Goodbye Le Grand K

All of us had a brush with scientific metrology in our high school physics curriculum. Most of us may recall that there are seven fundamental physical variables viz., mass, length, time, temperature, current, luminance and amount of substance.  Their corresponding units of measurements are kilogram, meter, second, Kelvin, Ampere, candela and mole. All measurements of all types are based on one or more of these independent units. Two supplemental independent units radian and stradian are also recognized internationally, both dealing with angular measurements. All around the world metrologists are trying to represent the seven base units in terms of constants of nature such as velocity of light in vacuum and the  Planck’s constant. It is important therefore to have reliable and accurate measurements which are agreed and accepted by the relevant authorities worldwide.

Every year, May 20 is celebrated as World Metrology Day to commemorate the signing of the Meter Convention in 1875. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) at Paris was founded as an outcome of this treaty. It is the apex body responsible for scientific metrology. Among other responsibilities, it is the custodian of  Le Grand K or the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK)  a globally valid standard of measuring mass or weight. Standards are objects or ideas that are designated as being authoritative for some accepted reason. Whatever value they possess, is useful for comparison to unknowns for establishing an assigned value based on the standard. The design of this comparison process for measurements is metrology. Metrology is an old science, which has evolved over many centuries.  The earliest systems of weights and measures were based on human morphology and naturally occurring substances. Consequently, these units of measurement varied from place to place. Metrologists are therefore continuously involved in the development of new measurement techniques, instrumentation and procedures, to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for greater accuracy, increased reliability and rapidity of measurements. Although standardization of weights and measures has been a goal of social and economic advance since very early times, it was not until the 18th century that there was a unified system of measurement. The execution of measurement comparisons for the purpose of establishing the relationship between a standard and some other measuring device is known as calibration. The ideal standard is independently reproducible without uncertainty.   Metrology is not, however, exclusively the domain of scientists. It is something of vital importance to all of us. Our daily grocery and vegetable purchase is impossible without metrology. The International Prototype Kilogram ensures that wherever we are in the world one kilogram actually weighs one kilogram. Every country maintains its own metrology system. The National Physical Laboratory, India is the custodian of National Prototype of the Kilogram, copy No. 57 (NPK-57), which was provided by the BIPM in 1958 after its first calibration in 1955. The NPK-57 has been recalibrated in 1985, 1992, 2002 & 2012 so far at the BIPM. It is served as primary standard in India. The mass value of NPK-57 is disseminated to NPL mass standards from 1 mg to 2,000 kg, solid density standards and other derived parameters.

Astronomical Instruments in SPS Museum Srinagar

Heritage week is celebrated throughout world to conserve and appreciate ones history and culture. The department of Archives, archeology  and museums is also celebrating heritage week from 19-25 November by public display of rare manuscripts and medieval astronomical instruments like astrolabe and celestial globe. There are four astrolabes and one celestial globe on display in SPS museum during heritage week. Three of  the astrolabes have Sanskrit inscriptions and the only Indo-  Persian astrolabe is most elaborate. It is crafted by Ḍiyā al-Dīn Muḥammad  of prolific Allahdad family of Lahore in the year 1666 CE. All Sanskrit Astrolabes have been crafted by another prolific metallurgist Lala Bullohmal Lahori although they are not signed by him. The only celestial globe on display has also been crafted by  Lala Bullohmal Lahori. All these instruments have been crafted of brass of various compositions. The SPS museum possess few more traditional astronomical instrument like wooden celestial globe, a metallic gazetteer and a  wooden mater of an astrolabe. There are no information about these instruments in the museum such as from where and when they have been accessed. However several International researchers have studied these or similar instruments and catalogued few of them. Three of the instruments in SPS museum's collection are  unique and rare.

The astrolabe is an ancient astronomical instrument/ analogue computer. Astrolabe is a very versatile  instrument. It was first designed by Greeks to measure the altitude of a heavenly body. It was used to ascertain position of celestial bodies like Sun, Moon, planets and stars in the sky. It was also used for measuring height and distances in land surveys. It can also be used to simulate the motion of heavenly bodies at any locality and time. In fact it can also be used to measure time. The design, manufacture and applications of astrolabes were improved by Arabs in middle ages. It was used to calculate the Qibla and to find the times for Salah.

Several types of astrolabes have been made since antiquity. The most popular type is the planispheric astrolabe, on which the celestial sphere is projected onto the plane of the equator. A typical astrolabe was made of brass and was about 6-10 inches in diameter, although much larger and smaller ones were also made. An astrolabe consists of a disk, called the mater (mother), which is deep enough to hold one or more flat plates called tympans, or climates. A tympan is made for a specific latitude and is engraved with a stereographic projection of circles denoting azimuth and altitude and representing the portion of the celestial sphere above the local horizon. The rim of the mater is typically graduated into hours of time, degrees of arc. Above the mater and tympan, the rete or ankabut, a framework bearing a projection of the ecliptic plane and several pointers indicating the positions of the brightest stars, is free to rotate. The rete, representing the sky, functions as a star chart. When it is rotated, the stars and the ecliptic move over the projection of the coordinates on the tympan. One complete rotation corresponds to the passage of a day. On the back of the mater there is often engraved a number of scales that are useful in the astrolabe's various applications; these vary from designer to designer, but might include curves for time conversions, a calendar for converting the day of the month to the sun's position on the ecliptic, trigonometric scales, and a graduation of 360 degrees around the back edge. The alidade is attached to the back face. When the astrolabe is held vertically, the alidade can be rotated and the Sun or a star sighted along its length, so that its altitude in degrees can be read from the graduated edge of the astrolabe. The concept of astrolabe was introduced in India by noted polymath Alberuni through his writings. The medieval rulers Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Humayun patronized astronomy. During Mughal period some finest astrolabes were manufactured in Lahore. The Indo persian astrolabe in SPS museum has been designed and crafted in Lahore. It consists of  body with kursī shackle and ring, rete for 51 stars, 10 plates, alidade, pin and washer. There are ten plates serving the latitudes 11° to 45° at 2° intervals and the ecliptic coordinates and multiple horizons. Of the three Sanskrit astrolabes in the possession of SPS museum one is ordinary in the sense that similar astrolabe is extant in Rampur Raza library also. The two astrolabes which have solid retes are unique. No such sample is extant anywhere except SPS museum. Noted Scholar SR Sarma has attributed these two to Lala Bulhomal Lahori.

A celestial globe is a three dimensional model of the sky. It was mostly used for  pedagogical purpose rather than an observational instrument like astrolabe. The celestial globe has the advantage of simplicity of design and the ability to function at any geographic location. A hollow celestial globe can either be made in two hemispheres and joined or they can be casted seamlessly in single piece using lost wax technique. The earliest confirmed date for the manufacture of a seamless cast globe is 1589-90 CE, when a globe made by 'Ali Kashmirl ibn Luqman' was produced. The technology of  casting of seamless celestial globe was transferred from Kashmir to Lahore and Allahdad family and Lala Bulhomal also practiced the same technology. There are about 20 extant globes in the world crafted using the technique of lost wax. Even present day copper metallurgists of Kashmir use similar wax inside their copper bowls to provide rigidity while carving designs.

There are no constellation figures on the  globe at SPS museum,  the positions of some prominent stars like Suhel are marked with inlaid silver nails. Unlike in other globes by Bulhomal, there are no meridian circles here. The globe is mounted on a three-legged stand. The stand consists of an ornate horizontal ring, a meridian ring and a zenith ring without a crown. Both the horizontal and meridian rings are graduated in 1° and 6° and labelled in Abjad notation. An axis passing through the two celestial poles on the globe is pivoted to the meridian ring in the stand. The curved legs are decorated with a leaf pattern.

SPS museum also possess a unique Safvid qibla indicator. On the two outer and the two inner side of the qibla indicator, the geographic information  is engraved in  annular circles, carrying the names, longitudes and latitudes of many localities arranged according 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 degree lattitudes, the numbers starting from the equator and reaching to the tropics. There is an urgent need to do a scientific study of all these astronomical instruments to know the history of science in this region.

Longest Lunar Eclipse

An spectacular lunar eclipse will be taking place during the night of 27-28 July.  If weather permits, the entire cosmic event will be visible from Srinagar and other parts of the state. The penumbral eclipse will begin at quarter to eleven in night and end after Fajr, making it longest eclipse of the century.  The total eclipse will begin at quarter past one and end at quarter to three.  In the night of the eclipse, full moon is also at its farthest from the earth (Apogee) so it will look relatively smaller in the sky hence it is called micro moon in contrast to supermoon when it appears largest.

 A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur during the night of a full moon. It might be expected that during every full moon  the Earth's shadow will fall on the Moon, causing a lunar eclipse.  Lunar eclipses are not observed every month because the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted by about five degrees with respect to the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. Thus, when a full moons occurs, the Moon usually lies to the north or south of a direct line through the Earth and Sun. Although a lunar eclipse can only occur when the Moon is  full, it must also be positioned very near the intersection of Earth's orbital plane about the Sun and the Moon's orbital plane about the Earth that is, at one of its nodes.

