Photo: Dennis CJ / Research Matters
Vigyan Prasar is preparing to start a new series on sustainable development, to be aired on the radio and supported by All India Radio (AIR) and Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST). Various researchers, conservationists and AIR broadcasters from various states met on November 3rd, 2016, in Bangalore for a two-day workshop to discuss the format and the content of the programme. Several luminaries attended the inauguration of the workshop including Dr. R. Gopichandran, Director of Vigyan Prasar, Dr. B. K Tyagi, Scientist-E at Vigyan Prasar, Mrs. B.V. Padma, Station Director of AIR, Bengaluru, Prof. H N Chanakya, the chief research scientist at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, IISc and Prof. S. Subramanian, Secretary of KSCST.
Vigyan Prasar was set up in 1989 as an autonomous organization under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India with the objective of popularizing and promoting science and technology using different media outlets and emerging technologies. Vigyan Prasar has, in the past, successfully conducted radio serials on topics such as ‘understanding and managing disasters’. Apart from radio, they also produce television shows such as India@IT revolution and Science this week. Currently, the organization broadcasts from 117 different stations in cities around India, in 19 different languages and reaches close to 18 lakh consumers.
Sustainable development is a way of development with judicial use of natural resources to meet the needs of the present, without affecting the needs of the future. Many nations are already facing acute shortages of resources, either due to over exploitation or pollution and thus, sustainability has now become a necessity for nations, both rich and poor. The challenge, however, is in developing models that are region specific. The sustainable solutions to problems must be tailored to the unique circumstances and conditions in a specific region. The workshop aims to model a programme that could enable designing and developing models and policies tailored to the Indian context.
“We don’t have a word for ‘waste’ in most of the Indian languages. This is because we had shortage of resources, so much so, that we couldn’t afford to waste anything. Our ideas of sustainability too are based on strong societal foundations and not economically motivated, like in the west. Yet, we have copied the ideas of sustainability and waste management from the west and when we apply them here, it doesn’t always work. We need to come up with socially, economically and regionally acceptable models for sustainability and development. We need to re-think, re-look and re-formulate our concept and understanding of sustainability and sustainable development”, explains Prof. Chanakya, addressing the crowd.
His thoughts were echoed by Dr. Gopichandran who said, “We definitely need to come up with a unique model that best suits us. Apart from that, nations also need to create awareness among its citizens, so that they can pick the right habits that support a sustainable model of development. This can be achieved through science communication”. He goes on to say, “There are three main objectives of a programme for science communication and sustainability - using science communication to create awareness, helping others communicate science effectively and finally, with the help of communication, empowering people to make good decisions”.
India is now reeling from the effects of severe droughts and decline in the amount of rainfall. Several parts of the country face shortages in power and water, making it very difficult to live, while certain other parts of the country are becoming uninhabitable due to declining air quality. An initiative to discuss, design and spread awareness about sustainability and sustainable development would not just save countless lives, but also ensure a safe and plentiful future for the generations to come.