View: Providing a true picture of the world, only science can help India against coronavirus

By Jayant Sinha

As the coronavirus continues its deadly spread around the world, it is only science that protects us. Many different scientists and experts are responding to the global challenge: geneticists, emergency care physicians, epidemiologists, immunologists, virologists, transportation experts, operations researchers, economists, supply chain specialists, public finance experts, central bankers, the list goes on. Their deep technical expertise, honed through years of education and practice, keeps us from falling into the abyss.

Ultimately, it is the practice of science – developing new ideas, testing them against hard evidence, replicating them successfully, scaling them up, and then further improving them through honest feedback – that drives all of them. This is the quintessential scientific method, the unrelenting search for truth.


What science tells us about coronavirus infections has reached everyone. People are wearing masks, washing their hands, and avoiding crowds. Yet most people I meet are stumped by questions such as: What is a virus? How does it actually spread? How does your body fight the coronavirus? Why do some people die from the virus? This indeed is the great paradox of our times. Even as science becomes more vital, fewer and fewer people understand and appreciate it. As a child who loved science, as a young man trained in engineering, and as a technocrat who believes in analytical reasoning and hard evidence, I find this hard to accept.

To change this state of affairs, we must focus on four key areas. First, science must be given its due importance. We are afflicted by too much quackery and superstition. Too many people believe in mumbo-jumbo and meaningless rituals. Of course, mythology has immense power to shape people’s beliefs, but it must be acknowledged that it is only science that can solve our material problems.

While there is certainly much wisdom in age-old practices, it is primarily because there is a genuine scientifically proven cause-and-effect relationship that underlies these practices. For instance, quarantining was practised in the medieval ages as well, but we now know that it works by preventing the spread of infectious viruses and bacteria. In short, we would all be much better off if we shifted some of our time and resources away from blind faith and towards a better scientific understanding of the world.

Second, our children must learn honestly about science. There is no ‘Western’ concept of science taught in schools which should then be negated at home. Science is universal – just look up the path-breaking research conducted by SN Bose, or CV Raman, or S Chandrasekhar. The pure scientific truth that they discovered holds true everywhere, even in the deep cosmos.

Teachers and parents must tell children that science is the pursuit of truth and provides a true picture of the world. Believing in science may well lead children to question the belief systems of their elders. So be it. We should not demand obedience from our children, rather we should encourage them to probe all that we do. After all, they are going to inherit the world and they have a right to discover the truth.

Third, we must revere our scientists and technologists. It is through their efforts that we flourish today. Unfortunately, we seem to believe that we need to constantly worship celebrities. So much social media time and attention is devoted to inane chattering about celebrities’ clothings, wanderings and musings. In all this noise, we lose track of what our real heroes are doing on the frontiers of human knowledge.

Even our start-up culture tends to value the business celebrity, not so much the tech nerd. In fact, the most exceptional entrepreneurs are those who combine deep technical knowledge with great business acumen. Billions of dollars of wealth has been created by writing great code, developing insanely good products, creating clever new financial solutions, and establishing entirely new scientific approaches. As a society, we must find ways of rewarding our top innovators and ensure that they are feted as the genuine superstars of our country.

Finally, we must massively strengthen our scientific institutions. This includes our top universities, engineering institutes, research labs and centres, and start-ups. The hard work of science gets done in these places and they must be among the best in the world. There is no other way.

To date, our scientific institutes are still underfunded, stifled through bureaucratic controls, and poorly governed. Sufficient funding must be directed to top institutions through an external, objective panel of top global scientists. Our best diaspora scientists should be provided generous support to come back to India and set up their research labs. Top scientific institutions must be granted the autonomy to govern themselves, hire the best faculty, attract great students from around the world, and pursue the best research. To that end, I have introduced a private members bill to grant IIM-level autonomy to the IITs that have been selected as institutions of eminence.

Our civilisation is marked by its unending quest for knowledge, starting with the Nasadiya Sukta in the Rig Veda itself. The Mundaka Upanishad enlightens us: Satyameva Jayate – Truth alone triumphs. Our republic is based on this eternal principle. We can only win the war against coronavirus disease, against all the challenges that menace us, when we reject falsehood and embrace the truth that science represents.

(The writer is chairman of the standing committee on finance in Parliament and Lok Sabha member from Hazaribagh. Views are personal)