The shadow of the Earth can be divided into two distinctive parts: the umbra and penumbra. Within the umbra, there is no direct solar radiation. Due to the Sun’s large angular size, solar light is only partially blocked in the outer portion of the Earth’s shadow or penumbra. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s penumbra. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a portion of the Moon enters the umbra. When the Moon travels completely into the Earth’s umbra, one observes a total lunar eclipse.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a certain relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth. A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas a total solar eclipse lasts for only a few minutes at any given place, due to the smaller size of the moon's shadow.

Since moon is a non luminous body, lunar eclipses (unlike Solar Eclipses) are completely safe to observe with the naked eye - no special equipment or filters are needed. Sometimes a Total Lunar Eclipse is best viewed without any optical aid, and just lying under the stars watching the change as the Moon first gets slightly darker (penumbral phase), then starts to get eaten away (partial phase), finally turning deep red or copper coloured as it enters totality. During a total lunar eclipse, the sun’s direct light is blocked by the earth and does not reach the moon. A small amount of the sunlight that passes through earth’s atmosphere, however, is refracted or “bent” towards the moon by the atmosphere and is reflected towards us on earth by the moon. Particles in the atmosphere also preferentially scatter away the bluer light of shorter wavelengths and only the redder light that has relatively longer wavelengths gets through, similar to the sunlight we see at sunset and sunrise. This redder light reaches the moon because of the bending (refraction). Therefore the moon appears copper-coloured during a total lunar eclipse. The exact colour will depend on the nature and quantity of the dust particles, water droplets and aerosols present in the earth’s atmosphere at that time. Hence it is an indicator of earths atmospheric pollution!

For sky-watchers there is another treat in the intervening night of 27-28 July. The red planet Mars will be aligned with Earth and Sun. Mars will be on the opposite side of the Sun and Earth and it will be visible throughout night. It can be seen in the vicinity of eclipsed moon. In fact Jupiter and Saturn will also be clearly visible during the night. It is summer time hence night picnics may be organized by all science and nature lovers in their neighbourhood. All astro-photographers, may aim their cameras towards sky. The eclipse is a unique opportunity to appreciate,  admire and celebrate the beauty and inspiration of this celestial experience.

Copper Red Super Moon

An spectacular lunar eclipse will be taking place at moon rise on Wednesday, January 31. The total lunar eclipse of 31 January 2018 will occur during a “supermoon”, i.e., a full moon that coincides with perigee of the moon (the closest distance that the moon comes to earth during its orbit around the earth). The “super-moon” appears about 14% larger than a regular full moon. Another coincidence is that the full moon of 31 January is also talked of as a “blue moon” in the English media - a blue moon is said to occur when two full moons occur in the same calendar month. Also, this supermoon is the third in a trilogy of super moons, following those of 3 December 2017 and 1 January 2018.

 It will be visible in  Jammu and Kashmir between 6:20 pm up to 8 pm.   I am fascinated by moon since my childhood. When I was a youngster my father brought for me a popular science book in Urdu ‘Nau Saiyare Ektis Chand’. Through this book I came to know that moon is a non luminous body and it shines by reflecting the solar light. I was so upset by this fact that I hid the book lest others may know about the truth that moon does not have its own light. I was naïve like any other child of my age.

 A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur during the night of a full moon. It might be expected that during every full moon  the Earth's shadow will fall on the Moon, causing a lunar eclipse.  Lunar eclipses are not observed every month because the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted by about five degrees with respect to the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. Thus, when a full moons occurs, the Moon usually lies to the north or south of a direct line through the Earth and Sun. Although a lunar eclipse can only occur when the Moon is  full, it must also be positioned very near the intersection of Earth's orbital plane about the Sun and the Moon's orbital plane about the Earth that is, at one of its nodes.

The shadow of the Earth can be divided into two distinctive parts: the umbra and penumbra. Within the umbra, there is no direct solar radiation. Due to the Sun’s large angular size, solar light is only partially blocked in the outer portion of the Earth’s shadow or penumbra. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s penumbra. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a portion of the Moon enters the umbra. When the Moon travels completely into the Earth’s umbra, one observes a total lunar eclipse.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a certain relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth. A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas a total solar eclipse lasts for only a few minutes at any given place, due to the smaller size of the moon's shadow.

Since moon is a non luminous body, lunar eclipses (unlike Solar Eclipses) are completely safe to observe with the naked eye - no special equipment or filters are needed. Sometimes a Total Lunar Eclipse is best viewed without any optical aid, and just lying under the stars watching the change as the Moon first gets slightly darker (penumbral phase), then starts to get eaten away (partial phase), finally turning deep red or copper coloured as it enters totality. During a total lunar eclipse, the sun’s direct light is blocked by the earth and does not reach the moon. A small amount of the sunlight that passes through earth’s atmosphere, however, is refracted or “bent” towards the moon by the atmosphere and is reflected towards us on earth by the moon. Particles in the atmosphere also preferentially scatter away the bluer light of shorter wavelengths and only the redder light that has relatively longer wavelengths gets through, similar to the sunlight we see at sunset and sunrise. This redder light reaches the moon because of the bending (refraction). Therefore the moon appears copper-coloured during a total lunar eclipse. The exact colour will depend on the nature and quantity of the dust particles, water droplets and aerosols present in the earth’s atmosphere at that time. Hence it is an indicator of earths atmospheric pollution!

The eclipse is a unique opportunity to admire and celebrate the beauty and inspiration of this celestial experience. It is also preferable to offer two rak’aat Salate Khusoof.

Contribution of Al Haytham to science and Scientific Method

The year 2015 was celebrated as the International year of light and light based technologies. One among its many objectives, was to celebrate the legacy of Ibn AlHaytham the Arab polymath. The year 2015 actually marks the 1000th anniversary since the appearance of the remarkable seven volume treatise on optics Kitab al-Manazir written by Ibn al Haytham. Born around a thousand years ago in Iraq, AlHasan Ibn alHaytham was a pioneering scientific thinker who made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics and light. Ibn alHaytham, started not only the traditional theme of optical research but also new ones such as meteorological optics, catoptrics, burning mirrors, dioptrics, the burning sphere and physical optics. Apart from optics Ibn al-Haytham made significant advances in mathematics and astronomy.

His work on optics was characterised by a strong emphasis on carefully designed experiments to test theories and hypotheses. His methodology of investigation using experiment to verify theory is the precursor of the modern scientific method. Ibn alHaytham's work was remarkable for its emphasis on proof and evidence. Ibn alHaytham articulated some remarkably sophisticated statements on the practice of science and the growth of scientific knowledge. In a critical treatise ‘AlShukūk ‛alā Batlamyūs’ he asserts that "Truth is sought for itselfbut the truths are immersed in uncertainties and the scientific authorities are not immune from error…. Nor is human nature itself". Therefore, the seeker after the truth is not one who studies the writings of the ancients and, following his natural disposition, puts his trust in them, but rather the one who suspects his faith in them and questions what he gathers from them, the one who submits to argument and demonstration and not to the sayings of a human being whose nature is fraught with all kinds of imperfection and deficiency. Thus the duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads and applying his mind to the core and margins of its content, attack it from every side. He should also suspect himself as he performs his critical examination of it, so that he may avoid falling into either prejudice or leniency. This is what the modern scientific method is all about. Latin translations of some of his works have influenced important Medieval and European Renaissance thinkers like Roger Bacon, René Descartes and Christian Huygens, who knew him as Alhazen.

Ibn alHaytham was born in the year 965 in Basra, and died in about 1040 in Cairo. During his years in Egypt he composed one of his most celebrated works, the Kitab al-Manazir. Ibn al Haytham undertook a systematic critique of all previous ideas about vision in order to demonstrate by both reason and experiment that light was a crucial and independent part of the visual process. He concluded that vision takes place when a light ray issued from a luminous source or reflected from a non luminous body enters the eye. Through his studies of earlier work by Galen and others, he gave names to several parts of the eye, such as the lens, the retina and the cornea. In fact the word lens comes from the Latin translation of the term ‘Adsa’ used by Ibn alHaytham because a doubleconvex lens is lentil (Masur Daal) shaped. The genus of the lentil plant is Lens, and the most commonly eaten species is Lens culinaris. Ibn alHaytham explained the nature of light and vision, using a dark chamber or the concept of pinhole camera. Alhazen offered an explanation of the Moon illusion. He also carried out the first experiments on the dispersion of light into its constituent colours and studied shadows, rainbows and eclipses; and by observing the way sunlight diffracted through the atmosphere, he was able to work out a rather good estimate for the height of the atmosphere, which he found to be around 100 km.

His other extant books related to the subject of light include: A Discourse on Light (al Daw), The Light of the Moon (Ḍawʾ al-qamar), The Light of the Stars, The Rainbow and the Halo (al-Hāla wa qaws quzaḥ), Spherical Burning Mirrors, Parabolic Burning Mirrors, The Burning Sphere, The Shape of the Eclipse (Ṣūrat al-kusūf) and the Formation of Shadows .

