Science Has a Lot to Learn from Religion & Vice Versa: Anil Ananthaswamy

From being a software engineer to an acclaimed science writer, Anil Ananthaswamy's passion has taken him places. The 52-year-old awardwinning author of the critically acclaimed extreme physics travel book 'The Edge of Physics' is back with his new non-fiction, 'The Man Who Wasn't There', a scientific inquiry into how the sense of self is created. Anil divides his time between Bengaluru and the UK and is a consultant at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. He spoke to ET's Divya J Shekhar and J Vignesh. Edited excerpts:

What kind of research went into understanding and equating conditions like schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and epilepsy to one's sense of self?

Right from conceptualisation to publication took me 4.5 years. Conditions like schizophrenia, Alzheimer's or different forms of epilepsy disturb one's self in very different ways. I started identifying conditions that

Religion, spirituality and science do not go together traditionally. How have you brought them together in the narrative?

Normally, I don't mix up science and spirituality but self and consciousness are subjective issues that are still slightly difficult for science to deal with. I start the book with a Buddhist parable because the underpinning of the religion has to do with the nature of the self.Science has a lot to learn from religion and vice versa.

Why a subjective issue like `self' after extreme physics travel?

In `The Edge of Physics' I wanted the readers feel a certain way about physics and not just learn it. I wanted them to feel the immensity of the cosmos and the questions that are being asked. The book ended with visits to monasteries where one is intrigued by the metaphorical connections between monks and astronomers on mountaintops. I have always been interested in these questions.

How can you make science writing interesting for the masses?

It is fundamentally storytelling.Context and history make a good and memorable story because without them there is no richness. Readers always connect to any story visually.

To what extent is Bengaluru being able to participate in research?

Our research institutes should encourage popular science writing so that the layperson understands what is being done. Our main strengths lie in theoretical physics and radio astronomy.