely oppose such propagation of pseudo-scientific beliefs. Recently, Prof. K. Vijayraghavan, principal scientific advisor to Government of India, wrote in an online article that propagation of such claims is certainly not warranted and it becomes duty of organisers and session chairs to ensure that such claims are not presented from the dais. Unfortunately, it seems the organisers of this conference and the respective session chairs have utterly failed in this case. In fact, when we came across the conference schedule, we emailed the conference organisers as well as Principal of RIE, Bhopal and requested that they vet these sessions a priori as the titles looked suspicious enough. We also contacted some members personally to alert them about these suspicious talks. Sadly, all our warnings fell on deaf ears and organisers did not take any steps to stop these talks from happening. Even during the session, when several members of the audience questioned the claims, the session chair and other guests tried to protect the speakers and made excuses for them.

We, the science educators and rational thinkers, reject all these claims and condemn them. We also condemn conference organisers for their selection of such pseudo-scientific abstracts for presentation and session chairs for their lack of intervention to stop such talks. We hope that organisers would take necessary action at least now and clearly denounce all these talks. We hope the organisers will not confer legitimacy to these claims through their appearance in the proceedings of a conference organised by an institute that is held in good regard by the education community.

Signed and endorsed by:

1. Organisations

Breakthrough Science Society

All India People’s Science Network

Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti

Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations

2. Individuals

Dr. Aniket Sule, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE-TIFR), Mumbai

Prof. Soumitro Banerjee, IISER, Kolkata

Mr. S. Krishnaswamy, All India People’s Science Network, Chennai

Prof. Prajval Shastri, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (retd), Bengaluru

Prof. Priyadarshini Karve, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Pune

Prof. T. Jayaraman, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

Prof. Tejal Kanitkar, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

Prof. S. G. Dani, UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai

Prof. Arnab Bhattacharya, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai

Prof. Pradeep Dasgupta, All India Nayee Talim Samiti, Sewagram

Dr. Rohini Karandikar, HBCSE (TIFR), Mumbai

Mr. Kedar Soni, Abhinav Vidyalaya, Dombivali

Ms. Geeta Mahashabde, Navanirmiti Learning Foundation, Pune

Dr. Manojendu Choudhury, IUCAA, Pune

Prof. Medha Rajadhyaksha, Sophia College, Mumbai

Ms. Sushama Bakshi, Kilbiliat, Mumbai

Prof. Sabyasachi Chaterjee, All India People’s Science Network, Bengaluru

Dr. Shweta Naik, HBCSE(TIFR), Mumbai

Prof. Jyotsna Vijapurkar, HBCSE(TIFR), Mumbai

Prof. S. Mahadevan, IISc, Bengaluru

Prof. Mayank Vahia, NMIMS, Mumbai

Prof. G. Nagarjuna, HBCSE(TIFR), Mumbai

Prof. Dhrubajyoti Mukhopadhyay, Raman Centre for Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Kolkata