The crater Alhazen on the Moon is named in his honour, as is the asteroid 59239 Alhazen.

My tryst with Libraries

The general perception of libraries is as repository of learning resources like manuscripts, books, periodicals, journals, letters, microfilms and CDs. There are libraries of all kinds such as public libraries, academic libraries or specific libraries such as Gandhi Sangrahalyas which preserves documents related to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi. There are however libraries which preserve scientific models and instruments as well. As such they become  useful  in understanding the history of development of science, technology and entrepreneurship. In this article my personal quest in understanding the development of astronomy and the subsequent entrepreneurship of crafting astronomical instrument in certain regions of India has been outlined. David Sassoon library of Mumbai is perhaps  a unique library which has been established by entrepreneurs for the promotion of craftsmanship. History of everything particularly science, technology and education fascinates me. Recently I developed interest in ancient astronomical instruments. In that connection I came to know that there are two libraries in India which preserve Astronomical Instruments. A small collection of unique medieval scientific instruments are kept in Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library at Patna. Another  collection of scientific instruments are preserved at Raza Library, Rampur. All these instruments have been catalogued by great Sanskrit scholar R S Sarma. Two years ago I had the opportunity of visiting Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public library in Patna to examine the Astronomical Instruments. While examining the instruments I became interested in history of public libraries. Last year I visited  David Sassoon library and reading room in Mumbai which was initially established as museum of mechanical models and architectural design. 

Raza Library, Rampur was founded by Nawab Faizullah Khan in 1774.  It contains very rare and valuable collection of manuscripts, historical documents, specimens of Islamic calligraphy, miniature paintings, astronomical instruments and rare illustrated works in Arabic and Persian languages besides 80,000 printed books. Rampur's Raza Library also contains printed works in Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Tamil and Turkish, and approximately 30,000 printed books  in various other languages. Nawab Faizullah Khan established the library with his personal modest collection kept in the Tosha Khana of his Palace. Successive Nawabs like Ahmad Ali khan,  Muhammad Yusuf  and  Kalbe Ali Khan also enriched the collection. Nawab Mohammad Saeed Khan  created a separate department for the library and shifted the collection to new rooms. The Nawab invited well known calligraphers, illuminators and binders from Kashmir and other parts of India. The Library has now attained an International status of higher studies. There are old art objects and rare astronomical instruments in the library. The oldest instrument of the collection is an Astrolabe made by Siraj Damashqi in 1218. Chronologically the next instrument is a Celestial globe crafted by Muhammad Ibn Jaffar at Kirman. Another astrolabe designed by Ziauddin Muhammad of Lahore and undated  mariner's astrolabe are also very important. There are about 100 rare manuscripts, paintings and astrolabes in the online gallery of library. India post issued a set of four commemorative stamps on 19.6.2009.

The history of David Sassoon Library is very fascinating. In 1847 a few young mechanics working in the Royal Mint and Government Dockyard decided to form an association to promote knowledge and learning. The association's objectives at that time were to set up a library and museum of mechanical models and architectural designs, as well as to organize lectures and discussions on science and technology. Thus was born the Sassoon Mechanic's Institute. In 1863, Sir David Sassoon, a Jewish philanthropist originally from Baghdad and  a leading banker of Mumbai, contributed Rupees sixty thousand  to the government to build a Mechanic's Institute. However, with the stoppage of the annual grant by the Imperial Government, its activities gradually came to a standstill, until the institute was reduced to its present state, namely a library and a reading room. Consequently in March 1938, the Sassoon Mechanics' Institute was rechristened the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room. The library is housed in Venetian Gothic styled structure, completed in 1870.The Library has been listed as a Grade heritage structure as per the Heritage Regulations of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation .The library's main assets are the rare books. Some of the books in the library's treasure are published way back in the year 1798.The Library houses about 40,000 books in English, Marathi, Gujarati and Hindi and is open all 365 days a year from 8 in the morning till 9 at night. India post issued a commemorative stamp in 1998.

Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna was open for the public in October 1891 with 4000 Oriental manuscripts. Maulvi  Khuda Bakhsh donated his entire collection to the nation by a deed of trust. Some of the notable manuscripts are Timur Nama,  Shah Nama, PadshahNama, Diwan-e-Hafiz and Safinatul Auliya, carrying the autograph of Mughal Emperors and princes and the book of Military Accounts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The library offers several digitized manuscripts in downladable PDF format. It also offers two digitized albums on scientific instruments and Patna Qalam painting. The first album shows all the twelve unique and rare scientific instruments.  These are undoubtedly an important source for the study and reconstruction of science and technology in the pre-Modern period. They also provide an insight into the development of sciences like astronomy, surgery and geography in pre-Modern India. Apart from it the library also has specimens of Mughal paintings, sound recordings, maps, stamps, letters of eminent personality,  calligraphy and book decoration and Arabic and Urdu manuscripts including a page of Quran written on deer skin.  Since 1977 the library has been publishing regularly a multi-lingual research quarterly Khuda Bakhsh Library Journal. India post issued a commemorative stamp on  21.11.1994 which shows an oriental rug of Taj Mahal as motif preserved in the library.

These libraries are result of vision, passion and dedication of some committed people whether Nawabs,  philanthropist, bibliophile or ordinary mechanics. There is not much literature available on history of public libraries in India or their contribution in education entrepreneurship and culture. The scientific instruments preserved at Rampur Raza library and Khuda Bakhskh library are undoubtedly an important source for the study and reconstruction of science and technology in the pre-Modern period. They also provide an insight into the development of sciences like astronomy, surgery and geography in pre-Modern India.  It may be noted that these are the areas of scientific study in which the Islamic world made the most memorable contribution in the medieval ages and that the Indian subcontinent constituted an important centre for such studies, even after the glory of Baghdad, Maghreb and Spain had come to end.  As such, these antiques constitute an essential part of our heritage.  Significantly, Patna was a well-known centre for making sundials in the 19th century. Interestingly, a very large number of  manuscripts in Khuda Bakhsh library  relate to science and mathematics. Studies may be conducted on these aspects.  Case studies may be undertaken on role of David Sassoon library in promotion of indigenous technology, craftsmanship and entrepreneurship in pre independence Mumbai. 

The Directive on the restriction of hazardous substances in electronic goods

We are living in an electronic age. We have e-mail, e-banking, e-business, e-books, e-medicine (telemedicine) and so on. The e-products like laptops and cellular phones have penetrated the society in a big way.  However majority of users of these products are unaware of presence of hazardous chemicals in electronic goods. The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment was adopted in 2003 by the European Union.  The RoHS-directive, restricts the use of six hazardous materials (viz., lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, PBB and PDBE) in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment.

PBB and PBDE are brominated flame retardants used in several plastics.  BFR release dioxins and furans which are neurotoxins. A long term exposure of these substances may lead to damage of Nervous system, Kidney, Bones, Reproductive System and Endocrine system.

Instead of indulging in innovation and R&D to design out toxic chemicals the electronics companies are busy in selling their hazardous products through aggressive marketing.  Consumers and Ministry of consumer’s affairs seem woefully ignorant of these issues. There is no ‘Jago grahak Jago’ campaign on RoHS directive or its exemption.

However the trend of going green and manufacturing clean products free from hazardous chemicals is slowly picking up. Consumers are becoming more informed and aware. They prefer green and clean products. Green labeling of e-products should be initiated for helping consumer in selection.

Hazardous chemicals should be substituted with safer alternatives. Several companies are launching safer products. Motorola launched BFR free cell phones. In India HCL and Wipro are complying with RoHS directive which promotes phasing out of six deadly substances viz., Pb, Hg, Cr, Cadmium, and two BFRs in e-products. 

Report on ISCC 2014

The 14th Indian Science Communication Congress (ISCC-2014) on the theme of ‘Communication Strategies for Science Governance’ was held at Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi from 25-29 December. The conference was organized by Indian Science Writers Association (ISWA) in association with  Jan Sewa Ashram, Water Portal and Spandan. It was catalyzed and supported by National Council of Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), DST New Delhi.

The conference was inaugurated in the morning of 26 th December by ceremonial lighting of lamp by chief guest Mr. Anil Saumitra of Spandan, Mr VP Singh secretary ISWA, Dr VK Srivastav Chair ISCC 2014 and Dr Manoj K Patairiya, Convener ISCC 2014. The inaugural Session was conducted by Mr. Tariq Badr from ISWA. In his inaugural address Dr Patairiya who is ADG, Prasar Bharti elaborated on the theme of congress. Science governance which is also termed as soft science is nothing but the management of science. It prepares us for future and saves us from science misconduct. Dr Patairiya pointed that it is a pleasant coincidence that conference on ‘Science Governance’ is inaugurated on the ‘Good Governance Day’. Mr Anil  Saumitra from Spandan an NGO emphasized on the role of science communication in development. Mr VP Singh secretary ISWA elaborated on the role of ISWA and ISCC on science communication movement in India. The inaugural session ended with a vote of thanks by Dr VK Srivastav Chair ISCC 2014. Around 200 scientists, science writers, academicians,  science correspondents and students participated in the congress.

Several topics  were discussed and deliberations made during the conference “ Communication Strategies for Science Governance ”, which was the focal theme of ISCC-2014. The deliberations  covered a wide range of sub themes, such as Science for people, science for policy makers, Institutional strategies, Policy issues, scientists as communicators, session for young scholars et al.

The first scientific session of the conference was an exhibition session chaired by Dr Lal Singh from NCERT, New Delhi. The delegates got an opportunity to see the various issues of Indian journal of Science communication. Dr. Chandra Mohan interacted on an environment friendly fruit wash technology which is cost effective and increases the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. The main highlight of the session was a demonstration on Braille rendition of a popular science magazine in Hindi (Braille) for visually impaired. The magazine edited by Dr Chandra Mohan is a first of its kind. The outcome of the session was summarized by Dr RS Yadav from AIR who is an old associate of ISCC.

The first scientific session on the theme ‘Science for people’  began with a presentation by Bharti Bhojak on the challenges  opportunities in science communication through regional languages with a special emphasis on Hindi news papers and magazines. The presentation by VK Muliya was an innovative method of communicating science through science cartoons. Dr Rita malik highlighted the history of science communication down the ages. Mr CB Devgun elaborated the efforts of SPACE an NGO on taking the science to the people through Citizen Science concept. The summary of the session was presented by rapporteur Dr Anshu Arora from Punjab University.

The evening session of the first day was chaired by Dr Prabha Sharma a young researcher and science communicator. The session began with a presentation on green technologies and green buildings which is a very important concept and needs to be disseminated among common masses. The next presentation was on MOOCS- a new frontier in science communication by Dr Umesh Arya. The other presentation was on Role of Community media on health issues with special emphasis on mental health by Dr Anukaran Dutta.

The second day of the 14th Indian Science Communication Congress 2014 began with a scientific session on the theme `Institutional Strategies’. The first speaker Dr. N. Bajpai emphasized the importance and means of science communication for humanities students. It was followed by a talk by Dr. S.P. Mahendra, who presented a study on science content in the print media, based on research conducted in Dausa district in Rajasthan. Ms. Kalpana Sangwan commented on the changing role of teachers and need for developing scientific attitude in students. Dr. Seemin Rubab talked about the INSPIRE science camps and described the students’ response in three camps. She emphasized that these camps offer a unique opportunity to practicing scientists for communicating their area of research and work in simple language to higher secondary students.  The last talk of the session was by Ms. Nisha Sharma, an M. Sc. student from Lucknow University, who presented a survey based study on the scientific temper at a village in UP. Dr. Smita Mishra beautifully summarized the talks presented in the session.

The second session on the theme `Policy Issue’ began with a talk by Dr. Mahendra Kumar Pandey, on conceptualizing an effective science communication policy, for development- sustainability with special emphasis in the Indian context.

The second presentation was by Sri J. Ashok Kumar, who discussed on the scope of attracting young talent to science. Mr. A.S.D Rajput threw light on importance of science communication in good governance. A talk highlighting the role of regional languages in science communication was given by Dr. Gopal Singh. Sri Birat Raja Pradhan presented a study analyzing role of science communication in health sectors. The last talk of the session was by Dr. I. K. Mishra on e-governance and the impact of new media technologies on society. The session was chaired by Dr. Ankuran Dutta and Dr. S. R. Dixit acted as rapporteur.

The post lunch session on scientists as communicators was chaired by Prof. B K. Kuthiala the vice-chancellor of MLC University of journalism. The first talk was by Dr. Puneet Kumar from Lucknow University, who threw light on the concept of weblog. He explained as to how a scientist can communicate in an easy way by creating a blog and initiating a dialogue. Dr. A.S.D Rajput discussed on the scope of interaction of scientists with the masses. The last talk of the session was by Dr. Anamika Ray, who talked on the consequences of open education resources in scientific research. The session ended with a summary of talks by the rapporteur Dr. Seemin Rubab and in depth analysis by the chair. One of the most important points emphasized by Prof Kuthiala is that instead of talking about nature we should initiate dialogue with nature.

After tea,  began the last session of the day which was specially designated for the young scholars. The first talk was by Shalini Singh on hygiene awareness among housemaids in Lucknow. The second talk was from Kanishka Singh on role of science communication in control of river pollution. The analysis was done for water pollution in Gomti river in Lucknow. It was followed by a presentation by Alakh Sharma who presented a study of causes behind poor response to gadgets using solar energy. The concluding talk was from Ms. Aparna Singh on dissemination of scientific researches carried out at Lucknow University. It was followed by a talk from Manisha Pandit on comparative analysis of two English dailies the Hindu and Indian Express on coverage of Mars Mission.

A puppet show on science communication was  presented by Gaurav Sharma, Khushboo Sharma, Ankit Awasthi, Anjali Sharma, Surya Teja and Shahshank on `A Night of the Scorpion’. The session’s outcome was highlighted by rapporteur Sri Anoop Chaturvedi. The session Chair,  Prof KK Kapoor of Jammu University emphasized the importance of the session as an incubator of future science communicators.

The third day of the conference started with Poster session under the chairmanship of Dr Gopal Singh. The main attraction of the third day’s proceedings was the split group discussion under the chairmanship of  Dr Subhan Khan retired scientist from CSIR-NISTADS. All the participants were divided into five groups under the guidance of group leaders to discuss ways and means to make science communication widespread and effective in India. After brainstorming the group leaders submitted their recommendations to the chair. The recommendations were summarized by Dr AK Singh, the rappoerteur of the session.

Post lunch sessions of final day was panel discussion session under the chair of Dr VK Srivastav of  ICMR.

Dr AS Yadav presented the ISCC 2014 report during post lunch session. During valedictory session several science communicators like Mr Kesar Singh of  Water portal, Mr RD Rikahri former editor Scientific Temper, Mr Sripal Sangwan, Senior Agriculturist, Mr Khalil former editor ‘science ki Dunya’ urdu quarterly

were felicitated. Best papers from all the five sessions were also awarded during valedictory. Dr PK Verma, chief guest opined that there should be different levels of science communication. He also stressed the need to conserve and popularize tribal wisdom. He talked about the science communication initiatives like ‘Kaarigar Vigyan’ and Media Chaupal, senior scientist science forum etc taken at Madhya Pradesh council of science and Technology under his directorship. Dr MC Tiwari, head international boundaries, MEA, guest of honour stressed on targeting children during science communication efforts. Dr VK Srivastav in his presidential address deliberated on the need for science communication in regional language in a multilingual country like India. Dr Manoj Patairiya proposed vote of thanks to the organizers and participants. Post tea session was restricted to ISWA members only for AGM. The conference ended with the dinner and networking of various stakeholders.

A tribute to Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas al-Zahrawi

Throughout Muslim world, the year 2013 was observed as 1000th year of al-Zahrawi’s death. In India also a three-day International Conference and exhibition on ‘Revisiting Abul Qasim Al-Zahrawi's Legacy in Medicine and Surgery’ was organized on December 13-15, 2013 at India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi. It was jointly organized by The Institute of Objective Studies, in collaboration with MESCO and Maulana Azad Education Foundation, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. It was sponsored by India Islamic Cultural Centre and others. The organizers also proposed the establishment of an al-Zahrawi museum in India to display editions of most of his works and replicas of his surgical tools, large facsimile editions of his drawings and other memorabilia. These types of conferences need to be organized regularly so the present day Muslim youth should become aware and get inspired of their scientific legacy.

Abū Al-Qāsim was, born in 936 CE in the city El-Zahra, six miles northwest of Qartaba in  Al-Andalus or Spain. Al Zahrawi was an Arab Muslim physician and surgeon who  was a court physician to the Andalusian caliph Al-Hakam II. He was a contemporary of Andalusian chemists such as Ibn al-Wafid, Maslamah Ibn Ahmad al-Majriti. He devoted his entire life and genius to the advancement of medicine as a whole and surgery in particular. Abū al-Qāsim specialized in curing disease by cauterization. He invented several devices used during surgery, for purposes such as inspection of the interior of the urethra, applying and removing foreign bodies from the throat, inspection of the ear, etc. He is also credited to be the first to describe ectopic pregnancy in 963 CE, in those days a fatal affliction.  He was the first physician to identify the hereditary nature of haemophilia. Al-Zahrawi was the first to illustrate the various cannulae and the first to treat a wart with an iron tube and caustic metal as a boring instrument. He was also the first to draw hooks with a double tip for use in surgery. He introduced over 200 surgical instruments.  Abū al-Qāsim also invented the forceps for extracting a dead fetus. In pharmacy and pharmacology, Abū al-Qāsim al-Zahrawī pioneered the preparation of medicines by sublimation and distillation. 

Many consider al Zahrawi as father of modern surgery. Al-Zehrawi  made original and enduring contributions to medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology and orthopaedics, pharmacology, dentistry and cosmetology. Highly sophisticated surgical instruments of today are sometimes merely a new generation of the surgical instruments’ prototypes of al-Zahrawi. Diagnostic, clinical and surgical procedures established by al-Zahrawi are, even today, present in some measure or form in medical and surgical practice. His greatest contribution to medicine is the Kitab al-Tasrif  a thirty-section encyclopedia of medical practices. It was completed 13 years before his death in 1013 CE. It covered a broad range of medical topics, including dentistry and childbirth, which contained data that had accumulated during a career that spanned almost 50 years of training, teaching and practice. In it he also wrote of the importance of a positive doctor-patient relationship.  It was later translated into Latin  by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th century. A copy of Kitab al Tasrif is available in Khuda Bakhsh Oriental library of Patna.

Al-Zahrawi’s whole life is the finest example of service to humans and service to knowledge. Knowledge and skill are the foundations on which civilisations are built. The contribution of al-Zahrawi is recognised world-wide as immense. Throughout world, al-Zahrawi is regarded as another Hippocrates who came a millennium and a half later. Many countries have issued commemorative postage stamps in honour of his legacy.

International year of crystallography

Present year is being celebrated as International year of crystallography to commemorate the centennial of X-ray diffraction and the award of Nobel Prize to Laue and Bragg. It also marks the 400 th anniversary of Keplar's observation in 1611 of the symmetrical form of ice crystals. Many countries throughout world have released commemorative postage stamps and coins on this occasion. The commemorative postage stamp issued by India post (Fig 1) depicts a diamond crystal and the structure of curcumin, the active constituent of turmeric, as determined by X-ray crystallography. The diamond is known for its exceptional hardness and the flashes of light given off by its natural crystal structure. Curcumin is the compound responsible for the bright orange colour of turmeric. lt is known to exhibit biological, pharmaceutical and wide-ranging pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti carcinogenic. The stamp was released on 30 January 2014, in the Indian Institute of Science.

The study of crystals inner structure and properties gives us our deepest insight into the arrangement of atoms in the solid state. In the early 20th century, it was realized that X-rays could be used to ‘see’ the structure of matter in a non-intrusive manner. This marks the dawn of modern crystallography. When X-rays hit an object, the object’s atoms scatter the beams. Scientists discovered that crystals, because of their regular arrangement of atoms, scattered the rays in just a few specific directions. By measuring these directions and the intensity of the scattered beams, scientists are able to produce a three-dimensional picture of the crystal’s atomic structure. Thanks to X-ray crystallography, scientists can study the chemical bonds which draw one atom to another. Graphite and diamonds are composed of carbon but have different crystalline structure hence exhibit different properties. Graphite is opaque and soft whereas diamond is transparent and hard.

Crystallographers discovered that they could study biological materials, such as proteins or DNA, by making crystals of them. This extended the scope of crystallography to biology and medicine. Crystallography is now a truly interdisciplinary field   encompassing Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, Engineering and Maths. Rosalind Franklin took X ray image of DNA fiber that proved instrumental to Watson and Krick’s Nobel prize discovery of the double helix. She also studied structure of Carbon in coal and graphite and TMV.

Two thousand years ago, Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder admired ‘the regularity of the six-sided prisms of rock crystals.’ At the time, the process of crystallizing sugar and salt was already known to the ancient Indian and Chinese civilizations. Cane sugar crystals were manufactured from sugar cane juice in India. In China, brine was boiled down into pure salt crystals. Modern crystallography started with an attempt by Kepler in 1611 to understand the formation of ice crystals in terms of compact packing of six units around a seventh one. In 1771 Hauy showed that the shapes of crystals could be obtained by an appropriate 3D packing of identical parallelopipeds. During the 19th century modern geometrical crystallography developed with formal mathematical descriptions of crystals based on symmetry. A

complete theoretical geometrical background had been developed by the time X-rays were discovered by Rontgen in 1895. In 1912, Laue and his co workers carried out a revolutionary experiment which

demonstrated how X-rays travelling into a crystal interact with it and diffracted in particular directions depending on the nature of crystals. Laue's experiment marks the birth of radio-crystallography. Next year father and son team of WH Bragg and WL Bragg related the directions and intensities of the diffracted beams to the atomic structure of the crystals. They showed that X-rays can be used to determine accurately the positions of atoms within a crystal and thus unravel its 3D structure. Synchrotrons  (sources of intense X ray) enable archaeologists to pinpoint the composition and age of artefacts dating back tens of thousands of years, for instance, and geologists to analyse and date meteorites and lunar rocks. Crystallography allows us to understand and fabricate computer memories, showing us how proteins are created in cells and helping us to design powerful new materials and drugs. The Curiosity rover used X-ray crystallography in October 2012 to analyse soil samples on the planet Mars. NASA had equipped the rover with a diffractometer. The results suggested that the Martian soil sample was similar to the weathered basaltic soils of Hawaiian volcanoes. Crystallography is used to control the quality of processed drugs, including antiviral drugs, at the stage of mass production, in order to ensure that strict health and safety guidelines are met. Cocoa butter, the most important ingredient of chocolate, crystallizes in six different forms but only one melts pleasantly in the mouth and has the surface sheen and crisp hardness that make it so tasty.

Fig. 1: Commemorative postage stamp issued by India post on International year of crystallography

REPORT on INSPIRE 2013, 21-25 Nov 2013

Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) is  a programme by the Department of Science and Technology for attraction of talent to study science and opt careers with research. The motivation behind INSPIRE is to enlarge the pool of scientific human power and foster research in the basic and applied sciences. The Scheme includes three sub-components viz.,  Scheme for Early Attraction of Talent (SEATS), Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) and Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC).  As one sub components of SEATS, Summer/winter camps for about 50,000 youth are being organised throughout India in which students  interact with global science leaders.  Summer/Winter Camps are organized for age group 16 – 17 years, Class XI students. NIT Srinagar has been regularly organizing Inspire science camps since March 2012.

The fourth Inspire Science camp was organized from 21-25 November 2013. Three hundred meritorious students from all over the valley of Kashmir participated in the camp. The inaugural session of the camp began with an introduction of the Institute by Prof. G A Hermain, Dean R&D and chairman Inspire Camp. The director NIT, Prof. Rajat Gupta elaborated on the genesis of Inspire programme. Prof. Gupta urged the young participants to undertake research in future on contemporary issues such as solar power, climate, environment, wildlife conservation, eradication  of epidemic  and diseases etc.  Many renowned scientists, academician hands on experts interacted with students during the camp. Prof N Vijayan of NPL, New Delhi talked about fascinations of crystallography. He deliberated on various methods of crystal growth, applications and device fabrication. He also displayed many beautiful crystals. Prof Fozia Qazi of Islamic University of Science and technology had a very interesting talk on ‘Thinking Outside the Four Dimensional Box’. The talk explained how some of the most fascinating and abstract questions of mathematics can be answered in creative ways by discovering patterns and using one's imagination. Prof Bashir Mir of NIT Srinagar deliberated on Role of Soil Science in engineering practice. Prof MA Sofi a distinguished mathematician of the valley deliberated on ‘Mathematics as the art of Explanation’. Prof GA Hermain, chairman INSPIRE deliberated on ‘Finite element method as tool of Engineering’. Dr Sameena Muzammil deliberated on Prospects in Biotechnology. Dr Mushtaq Chalkoo and Dr Rafiq Simanani deliberated on frontiers of surgical sciences. Dr Kowsar Majeed deliberated on conducting polymers. The members of Wildlife SOS had a very useful presentation on Human Bear conflict which is a very pertinent issue in Jammu and Kashmir. The organizer Dr M. A. Shah had a lively presentation on ‘Nano: The science of small’. There were interesting hands on session every day after tea break. Dr S. Rubab of Physics department had an interacting session on Comet ISON and night sky watching. Dr Vipula Abhayankar had sessions on daytime astronomy which generated enthusiasm among students as well as their teachers. The hands on sessions by Samar Bagchi, Dr BN Das and Minish Gulati were most enjoyable. Apart from lectures, the students of the camp  got a chance to visit various labs of NIT Srinagar.  They Participated in science quiz and essay competition.  An exhibition of posters on Comet ISON was organized by Dr Seemin Rubab. During valedictory the participants expressed their gratitude and satisfaction. 

Career in Science Journalism

 Science and Technology have become an inseparable part of our daily life; hence creation of scientific awareness has now become the need of hour.  The aim of science communication is to engage and inspire people of all ages with science, engineering and technology. One of the basic objectives of communicating science is to spread the message of importance of science and its application among the people.  Science communication attempts at generating scientific minded citizens. Science has contributed a great deal for human welfare. On issues ranging from environment, disease eradication,  space exploration, energy security, information highway to name a few, science and technology has immensely benefited mankind. Biotechnology is making a major impact on agriculture, health, environment, industry and pharmaceuticals. Communication at lower costs, with greater accessibility, is another product of science and technology. Science communication helps in inculcating scientific temper among school children. It gives them opportunity of learning and experiencing science in fun way by actual participation in various hands on activities. The daily application of science like the use of safe drinking water, recycling of grey water, taking balanced diet, knowledge to eradicate contagious disease, the know-how of various agricultural practices to increase crop production, the usefulness of biodiversity conservation, etc., should be disseminated to the future generation. The goal of science journalism is to develop scientific temper and environmental sensibilities in common people. A dissemination of scientific facts could be done by any journalist using Wikipedia and other resources. But shaping the mindset of layperson cannot be achieved without proper training.  The following training programmes are available in India for science journalists.

National Council for Science and Technology Communication offers a one week course on skill enhancement of promising science writers and three months course on use of mass media for science popularization. NCSTC and Indian Science Communication Society (ISCOS), Lucknow has jointly undertaken a program to train science communicators, writers, and journalists in presenting scientific information in educating and entertaining manner.  ISCOS offers a one year training program in Science  Journalism through Distance Education mode.

Devi Ahilya University, Indore offers two programs. M. Sc.  and PG Diploma in Science Communication.    They are also planning to start a doctoral program in Science Communication. PG Diploma in Science Communication is offered through Distance Education mode. This is a two semester course.

The Institute of Mass Communication in Science and Technology, Lucknow University, is also running a similar course – M. Sc Mass Communication in Science. It is also a two-year full-time regular programme funded by the NCSTC.

 Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal has also started a one-year PG Diploma in Science and Technology Journalism.

 Madurai Kamraj University too offers an NCSTC-funded PG Diploma in Science Communication.

The National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), CSIR, New Delhi organizes short-term science-writing training workshops.

Centre for Science Education and Communication Delhi University is involved in short term training and workshops related with science education and communication.

National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous scientific and research organization under Ministry of Culture has also started a four semester M.S. course in Science Communication from 2005. NCSM’s MS course is meant for first class engineering graduates and science post graduates. Course contents include history and philosophy of science, mass communication, exhibit presentation and museum management. Course also includes the tools of Science Communication and writing scientific articles. The final content of the course is a dissertation. This program is conducted in joint collaboration of NCSM and BITS, Pilani on an off campus mode. The lectures and tutorials are held at NCSM, Kolkata.

                Career Prospect exists in mainstream media viz., Print (Newspapers, Periodicals, and House Journals), Broadcast media (Radio & Television) and organizations engaged in Science and Technology extension and outreach activities like NCSTC, NCSM, NISCAIR, HBCSE, Vigyanprasar and state councils of Science and Technology etc. Magzines like Down to earth, Teraagreen, science reporter, Hindu Survey on Environment specialize in science technology and environment. Science Journalists interested in making scientific documentary and CD can develop programme for Vigyan Prasar, National Geographic and Discovery etc. Training in science communication would also provide opportunities as curators of science museums. At present there are 27 science museums/centres under NCSM. There is proposal of setting district level science centres. Science centres along with Science and Technology Parks are great tool of informal education of masses. Large numbers of private sector companies and corporate houses are also setting up science museums and technology parks as part of their corporate social responsibility thereby increasing the demand of science communicators. 

Aur comet ISON bikhar gya!

Many a time teachers and students of science complain about lack of laboratory and learning resources. However night sky is a fantastic laboratory and teaching learning resource freely available to all of us. It is this laboratory which was used to a great extent by pioneers like Aryabhatta, Aristarchus, Hypatia,  Galileo, Caroline Herchel, Tyco Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Halley  and others. Many spectacular celestial events occur regularly which gives learners an opportunity to observe, enjoy and learn. Few recent magnificent astronomical events being the total solar eclipse of year 2009 and the transit of Venus of year 2012. Planetary Superconjunctions are rare astronomical events. Lunar and annular eclipses and super moon are other regular important celestial events to watch. However nothing can match the beauty of a comet. The arrival of the comet ISON into our horizon in late November this year provided us an exciting opportunity to gear towards involving children on a massive scale in a campaign to track the comet, and participate in the unravelling of its progression towards the Sun. Further, tracking the comet, which was visible in the early morning sky November 2013 onwards,  served to excite and inspire all curious beholder of nature. Comets are dirty snow ball made out of dust and ice. The word "comet" comes from the Greek word for "hair. Newton discovered that comets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun. He also thought that comets were members of the Solar System, just like planets, and that they could return over and over again. The appearance of comets became predictable after Halley, an English scientist correctly predicted the reappearance of the comet seen in 1683. Using the newly developed gravitational theory of Newton, he predicted that this comet would return in 1758. The comet indeed came as predicted and named as Halley’s comet. Comets come from two places: The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. Comets are the most primitive objects in the Solar System. Many scientists think that they have kept a record of the physical and chemical processes that occurred during the early stages of the evolution of our Sun and Solar System. A comet is an irregular body, assembled from millimetre sized dust grains coated heavily with ices. This is the nucleus of a comet. The most prominent ice is water ice, followed by carbon dioxide ice, ammonia ice and methane ice. The dust and the ices are so loosely held together that a comet has only the strength of a biscuit! Comets are named after the observers who spot them first and report to a central agency. If two observers spot them on the same night, it is named after both of them. Most comets are observed by amateur astronomers. Vainu Bappu discovered a comet in a routine photograph he was examining as a student. This comet was named Bappu - Newkirk – Whipple. About twenty comets are seen by telescopes every year. About 5 to 7 may be new ones while others have been seen before. Of the comets detected every year only 1 or 2 reach naked eye visibility. Comets are the oldest and least processed bodies orbiting the Sun and therefore constitute a unique source of knowledge about the birth and early evolution of our Solar System. Asteroids, comets and other cosmic debris have also had a fundamental impact on the development of planet Earth and the life on it, by bombarding it periodically. Comets colliding with the early Earth may have seeded our world with the chemicals necessary for life to begin. The icy nature of the comets almost certainly contributed to the quota of water that now exists in Earth’s oceans.

Comet ISON (C/2012 S1)  was discovered by Eastern European and Russian astronomers  on September 24, 2012 using the facilities of International Scientific Optical Network (ISON). Comet ISON  swung close by the Sun at the end of November and was expected to climb up the dawn sky in December. The comet  performed remarkably close Sun graze  at its perihelion on November 28th. It  flew less than one solar diameter past the Sun’s surface, with the dusty ice of its nucleus broiling violently. Astronomers tracking the “comet of the century” last night believed it had flown too close to the sun and had broken up. All the evidence suggests Ison's nucleus was torn apart in the close pass, in the same way that Comet Lovejoy was disrupted.Now it would not be visible by naked eye. Professional astronomers are trying to track the fragments with a telescope. Just before performing Sun graze it was observed by my friend Mr. Kulwant Singh an amateur astronomer from rural Punjab. I don’t know whether anybody was lucky in our state.

Comets will stay in the news, however. Next year, in October, Comet Siding Spring (C 2013 A1) will breeze past Mars at a distance of little more than 100,000km. Our spacecraft Mangal yaan will arrive at Mars one month before the comet's closest approach. And then in November, the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission will attempt to place a probe on the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Report on Techvaganza the annual technical festival of NIT, Srinagar (22-26 Aug 2013)

Techvaganza is an annual national level Technical Festival of National Institute of Technology, Srinagar. The fest is an attempt to make students,  acquainted with the current and futuristic technologies. Techvaganza was inaugurated by the director NIT Prof Rajat Gupta. The guests of honour during inauguration were Prof Tej Pratap Singh, VC SKUAST and  Mr John Samuels, CPMG J&K Circle.  The festival include workshops, guest lectures, LAN gaming, technical quiz, release of inaugural issue of IIM (Indian Institute of metal) –NIT chapter journal , competitive events based on various branches of engineering, and social awareness programs. The main technical events were Robotrix, Botorace, Structrite, mad for CAD, metalomania, circuit bizz, traffic planning etc. Workshops were conducted on Aeromodelling, building design, scilab, linux and android etc. Dr Arvind Bharti from DRDO, DR UK Chaterjee and Er Pugazhenthy  delivered guest lectures. There were lot of fun and creativity events. There were social events like career counseling for secondary and higher secondary schools, panel discussion on women empowerment.

On 22 August the  Director NIT Prof Rajat Gupta inaugurated the Techvaganza 2013, with welcome speech at Aerotrix workshop where students were taught basic principles of aeromodelling and designing and fabrication of wings of biplanes. The Aerotrix workshop and the workshop ‘Civil simplified’ were conducted by IIT Kanpur alumni at very subsidized rate. It was the first of its kind workshop in North India.  In ANDROID workshop Data handelling and button handelling were taught. Basic hello world application was created. In Robotic workshop Basic robotics theory, assembly of parts of robots and writing basic programmes and flashing it on ROBOT were  taught. Tutorial on Phython  and LINUX were conducted.

During Techvaganza, student chapters of Institute of Metals(IIM)  and Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) were formed at NIT Srinagar. The inaugural issue of the journal of IIM student affiliate chapter was also released by the Director. Guest lectures were delivered by Dr. UK Chatterji  on metals, Er. L Pugazhenthy on careers in metallurgy, Mr. Manoranjan Ram  on IIM related to metals, Dr. Arvind Bharti on  overview of DRDO and about planning and management.

Many schools and colleges participated in the fest. Specially the students from SSM, IUST, KU, and Amar Singh college participated in large numbers.  Govt College Of Engg And Tech, Jammu, MIET, Jammu, MBS, Jammu, Sankethika Institute of Management and Technology, Vishakhapatnam, Lakshmi Narain college of technology, Bhopal, Kongu Engg college, Perundurai, UIET, Punjab, Punjab University were among the Institutions who came all the way to Kashmir valley to be a part of Techvaganza 2013.

Under social awareness program (Social Awareness and Youth) career counseling on exams like Olympiads and kvpy were discussed by Dr S. Rubab of NIT Srinagar. Mr Zahoor Akram project coordinator of directorate of lifelong  learning, KU discussed on skill development courses. Mr Sajad Mir of BHSS Nigeen discussed about Children Science Congress.  For career counseling, students from BHSS Batmaloo, BHSS Hazratbal, KV and St. Pauls School participated in large numbers. Under the aegis of SAY an awarenes program on Man Bear conflict was conducted on third day of the festival by Ms Alia Mir and Mr. Tahir Ghazanfar of SOS Wildlife a not for profit organization. Mr MA Tak, Wildlife conservator of Kashmir also graced the occasion. Mr Tahir Ghazanfar urged the NIT students to provide technical inputs to control Man Bear conflict. On final day of the festival a gender equity workshop was conducted by Dr S Rubab and Dr Kowser Majid of NIT Srinagar. Dr Suraya of Medical Unit NIT and Dr Rana Hashmi of KU also took part in panel discussion. Ms. Zarqa of NIT elaborated on the field work conducted by the volunteers of SAY to gather information on  gender issues in less privileged communities of the city.

Apart from various technical events, there were technical fun events including treasure hunt, LAN Gaming, photography, video journal, skulk rider, Rangoli, a minute to win it and many more.

State Bank Of India, the Tribune, Gulzar group of institutions, 92.7 big FM, Aircel, sci fi labs, Technophilia, Cadd centre, College khabar, Twenty19 and Honda were among the sponsors of the festival.

Most of the events were won by NIT students except few. In smack down (an event of robotics) and LAN Gaming UIET, Punjab won the 1^st prize. Sankethika Institute won in maglev (mechanical) and  arduous(robotics). Structurite and brick wall erection of civil gained a lot of attention both from students of valley and outside J&K. In paper and poster presentation,  1^st position was bagged by NIT sgr and second by students from Andhra Pradesh. The Director  and Dean, students welfare gave away the prizes to all the event winners during Valedictory session. The best part of the Techvaganza was that it has been conceived and managed by students. They were ably supported by coordinator Er. Mushtaq Rather and the other faculty members.

Report on Science popularization in Urdu through Print media

Vigyan Prasar is a national organization under the department of Science and technology, working for Science popularization.Under its “Reaching to un-reach programme", it was envisaged of bringing out popular science literature in Urdu. A national level seminar cum workshop for development of popular science literature in Urdu was organized at  Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) Hyderabad from 9  to 11 April 2013. The seminar cum workshop was inaugurated by Prof Shamim Jairajpuri the founding vice chancellor of MANUU. The current vice chancellor Mohammed Mian also addressed the gathering. The chief guest was Prof S. Irfan Habib of NUEPA, New Delhi. He deliberated on history of science writing in Urdu in India. For the first time an abstract booklet of popular science writing in Urdu titled as ‘Talkhis’ was published and released during inaugural session.

The registrar of Vigyan Prasar Dr TV Venkatsewaran deliberated on the need to develop easy to understand scientific literature in Urdu. He stressed that present time being the time of technology and knowledge so a large population cannot be denied the benefits of technology. If scientific thought is presented in mother tongue a large population is going to appreciate it and they will be encouraged to express their views. Dr Irfana Begum who was the organizer of this seminar cum workshop stressed that  popularization of science through Urdu medium is need of hour. To appreciate the beauty of science and to avail the fruits of technology is the right of every citizen irrespective of their mother tongue. She urged those scientists and writers whose mother tongue is Urdu but they prefer to write in English and Hindi to write in Urdu as well. Dr Khalid Mubashiruzzafar the co organizer of the program from the Department of Translation, MAANU stressed on the role of translation in developing popular scientific literature in Urdu. Dr Monika Kaul from Delhi University who has done her schooling from the Kashmir valley and knows Urdu, discussed on the challenges in developing scientific literature in Urdu and  their remedial measures. Dr Gauhar Raza an eminent scientist from NISCAIR, CSIR and a talented writer of Urdu talked about scientific temper. He differentiated between science and non science. The meta question which differentiates between the two actually begins with why and how. The questions beginning with why leads to religion, whereas the questions beginning with how leads to science and scientific temper.

About forty participants presented their papers on following theme  (i) Content development (ii) Reach and circulation (iii) Inculcating reading habit and (iv) Sharing experiences. I presented my paper on astrolabe which was an effort in developing popular science content in Urdu. The other notable papers were on health by Dr Abid Moiz, Science in Urdu newspapers by Asad Faisal Faruqi, Historical perspective of scientific writing in Urdu by Dr Mohammed Junaid Zakir.  During second day, a workshop on writing popular science article in Urdu was conducted. Students of School of languages, linguistics and Indology of MANUU also participated in the workshop. Dr TV Venkateswaran of Vigyan Prasar,  Dr Gauhar Raza of NISCAIR, Dr Monika Kaul of Delhi University and Dr Seemin Rubab of NIT Srinagar acted as resource persons and shared their skills and tips with participants. The participants were then taken to the library to get resource materials and write a popular science article and submit it for evaluation. The articles were evaluated by me and all the participants received critical comments and tips on improving their writing skills on the third day. The valedictory session was chaired by Professor Mohammed Zafaruddin,  the dean of School of languages, linguistics & Indology and HOD department of translation. He emphasized on the need of regularly having similar kind of workshop. He assured the cooperation and role of department of translation  in developing popular science literature in Urdu. The department is offering a very innovative masters program in Translation studies. After valedictory session the participants were taken to Charminar, Makkah Masjid and Salar Jung Museum.

Rendezvous with Astrolabes

Although I am a student of Physics, my first rendezvous with astrolabe was few years ago through philately. I got a Spanish stamp with the image of astronomer Al-Zarqali / Arzachel, beside his astrolabe. Then I got a Syrian stamp on which astronomer Sibt al-Mardini who was also a timekeeper (muwaqqit) was busy doing some observations on his astrolabe. Another Syrian stamp which was released at the occasion of 2nd International symposium for the history of Arabic Science clearly shows an astrolabe. I became fascinated by its beauty and versatility and came to know about two libraries and a museum in India where ancient scientific instruments including astrolabes are preserved. A small collection of unique medieval scientific instruments are preserved in Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library at Patna. Another collection of instruments are preserved at Rampur Raza Library and yet another collection is at Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad. A small but unique collection of medieval astronomical instruments is preserved in SPS museum Srinagar. All these instruments have been catalogued by great Sanskrit scholar  SR Sarma. Last year I bought the album of scientific instruments preserved at the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library. The album has been edited by Imtiaz Ahmed on the basis of a paper by  SR Sarma entitled ‘A brief Introduction to the Astronomical Instruments preserved in Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna’ published in Khuda Bakhsh Library journal in the year 1999. Recently I had the opportunity to see the astrolabes and other instruments at Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library.

The astrolabe is an ancient astronomical instrument/ analogue computer. Astrolabe is a very versatile instrument. It was first designed by Greeks to measure the altitude of a heavenly body. It was used to ascertain position of celestial bodies like Sun, Moon, planets and stars in the sky. It was also used for measuring height and distances in land surveys. It can also be used to simulate the motion of heavenly bodies at any locality and time. In fact it can also be used to measure time. The design, manufacture and applications of astrolabes were improved by Arabs in middle ages. It was used to calculate the Qibla and to find the times for Salah. Astrolabe was adopted for navigational purposes by the German geographer, Martin Behaim.

Several types of astrolabes have been made since antiquity. The most popular type is the planispheric astrolabe, on which the celestial sphere is projected onto the plane of the equator. A typical astrolabe was made of brass and was about 6-10 inches in diameter, although much larger and smaller ones were made. An astrolabe consists of a disk, called the mater (mother), which is deep enough to hold one or more flat plates called tympans or climates. A tympan is made for a specific latitude and is engraved with a stereographic projection of circles denoting azimuth and altitude and representing the portion of the celestial sphere above the local horizon. The rim of the mater is typically graduated into hours of time, degrees of arc. Above the mater and tympan, the rete or ankabut, a framework bearing a projection of the ecliptic plane and several pointers indicating the positions of the brightest stars, is free to rotate. The rete, representing the sky, functions as a star chart. When it is rotated, the stars and the ecliptic move over the projection of the coordinates on the tympan. One complete rotation corresponds to the passage of a day. On the back of the mater there is often engraved a number of scales that are useful in the astrolabe's various applications; these vary from designer to designer, but might include curves for time conversions, a calendar for converting the day of the month to the sun's position on the ecliptic, trigonometric scales, and a graduation of 360 degrees around the back edge. The alidade is attached to the back face. When the astrolabe is held vertically, the alidade can be rotated and the sun or a star sighted along its length, so that its altitude in degrees can be read from the graduated edge of the astrolabe.

The concept of astrolabe was introduced in India by noted polymath Alberuni through his writings. The medieval rulers Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Humayun patronized astronomy. During Mughal period some finest astrolabes were manufactured in Lahore.

Astrolabes have now been replaced by sextants, GPS and other sophisticated digital devices but their study and handling leads to insights into basic measurement, geometry, stereographic projection, astronomy, geography and design and application of instruments. There are about thousand Islamic astrolabes that survive in various museums throughout world. They are pieces of beauty and craftmanship for beholders. Not only men but women also excelled in designing of astrolabes. Mirium al Ijli from Aleppo was a famous designer and crafter of intricate astrolabes that’s why she is also known as Mirium asturlabi.

Report on Indian Science Communication Congress(ISCC-2012)

The 12th Indian Science Communication Congress (ISCC-2012) with the theme of ‘Risk Communication and Development’ was held at Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi from 17-21 December. The conference was being jointly organized by National Council of Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Indian Science Writers Association (ISWA), Vidyadeep Foundation and Jan Sewa Ashram. The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Ved Prakash, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC) and Presidential address was delivered by Prof. Krishan Lal, President, Indian National Science Academy. Key note address was delivered by Dr. R. K. Bhandari, Former Chairman, Centre for Disaster Mitigation. Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General of Council of Scientific Research (CSIR) and veteran journalist Dr. Radhey Shyam Sharma graced the occasion as guest of honour.  Indian Science Writers Association (ISWA) conferred national awards and fellowships to fifty leading scientists and journalists of the nation. Around 250 scientists, science writers, academicians,  science correspondents and students participated in the congress. In his inaugural address Prof. Ved Prakash, Chairman, UGC, stressed the importance of quality education and research in the higher science education. In the presidential address Dr. Krishan Lal, INSA President suggested the importance of fact based debates and discussion between the scientists, communicators and common people. Dr. Manoj Kumar Patairiya talked about addressing the dilemma over emerging conflicting  issues on science and technology and role of scientists and journalists. Prof. Samir K Brahmachari stressed the importance of science communicators for bridging the gap between scientists and common people.

Several topics such as Risk Communication and Management, Nuclear Energy and Environmental Awareness, Public appreciation of Health Risks and Genetically Modified Organisms were discussed and deliberations made during the conference. The increasing public concerns on emerging issues in genetically modified organisms, nuclear energy, climate change, clinical trials, industrial hazards, etc., need to be addressed with fair, honest, and factual scientific understanding; this entire concept opens up a yet another area of science communication, i.e. “Risk Communication & Development”, which was the focal theme of ISCC-2012. The deliberations  covered a wide range of sub themes, such as: Communication for Sustainable Development; Awareness of Genetically Modified Organisms; Public Appreciation of Nuclear Energy; Public Understanding of Health Risks; Environmental Risks and Communication Strategies; Public Misunderstanding of Superstitions; Preparedness for Disasters - Natural and Human; Risk Communication and Mass Media; Scientific Temper and Risk Management, etc.

I presented my paper on Public awareness of directive on restriction of hazardous substances. We are living in an electronic age. We have e-mail, e-banking, e-business, e-books, e-medicine (telemedicine) and so on. The e-products like laptops and cellular phones have penetrated the society in a big way. However majority of users of these products are unaware of presence of hazardous chemicals in electronic goods. The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment was adopted in 2003 by the European Union. The RoHS-directive, restricts the use of six hazardous materials (viz., lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, PBB and PDBE) in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. PBB and PBDE are brominated flame retardants used in several plastics. A long term exposure of these substances may lead to damage of Nervous system, Kidney, Bones, Reproductive System and Endocrine system. BFR release dioxins and furans which are neurotoxins.

The topics of the evening talks covered First Aid in Disaster by well known physician Dr. K.K. Aggarwal, Science and Art of Weather Forecasting by Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary UGC, Disasters and Public Awareness by Dr. K. J. Ramesh, Advisor, Ministry of Earth Sciences, and Nuclear Energy Debate by Dr. S.K. Malhotra, Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India. The deliberations emphasized the need of a Science and Technology Communication Policy.

Second session of the last day was dedicated for “Young Scholars” which was chaired by Dr. M Prithviraj, Executive Director, Karnataka State Council for Science & Tech. Variety of presentations were made and appreciated by the audience.

Discussion and conclusion sessions was chaired by Dr. S K Malhotra, Director, Public Affairs, Deptt of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India and Rappoteur was Mr. B P Singh, Journalist, Chandigarh. Dr. Manoj Pataria, Director, NCSTC, GOI also share the dais and answered the queries of the participants and delegates. This session was dedicated for the interaction, discussion, suggestion and further recommendation to the higher authorities for their kind consideration.

The valedictory session of the conference was graced by dignitaries such as Mr. Noorana, Sr. Manager, Corporate communication, India Oil Corporation, Mr. Anand Khati, JS, MoES, GOI, Prof Saroj Mishra, University of Houston Clear Lake, USA and Dr. Avinash Mishra, Chief Resident Commissioner, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh.

Beware of greenwash! Be aware of 'Green'

Going Green has become in thing these days. A new vocabulary where green is used as an adjective as well as a verb to show compassion to environment has emerged. It represents a wide and loosely defined spectrum of thought, attitude, philosophy and practice centered around the concern for the environment. We have green resources, products and processes like green energy, green buildings, green agriculture, green transport, green cities, green electronics, green computing, green chemistry, green pharmaceuticals, green fabrics to name a few.

Any product or process is ‘green’ if the emission of carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas is minimal during its fabrication and usage, it has consumed minimum of non renewable resources including energy and water, it has been made of recycled materials, it is recyclable after its useful life, it has utilized local resources, it respects other forms of life during its formation, usage and disposal. Going by this definition, there are shades of ‘green’ or degree of greenness. Getting completely green product or process is a mirage. A glossary of common green vocabulary is as follows.

A green economy is one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The three pillars of a green economy are reduction in carbon emissions, improvement in resource efficiency and social equity.

Employment in low carbon sector is termed as green jobs.

Green sources of energy are those which are relatively free from the emissions of Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The emission of carbon dioxide is negligible for renewable sources of energy like hydro, wind or Solar as well as for Nuclear energy.  It is however to be noted that renewable sources of energy are not fully green. The devices and technologies like water turbine, wind electric generator, solar cells etc. which are used to harness renewable energy, consume lots of conventional energy while fabrication and installation. This is known as their embodied energy. They become green only when they payback this energy. The issue of hazardous wastes makes Nuclear energy less green.

A green building depletes the natural resources to a minimum during its construction and operation. Green architecture is a wide ranging concept including solar passive design to minimize HVAC load, utilization of building materials having low embodied energy, recycled material and efficient water, waste and energy management during entire useful life of the building.

Green transport encompasses improving public transport system, running trains and other vehicles on biodiesel and ethanol, promotion of solar cars and battery operated vehicles and promotion of non-motorized transport like pedal bicycles. The ultimate green transport could be vehicles run on hydrogen as it produces water on combustion instead of carbon dioxide. 

Green buildings and green transport leads to green cities. The main features of a green city are that each house is to be built or retrofitted on solar passive concepts, is to be provided with solar water heaters, has  renewable energy based power generation plants, harvests rainwater, resorts to wastewater recycling etc. A green city has well developed rapid mass transport system and cycling and pedestrian tracks. The green city also has efficient waste collection and utilization system. The waste is segregated as biodegradable, non-biodegradable and toxic at household level and collected and disposed or reused likewise.

Green agriculture focuses on no-till farming, organic fertilizers, natural pesticides, rain water harvesting and drip irrigation.

Green Chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. It is an emerging philosophy which aims to protect environment by inventing new chemical processes that do not pollute. Anastas and Warner have proposed twelve principles of Green Chemistry which are now seen as a precursor to clean and green Pharmaceuticals.

Green engineering could be thought of as the transformation of existing engineering disciplines and practices to those that lead to sustainability The basic principles of green engineering include life cycle thinking in designing engineering products, minimization of depletion of resources including energy, proper handling of waste etc.

Green technology is intended to solve some of the environmental problem or at least should perform better than alternative ‘nongreen’ technologies. Nanotechnologies for providing energy, clean water and a good environment in a sustainable way are termed as Green nanotechnology.

Green electronics means design of energy efficient, safer electronic products with longer lifespan and recyclability potential.

Green washing is the practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice. So beware of green wash.